78 



GLEAXIXGS IX BEE CULTURE. 



FEB* 



WOOL FOB CUSHIONS. 



Thinking- that a cushion exactly like the one on p. 

 495, December Gleanings, with a little wool of 

 cheap grade, properly cleansed, carded a little by 

 hand, and spread evenly over the bottom, and a lit- 

 tle upon the sides before the chaff is put in, might 

 be — eh? a little different might give a healthy 

 ventilation, if not packed too tightly, might ke< p 

 'em as "warm as wool," might fool 'em some when 

 they're trying to "look a little out," and might be 

 slow to sift out on first invitation, —but I can't test 

 if, as I have no bees now, so I pass the cushion to 

 you. 



BEES BY THE POUND. 



I expect to buy a good many bees in early spring- 

 by the pound. Won't you give us, in G leanings, 

 your experience "bythe pound," with variations and 

 recommendations? It's your bantling, I believe. 



H. Mltnger. 



514 N. 24th St., Omaha, Neb., Dec. 31, l-7'.i. 



The use of wool for keeping bees warm is 

 an old idea; but, while it keeps the bees 

 nice and warm, it does not dry out with 

 readiness and facility as chaff does. Some- 

 body has recently suggested sheepskins with 

 the wool on. I think they will be excellent, 

 if one can afford them. We should be care- 

 ful that the wool is not where the bees can 

 get at it readily, or they will get tangled and 

 twisted up in it in a way that will cause the 

 death of many of the poor little fellows. I 

 had some sad experience in this line in try- 

 ing to use it one season for contracting the 

 entrance to the house apiary. Jiees bythe 

 lb. has already become quite an industry. 

 All we need is a little more experience in 

 preparing them for shipment. 



CAN A QUEEN FEED HERSELF? 



It has been my opinion for several years, that a 

 queen can not feed herself. Some claim they have 

 seen them feed themselves, but 1 think they only 

 saw her try to do so, or go through a maneuver that 

 resembled eating. If she could feed herself, would 

 not her condition always be the same/ [ think that 

 the bees feed her a substance to bring- her body into 

 a condition su.-h that she will lay worker or drone 

 eggs as they desire. I don't believe in the compres- 

 sion or non-compression theory. We know that if 

 all drone comb be taken out of a hive, the bees will 

 build out worker cells and raise drones in them. If 

 compression has anything to do with it, the queen 

 could not lay a drone egg in them. Will you or 

 some one else please explain? If you think the 

 above will cause all the bee men to jump on me, 

 "all spread out." as some do when others advance 

 an idea adverse to their own, don't publish it, for I 

 am too rough in a controversy and don't want any. 

 To get drones early, feed liberally and crowd with 

 division boards. M. L. Williams. 



Vaneeburg, Ky., Dec. 15, 18T0. 



But queens do feed themselves, friend W., 

 for we often put them in a cage without any 

 bees at all, and they eat like "other folks.'' 

 The compression theory of Mr. Wagner has 

 been dropped, partially at least, for many 

 years; and the only theory I know of now is 

 that the queen lays drone egss, or eggs in 

 drone cells, when she thinks they will be 

 needed. It is true, the bees and queen seem 

 to agree quite well in this matter, and very 

 likely, they have some kind of an understand- 

 ing, even if they do not hold a council and 

 talk the thing over. Are you not a little 

 hard on your friends, friend W.V I hardly 

 think the readers of Gleanings are in the 

 habit of being very uncharitable, even if 

 some of us do get queer notions now and 

 then. 



THE HONEY OF THE SOUTH. 



I wish to correct a former statement of mine, 

 which I supposed, at the time, to be true. I classed 

 the honey which we call here white honey, as " first- 

 class, white honey," and thought it about as light, or 



lighter, than yours which I saw in 1875. Judging 

 from the sample received from you, mine will rank 

 as No. 2. 



WIRED FRAMES FOR FOUNDATION. 



I also said my combs of fdn. broke down about 3 

 inches below the top bar of the frame. I had no 

 frame near me at the time, and I find, since then, 

 that 1|.> to 2 inches would be more nearly correct for 

 roost of the broken combs. From my experience 

 here, I would add two more wires to the frame you 

 describe— one tit each end, and not more than ' J * 

 fri m the end bar, to prevent fdn. from curling out 

 to the edue of the end bar, as many sheets here do, 

 and, unless very closely watched, make that much 

 of an imperfect comb. C. 11. Carlin. 



Shreveport, La., Dec. 31, 1879. 



There is much difference in the color of 

 both white-clover and basswood honey here. 

 Some seasons will furnish much whiter hon- 

 ey than others, and we occasionally find 

 samples almost as clear as water; but the 

 candying process very soon makes it look 

 cloudy, unless we chance to get some that 

 won't candy, like that I have mentioned in 

 the A 15 C. ' We obviate the necessity of the 

 additional wires you speak of, by cutting the 

 sheets of fdn. full size and pressing the ends 

 against the end bars, so as to stick them 

 slightly. "We have sometimes caught the 

 edges at intervals with a drop or two of 

 melted wax. We have found this plan rath- 

 er cheaper and less troublesome than the 

 two additional wires. 



AN A B C SCHOLAR IN TROUBLE. 



T have <rot only to A in the beginners' class, and 

 have "stuck fast." Unless you or some brother 

 bee-keeper help me. I am surely destined for Blast- 

 ed Hopes, while you shake your head sidewise, go in 

 the Soiilery, and say, "Too slow." 



TRANSFERRING IN DECEMBER. 



I begged two small swarmsof bees the 4th of Dec., 

 brought them home (about three miles) and trans- 

 ferred the next day— one from a half-barrel, and 

 the other from a box-hive, into a hive 12x12x20, 

 with a space above the frames for a chaff cushion 

 about six inches dec]). Frames are 11 _, x 1 1 1 . t , and 

 have cushions about two inches thick at each end. 

 The next day, they cleaned up their combs nicely, 

 but they had been robbed of most of their honey 

 during the fall. I found only about 3 lb. in both 

 hives. I fixed it in the frames as nicely as 1 could, 

 the honey at the upper end of frames, and empty 

 comb below. This is as far as 1 can go without 

 help. Now, do they want sugar, honey, or candy? 

 Can I feed any da v they lly, or must they die any- 

 way, with help or without? 1 found but little pollen 

 in either hive. Wm. K. HORNER. 



Denton, Wayne Co., Mich., Deo. 12, 1879. 



I do not see that you are "stuck" very 

 badly, friend II. All you have to do is to 

 feed your stocks with candy, as directed on 

 page IsT. December 2S T o. There is no troub- 

 le at all in transferring in December, or 

 any other month in the year, when there are 

 only o lb. of honey in the hive. Take good 

 care of your two, and don't let them die. and 

 in the spring tell us about it. 



BUCKWHEAT IN NORTHERN LOCALITIES. 



Editor Gleanings: — Buckwheat has been regarded 

 with considerable disfavor among our farmers here, 

 and very little is sown on account of its alleged liabil- 

 ity to blight in some seasons I induced some of 

 them, however, to sow a little this past season, and 

 as 'hey had Aery fair crops, others will sow it next 

 season. lam very anxious to know just the best 

 date on which to sow it in our latitude, also the ex- 

 act quantity which should lie sown per acre, to give 

 the very best results for a crop; for, unless our 

 farmers get a good, fair yield, they will soon stop 

 sowing it. even it given the seed for not bin jr, as I am 

 doing with them. Will Prof. Cook kindly give di- 

 rections about "buckwheat .management" for our 

 locality? George O. Goodhue. 



Danville, V. Q., C i., Jan. 2, 1880. 



