.48 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTURE. 



Jan. 



HOW DR. LOOPE SUCCEEDED IN BEE- 

 KEEPING. 



EVEN IF HE DID GO AND BUY A GUEAT LOT IN THE 

 OUTSET TO START WITH. 



AM, as you will presently see, a beginner in bee 

 culture. I am not much given to troubling 



|t editors with mj' notions, so that you need not 

 fear very frequent intlictions on your time and 

 patience. Still, I belong to that rapidly in- 

 creasing class called bee-keepers; and as you seem 

 to wish reports, whether good or bad, I will send 

 you mine. 



I bought 50 swarms of bees in the spring of 1883, 

 without previous knowledge or e.xperience in the 

 methods or devices pertaining to bee culture. 

 However, I hired a lady who had some experience, 

 and took counsel of others who were iu the busi- 

 ness, in the meantime subscribing for Gleanings, 

 and reading Quinby and other works. I got about 

 2000 lbs. of corab honey, and increased to 90, as a re- 

 sult of that year's work. Tn the fall I bought .50 

 swarms more, and came out in the spring of 1884 

 with 110 colonies, S.5 of which were mere nuclei, 

 from bad wintering. The reason of such loss was, 

 that the rats got into the cellar where my bees 

 were; and before I found it out they wore r.inning 

 riot among the hives, tearing off honey-boards, and 

 gnawing the frames almost in two, to get at the 

 honey. Of course this constant irritation produced 

 dysenterj', with consequent weakening and death. 

 Of the 75 swarms not mere nuclei, there were not 

 many that were strong; but the spiing was quite 

 favorable; and by June 10th I had them booming 

 with my nuclei coming along in good shape. I de 

 pended on hired help to do most of the worlc, being 

 myself busy in my profession; but I was fortunate 

 in securing a man who could "catch on," and was 

 steady and faithful. 



The season in our locality was quite favorable, 

 and it closed by giving me 8000 lbs. of choice white 

 honey, basswood and clover, besides a considerable 

 amount of unfinished sections and dark honey, 

 probably aggregating 500 lbs., which will come very 

 handy next spring. I increased to 180 swarms, 

 which I am wintering in cellars. 1 have also bought 

 10.1 swarms this fall; and if they winter well I shall 

 have something to do next summer, if the season is 

 favorable. 



Now, this may appear somewhat hap-hazard to 

 you, but I assure you that I was not idle all the 

 time, in looking up and attending to details, which 

 are as essential in this as in other kinds of business. 



So far my bees are not in debt to me; and should 

 a sweeping loss come, it would not leave me worse 

 than when I started. T am much indebted to 

 Gleanings for manj- practical hints which I acted 

 on, and to which I largely attribute my success, if 

 it may so be termed. T. E. Looi'e, M. D. 



Eureka, Wis., Jan. 6, 18X5. 

 I am very ffhul indeed to get ytnir report, 

 doctor ; but for all that, I think it a hazard- 

 ous undertaking to start out in the way you 

 did. Now I shall offer as a reason for your 

 doing so well, that, in the first place, you 

 are a doctor, and are presumed to be tolera- 

 bly smart, with the advantage of a " physic 

 education," as the old lady said ; and on"top 

 of it all, I am sure you had two pretty favor- 

 able seasons. Wisconsin has been a little 

 above the average during the year 1884, even 



though some of the brethren do say, " Tain't 

 so." I am glad that you had good luck in 

 getting hired help. Do you know, doctor, 

 that speaks well for you "as well as for the 

 help ? One who tinds good efficient people 

 right around him is generally a good and ef- 

 ficient man himself. You" say you were 

 around attending to details considerable of 

 the time, and the way it has turned out 

 shows tliat you were. Attention to little 

 details is oftentimes Avhat makes the result 

 a success or a failure. 



THE PURPLE FIREWEED, OR EPILO- 

 BIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM. 



also CALLED WILLO W-HEK B. 



N answer to our editorial in the January 

 , No., asking for seeds of the above plant, 

 r we have received a small package of the 

 heads of the plants, with the well-known 

 thistledown blooms accompanying the 

 seeds. ^Vhether the seed will growor not, I 

 do not know ; but we have given it a place in 

 the greenhouse, and are watching anxiously. 

 The letter below, from the friend who fur- 

 nished the seeds, will give some light on the 

 subject. As it is well known that fire- 

 weeds grow best where brush-heaps have 

 been burned, our mailing - clerk asked 

 if it would be necessary to burn down our 

 greenhouse, in order to make the plants 

 thrive. Our friend Lettie replies in the 

 same strain. 



Editor Ofea»i?iys;— Brother smiled a little when T 

 bade him go forth and seek the seeds of the EpUo- 

 hium angustifoUum, but he went nevertheless, and 

 as a result of his search I send you a little package 

 by this mail. If it should prove to contain a few 

 seeds that will grow, I shall be very glad; but 

 it is my belief that dame Nature scattered all her 

 fully ripened seeds last fall. I have no doubt the 

 plant will take kindly to cultivation; but I should 

 not expect it to thrive by scattering the seeds 

 broadcast along the highways and in wr.ste places. 

 Hardier plants -grass and clover, and berry-bushes 

 —easily crowd it out of the way. Of all places, it 

 grows best in newly burned ground, so by all means 

 "burn out the greenhouse; " for if there are any 

 perfect seeds among these I send I should like them 

 to have every advantage. 



The common name, as given in Gray's Botany, 

 and also in Wood's, is willow-herb. But it is often 

 called fireweed— not unfrequently so in the bee 

 journals, I believe. This is misleading, those not 

 acquainted with the plant being in danger of con- 

 founding it with the true Qrewcod —Krcihthitcj< 

 hii^raci folia, a plant which blossoms later in the sea- 

 son, and yields honey of decidedly inferior (juality. 



The willow-herb and the (iaimi Inrntiis belong to 

 the same order (0»(af//'accrt'), though not to the same 

 genus. They are not sisteis, but "cousins." 



You must let me know if the seeds sent do not 

 germinate, and another season they shall be gath- 

 ered earlier. Lettie A. Wilkins. 



— , Mich., Jan. 7, 18S.5. 



The two plants, although belonging to the 

 same order, are so unlike iu appearance, one 

 would hardly be likely to call them even 

 "• cousins," if it were not for the botanies. 

 I have never seen the willow-herb growing ; 



