370 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



DEPOSITORY OF 



Or Letter* frein Those AVlio Have Made 

 Bee Culture a Failure. 



S]!HERE is no honey here yet for surplus, though 

 there is a perfect sea of white clover, and 

 perfect corn weather. It puzzles me to say 

 what is the matter with the clover. This is the third 

 season it has refused to "give down," without good 

 or visible cause. It yielded honey later last year, 

 and year before; and probably it will do so this year, 

 after it has become older. J. B. Colton. 



Waverly, Bremer Co., la., June 25, 1880. 



Well! I guess I must confess ttiat I have 40 colo- 

 nies of bees, and have not taken a pound of honey, 

 though some have built comb in the sections. I 

 have had only 2 s wa rms. In the day t ime, thousands 

 of little bees, like sweat bees, are on white clover, 

 and at night the lion-trees roar with the death-head 

 miller. Besides, we have a poor honey season any 

 how. Three years ago I sold, if I mistake not, ItiCO 

 lbs. of comb honey from 2fi hives; and from 23 

 swarms, last year, about half as much per colony. 

 Now, can any one tell me what my apiary will be 

 next year? I am sowing ten acres of common buck- 

 wheat. I have not seen any bees away from home. 

 There is no surplus. Was it intended that every 

 farmer should raise his honey and do away with mo- 

 nopoly? Is this the cause? or do we worship our 

 bees and neglect other matters more important? or 

 is this a chance world? Peter James. 



Waveland, Ind., July 1, 1880. 



Not a chance world at all, friend J., but, 

 on the contrary, the very hairs of your head 

 are all numbered. " Be not weary in well 

 doing." You know the rest. 



HOW TO BEAK DISAPPOINTMENT. 



The crop will only average about 5 lbs. to the hive, 

 and I had prepared for 100 lbs., as my bees were in 

 splendid condition and the prospects were good ear- 

 ly in the season; but we patiently submit to the ru- 

 ling hand that is ever guarding us, and at the same 

 time must keep a sharp eye to the outgoes, and 

 bring the expenses within the income if possible. 



Manalapan, N. J., July 6, 1880. Chas H. Kite. 



That is right, friend R. Hold to the idea 

 of saying "Thy will be done, 1 '' when we 

 have done the best we know how. 



Bees are doing no good. I have not had a swarm 

 this season. Clover winter - killed. Basswood 

 "played." The low lauds drowned. No more. 



J. S. Jackson. 



Keithsburg, Mercer Co., 111., July 1, 1880. 



Wanted : — A conspicuous place in " Blasted 

 Hopes," for a large share, if not all, of the bee-keep- 

 ers in this vicinity. We have now had 2 years in 

 succession without any swarming, and scarcely any 

 honey. In this town, out of about 50 stocks, there 

 has not been one swarm in the two years. The 

 fore part of each season has been very dry, so that 

 white clover, which is our main dependence, has 

 been a failure. The last week has been wet, and 

 clover is coming out some now; but it is too late to 

 expect much from it this season. Only very few 

 stocks are storing any honey in boxes, but seem in- 



clined to get all in the brood box even to crowding 

 the queen. Through the country, I have heard of 

 now and then a swarm, but they are scarce. Thanks 

 to the movable comb hives, I divided and doubled 

 my stocks last season, and intend to do the same 

 again this year. Some shook their heads when 1 

 said I was dividing last season; but I found that 

 some which I divided then, are my best ones this 

 year. From 30 stocks I shall not be likely to get 

 more than 3 or 1 hundred lbs. of honey, and most all 

 of that extracted, which I think I can get 15c for 

 per pound. 



HONEY PLANTS. 



I have 100 spider plants just beginning to bloom, 

 and about K0( I Simpsons that the bees have worked 

 on sinoe the first of July. I have also about l A acre 

 of mignonnette, some of which is in bloom; but, on 

 account of the dry weather, I have planted a good 

 deal of it over the third time. I have also quite 

 a patch of lady slippers, or touch-me-nots, which 

 please the bees exceedingly. 



A. A. Fradenburg. 



Port Washington, ()., July ti, 1S80. 



My bees wintered well, not a single colony out of 

 22 having been lost, and they had no spring dwin- 

 dling either, as a year ago; but, as stroag as they 

 are, I have got but very little honey yet, and not a 

 single natural swarm. Several in and out of town 

 lost all their bees; one has one stand left out of 7; an- 

 other, one out of 5; and they were all strong and 

 healthy in February. They died of starvation. An 

 old Pennsylvanian by the name of Schieffer invested 

 $ 40.00 in bees in 1878, engaged honey all over town 

 last spring early, as he was afraid he would find no 

 market if he waited till he had the honey. But there 

 was no danger ; he never got a drop, not a taste for 

 himself even, and he fed considerable sugar besides. 

 Now he is minus be*>s also. He lives two miles out 

 in the country, where they ought to have done well. 

 Here is another candidate for vour Blasted Hopes. 

 He thinks he would rather raise "taters and cab- 

 bage " and light bugs and worms. 



Geo. L. Holt.enback. 



Noblesville, Hamilton Co., Ind., July t5, 1880. 



OBITUARY. 



sHf^lTH sadness we note the decease of our 

 friend John Hunter. Our readers, I pre- 

 sume, are already so well acquainted with 

 him, through his kind and sprightly articles in our 

 past volumes, that a lengthy explanation as to who 

 he was will be hardly necessary. His book, and his 

 writings on bees in the Encyclopedia Britanica, have 

 won for him hosts of friends all over the world, and 

 a general feeling of sorrow will prevail, that he 

 could not have been spared to us a little longer. 

 "Thy will, not ours, be done." As I came to my 

 type-writer this morning, an envelope with a black 

 border met my eyes. It contained a little card with 

 the same black border, on which was the following: 



" 77i is is the rest wherewith He causeth the weary t<> 

 rest." 



In Loving Memory 



or 

 JOHN HXJ3XTT3HSH., 



Who din! at Ealing on Sunday, June 21th, 1880, 

 AGED 48, 



Dearly hawl and deeply mourned. 



Interred at Kensal Green Cemetery, July 1st, 1880. 



May God be praised that, as we have had the op- 

 portunity of knowing, friend Hunter was one who 

 not only professed but lived the life of a simple, 

 kind-hearted, earnest follower of our Lord Jesus 

 Christ. 



