1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



161 



the past season, while 43 other colonies, mostly 

 blacks with a few hybrids, secured little or n<> sur- 

 plus honey. The season being- remarkably dry, but 

 few of my neighboring bee-keepers for miles around, 

 secured enough honey to carry them through the 

 winter. 



These 5 colonies possess queens that were reared 

 in 1878, from an imported tested queen purchased 

 the same season from Chas. Dadant \- Son. They, 

 as well as their mother, are of a dark orange color. 



In fact all the queens that I have reared from the 

 imported queen are two shades darker than those 

 reared from her daughters, while they all mate with 

 the same stock of drones, as there are no Italian 

 bees nearer to me than 4 miles. 



No. 54 carried off the palm, as they attended 

 strictly "to their knitting," and furnished llti, Ihi- 

 full sections, and 13 partly filled, besides securing 

 ample stores for winter, and furnishing ."> frames 

 early in the season for weaker colonies. The queen 

 of this colony is leather colored, and has 3 or 4 spots 

 on top of her abdomen; she is the only spotted 

 queen I possess. The other 4 queens each secured 

 from 20 to 27 frames of honey for the extractor. 

 These 4 colonies were supplied with 10 frames of 

 fdn. each, and, when these weie nearly sealed over, 

 they were raised and another hive with 10 frames 

 placed between. I use the Simplicity hive, and can 

 of course tier up as high as needed. 



I had 3 other Italian colonies that produced from 

 40 to 60 lbs., but very few of the blacks secured 

 enough to live on. I live in the midst of a fertile 

 prairie; our staples are corn and hogs; and to raise 

 hogs cheaply and successfully, we must have clover 

 pasture. I should judge that there was at least 

 1000 acres of red clover within i miles of me. At 

 any time during the latter part of the season, I 

 could stand in my clover fields (I have 80 acres) and 

 count from 8 to 10 yellow fellows within a very 

 few minutes, but never a black could 1 see. True, 

 we have considerable white clover in our vicinity, 

 but it produced but little honey. I have a brother 

 apiarist living 4'_. miles from me, who keeps about 

 the same number of bees, all Italians but of a differ- 

 ent strain, who secured but little surplus honey, no 

 one colony securing over 20 or 30 lbs. Another api- 

 arist living in the opposite direction from the first 

 mentioned also has Italians of still another strain. 

 His bees secured no surplus, having the same re- 

 sources as my own. This goes to show conclusively, 

 that my bees eon work on red clover. 



As I want to stock my apiary with pure Italians, I 

 intend breeding from my imported queen exclusive- 

 ly, this coming summer. I prune drone comb very 

 closely, and intend that my spotted queen shall fur- 

 nish most of my drones. M. II. Snyder. 



Klniwood, 111., March 15, 1S80. 



Glad to hear you speak out, friend s. ; 

 that is the way to do. of course. And I am 

 glad also to hear that others beside myself 

 are waking up to the fact that some queens 

 are worth more for honey than others. 



OB ITU A ICY. 



It is with sorrowful feelings that I write to inform 

 you of the death of a highly esteemed minister of 

 the gospel, and scientific apiarian. The Kev. Dr. 

 Join Van Eaton, pastor of the United Presbyterian 

 Oun-cia of York, Livingston Co., N. V., died of heart 



disease, March 5, 1880, in the 63d year of his age. Oc- 

 cupying the same pulpit, and looking to the spiritu- 

 al welfare of a large congregation for more than a 

 quarter of a century, his was a vigorous, active, 

 useful life, a noble manhood, a triumphant death. 

 A brother minister, who knew him well, remarked, 

 in his funeral eulogy, that he was looked upon by 

 his associates as the ablest member in this presbyte- 

 ry. A deep thinker in theology, his sermons, full of 

 ripe thought, were convincing, interesting, and elo- 

 quent. Aside from pastoral duties, apiculture was 

 with him a chosen pursuit. He pave to Ms improve- 

 ment the powerful resources of a fertile brain, and, 

 with assistant co-laborers to carry out his ideas by 

 practical experiment, successfully wrought the so- 

 lution of important problems In advanced apicul- 

 ture, one being the practical and profitable use of 

 wax foundation for surplus honey, after it had been 

 condemned as unsuitable for such purpose by the 

 N. E. and National Bee-Keepers' Conventions. 



Thus are passing away, one by one, those who 

 have done much toward placing bee-keeping in the 

 position it now occupies. Mr. Quinby is at rest; 

 Adam Grimm, and many others whose names were 

 familiar as writers in our bee publications, are no 

 more; Rev. L. L. Langstroth totters in feebleness 

 with one foot in the grave: and now is added to the 

 list the name of our revered friend and adviser, the 

 Kev. Dr. John Van Eaton. C. R. Isham. 



Mr. George M. Dale, an honored bee-keeper from 

 Border Plains, Webster Co., Iowa, died here at Santa 

 Ana, on Dec. 30th, of ulceration of the stomach. He 

 had been failing for five years. He leaves a wife and 

 one child. They came here for his health, but too 

 late. E. Gallup. 



Santa Ana, Los Angeles Co., Cal., Jan. 6, 1880. 



This department was suggested by one of the 

 clerks, as an opposition to the "Growlery." I think 

 I shall venture to give names in full here. 



ACROSTICAL. 



r J LEAN on, shrewd gleaner, busy bee, 



•( --r* Lay under tribute every tree; 



Extract the sweets from every flower, 

 And claim the wide world as thy dower. 

 Nor man, who nurses first, then shares 

 In the rich stores the bee prepares, 

 Need be less active; he should glean 

 Great bundles for the world unseen, 

 Should ever bear a heavenward mien. 



In life's pursuits, choose wisely; then 

 No idlers be, but work like men. 



Be up and doing is God's rule; 



Exert your powers. This life's a school; 



Eaoh man's a learner or a fool. 



Culture and science, 'neath God's smile, 

 Unfold their hidden sweets the while, 

 Like dew-drops at the early dawn, 

 Till Sol sips nectar from the lawn. 

 Upward all real culture tends, 

 Reforms the bad, the good defends, 

 Exalts, ennobles, and amends. 



Mns. n. A. AwnEr. 

 Cottam, Ontario, Canada, Fob. IT, 1S80. 



