1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



13 



you tell ns more about what kind of oocupa- 

 tion you furnish to those under your charge. 

 We know about the schools and churches; 

 but, what industry or industries do you 

 take upV 



tm — ■ ^ 



PREVENTING SUGAR SYRUP FROM 

 CRYSTALLIZING. 



SOMETHING ABOUT TUANSKERRINO IN WINTER, ETC. 



T HAVE just been reading ail article in Glean- 

 M INGS on " Crystallizing- of Sugar Syrup." I see 

 ^l it is claimed that it will crystallize— as a rule - 

 ''■*' only when made too thick. Further on, in the 

 same paragraph, it is suggested that crystalli- 

 zation probably took place— in a certain instance— 

 because "he put in too much sugar for the quan- 

 tity of water." 



So far I have found it impossible to thoroughly 

 dissolve the sugar unless I use water enough to 

 make the solution quite thin— too thin for feeding. 

 Hence I can not succeed in making a syrup that 

 will stay syrup, without boiling. 



Years ago T worked in a candy-factory, and there 

 I learned, that when transparent, or "crystal can- 

 dy" was to be made, the sugar was boiled down 

 from a thin solution, over a charcoal fire, without 

 any kind of stirring. Now, I never had occasion to 

 make the experiment, but I believe that, with some 

 less boiling, this candy syrup would have remained 

 syrup. Stirring the sugar until thoroughly dis- 

 solved, immediately after the water is added, has 

 nothing to do with its crystallization; indeed, the 

 sugar will settle to the bottom, and harden.^unless 

 it is thoroughly incorporated with the water by agi- 

 tation of some kind, liut, let it be reniembercMl, 

 after this point is reached it should be boik'd with- 

 out stirring, and, when done, left standing in the 

 vessel in which it is boiled, until needed. 



I have tried the "honey" by adding al)out one- 

 sixth to the sugar; and I am well satisfied that it 

 will prevent granulation— or crystallization— better 

 than any thing else, and certainly without risk of 

 injury to the bees. 



Very good, friend G. But if honey effect- 

 ually "prevents crystallization, wliat is the 

 use of going to the trouble of boiling itV 

 Jiist pour boiling water on your sugar, put 

 in the quantity of lioney mentioned, stir it 

 thorouglily. and there you liave it, without 

 taking the stuff near the stove at all. If I 

 am not mistaken, your wife will l)e on my 

 side every time. 



One of my hives, containing a very strong colony, 

 and ha\ing ten frames full of honey (mostly unseal- 

 ed) was upset one night late In October, by a "nasty 

 hog." That accident necessitated a careful ovei-- 

 hauling of the contents of the hive, and the feeding 

 of 12 lbs. of syrup, to make up the loss. But the 

 colony seems to be none the worse now for the 

 rough treatment. 



December 5th T transferred a swarm of bees from 

 a barrel, in which they had been keeping house 

 since June last. I found not less than three gallons 

 of bees, but almost no good honey in the combs, of 

 which the upper half of the barrel was full. 1 have 

 them in a twelve-frame hive in the cellar, and have 

 given them 20 lbs. of syrup since they were trans- 

 ferred. To-day, Dec. 16, they are well and appai-- 

 ently happy in their new home. JNIy bee-books and 

 bee-journals gave me not even a hipt as to whether 



such a job might be done in December or not. But, 

 the wise hen cackles after the egg is laid. You will 

 probably want to hear about this transaction again 

 ne.xt spring; and I may have cause to wish I had 

 said nothing now. J. D. Gehrino. 



Parkville, Mo. 



I think your winter transferring will turn 

 out all right. Of course, we should like to 

 have you report in regard to it ; that is, if 

 the bees you" transferred die. and those that 

 were not'disturbed come out all right, it will 

 be rather against winter transferring. I 

 shouldn't wonder, however, if the colony 

 that had the 20 lbs. of syrup in December 

 would be ahead of the others. I do not 

 think there is anv difficulty about transfer- 

 ring in winter, if one understands his busi- 

 ness. 



LOCALITY WHERE THEY 

 HONEY-DEW. 



LIKE 



SOMETHING IN DEFENSE OF THIS KXNU OF UONEY. 



"P^KIEND KOOT: — r am a constant reader of 

 CV Oi.EANiXGS, and like it very much. I have 

 1? reatl many articles in it the last few years 

 '*■■' about honey. Now, we have not had the op- 

 ))ortunity to study tho matter closely, but 

 take honey-dew as a gift from above, and like thaJ^ 

 gradeof honey very much, and so do our custom- 

 ers. After buying it once they will call for it again. 

 Three years ago our honey-dew honey took the sec- 

 ond premium at the Inter-State Exposition at St. 

 •loseph, the honey being in 10 lb. boxes, while the 

 honey in competition was of different grades, and 

 in one-pound .«eftious. It was darker than clnver 

 honey, but was jjleasant to tlie taste, and of fine 

 Havor. If the ajihides i)ioduce honey, do they not 

 first eat ity If they puncture plants, and cause it 

 to flow from the plant or tree so punctured, why is 

 honey-dew found upon leaves of trees that produce 

 a bitter llisteail of a sweet taste, as the oak-tree? 

 Why is honey-dew found mostly on the topmost 

 leaves of the trees, and not on the lower ones? 

 Why do we never have honey-dew unless there is a 

 great How of honey from tlowers? and why do we 

 never have honey-dew unless accompanied by 

 heavy dew?' We think that the position taken in 

 Gleanings in regard to honey-dew is detrimental 

 to the sale of honey in general; for people don't 

 like to eat "bug juice." 



Bees have not done well here this season, scarce- 

 ly yielding 20 lbs. to the colony; spring count. The 

 basswood was an entire failure, as was also the 

 goldenrod. Some colonies are short of winter 

 stores, and will have to be fed. The spider plant 

 produces honey from the first of July until the 25th 

 of October, standing the dry hot weather and three 

 slight frosts without checking the honey-flow. 



Mrs. J. w. Thornton. 



Stewartsville, Dekalb Co., Mo. 



I do not think tlie aphides eat honey, my 

 friend, but, rather, that they eat the leaves 

 and suck out tlie juices by puncturing the 

 bark. These juices and the foliage are per- 

 haps largelv made up of starchy matter, and 

 the aphiihs convert the starch into sugar, 

 and exude it. This exuded sweet substance 

 falls on the leaves of tlie trees; and where it 

 is on the topmost branches, I think we shall 

 always tind the aphides on the foliage above 



