GLEANINGS IK 13EE CULl^UtiE. 



Apit. 



And another still, who declared that we 

 left out a package of honey-knives. See 

 where they went to: 



A friend of ours took those honey-knives out of 

 J the P. ()., and then went into 11 restaurant and laid 

 them dojvn and eanie away and forgcjt them, and 

 forgot that he ever had them in his possession, and 

 they were lately found and deli\crcd to us, so it re- 

 flects nothing on you. Smith & Mougan. 



Colunihus. Wis., Dec. ><, 1><8-1. 



g^eWIiERY. 



THE CONTENTS OF BEE-JOURNALS. 



fDITOR' GLEANINGS:— 1 am in a rather com- 

 plaining mood to-day, and therefore I trust 

 \ that you will excuse any thipg that I wi-ite, 

 which does not exactly agree with your opin- 

 ions and those of your subscribers. Several 

 times I have, laid aside bee-journals, with a feeling 

 that I had gained nothing by reading them; but I 

 always attributed it to. my not being in the right 

 mood to comprehend or remember ju&t what I had 

 4'ead. And now, after carefully looking over some 

 back numbers of bee-jouruals, I find that the sub- 

 jects treated upon are not those which are most 

 essential to the promotion of our interests: that is, 

 in Hif/ estimation. 



To be sure, it won't hurt anybody to be well post- 

 ed in regard to some of these minor details; but, is 

 it necessary and beneficial to protract controversies 

 over " Moral and legal patents," and till pages 

 which should be devoted to tlic interests of bee- 

 keepers with talks about labliits, chickens, silk- 

 worms^ carp, and carp-ponds, and all of these little 

 matters for which I think the majority' of bee-keep- 

 ers care nothing, or, if they do have any interest in 

 these things, would prefer to purchase books or 

 jo jirnals treating those topics and nothing else? I 

 for one shall be glad to sec the time when the niore 

 important subjeqts of our occupation are brought to 

 the front and propcrUj discussed-not by trying to 

 ridicule or cast aside the opiniops of our neighbors, 

 but let each interested bee-master give in his opin- 

 ion and testimony, regardless of whfit others have 

 written; and when the subject has been fully dis- 

 cussed, let the editor make a concise summing-up 

 of the diffei-ent testimonies and ideas, and give his 

 subscribers the benefit of his decision. Would not 

 this manner of dealing with subjects do away with 

 a great deal of this going over and over the same 

 ground whicTi perhaps was discussed two or three 

 inonths before? for then one could turn back, and, 

 by just glancing at this summary, know jiist what 

 had been written and what omitted. 



During the discussions about the sizes of section 

 boxes, and brood-chambers, and the clipping of 

 qtieens' wings, also in regard to the reversible 

 frame and the " Heddon supplies," I for one could 

 not tell what the opinions of the bee-keepers nor 

 thd editors were without beginning at the start and 

 're-rOading all that was written in regard to them; 

 and T sometimes thought that some of those who 

 'did write had no definite idea of what they were 

 writing about. I suppose you think this article be- 

 longs in the Growlery; but as you have that head- 

 Jng in your journal, perhaps you wish to see it well 

 patronized. C. H. Smith. 



Pittsfleld, Mass., March 2-t, 1885. 

 Friend S., your remarks are good, and I 



agree with the most of them. But, here we 

 are again, with your letter in print ; and 

 yet, if you will excuse me, is there any thing 

 in it very practical or helpful in the care 

 of bees/ If you want my opinion. 1 shoidd 

 say, first. I am a little afraid you are in a 

 complaining mood. I have already liurt one 

 brother's feelings. I fear, l)y declining to 

 publish any more, just now, on moral and 

 legal patents. In deciding what shall ap- 

 pear in (tLkanixgs, and what shall not, I 

 believe my sole motive is to serve our read- 

 ers best, and we have had a host of pleasant 

 letters in regard to what has been said on 

 rabbits, chickens, silkworms, carp, and carp- 

 ponds. Even if we are bee-keepers, I be- 

 lieve the general feeling is that we want to 

 look over the fence occasionally, and see 

 what is going on in the world. I should be 

 very glad indeed to be able to make a wise 

 summing-up of the evidence brought for- 

 ward in regard to the things you mention ; 

 but my experience, judgment.'and wisdom, 

 are not eqnal to the task. The size of sec- 

 tion boxes, for instance, I believe we are 

 safe in saying, 4} square is pretty generally 

 agreed upon ; but when it comes to how 

 wide they should be. tliis involves separa- 

 tors or no separators, and we want the result 

 of more experiments before I should dare to 

 say the point was even iolernhlu well settled. 

 I believe the general opinion is, that we do 

 not want queens' wings clipped, but I am 

 almost afraid to say so. In regard to re- 

 versible frames, I am satislied witii the one 

 I have given you. but the matter is a good 

 deal a sea of conjecture and indecision as 

 yet. Ileddon's supplies, I think, we may 

 siun up as a pretty good thing; but much 

 will depend upon "the reports at the end of 

 this coming season. It takes a long wliile, 

 friend S., to settle decisively these disputed 

 points. A great many of us have decided, 

 so far as >re are concerned. You will notice 

 in this number that friend Ileddon is satis- 

 fied in regard to the wintering problem ; 

 now. it will probably be a long while before 

 we all agree with turn, or. in fact, before we 

 (tU agree on a great many otlier matters. 



BAD REPORT FROM HONEY-DEW. 



Y losses up to date are two colonies, with in- 

 dications of one or two more to follow, caus- 

 ed by honey-dew, or its right name," bug- 

 juice," and as there have been no losses re- 

 ported in Gleanings from others, can it be 

 that ours was of a more inferior quality, as none 

 could be worse, and more deceiving to look at on 

 the outsidcV Hop honey, T think, would be as good 

 a name to give it, for some of my customers told 

 me that if I could not feed my bees any thing bet- 

 ter than hops, they wanted no more of it put up in 

 that shape; for I must confess I sold what looked to 

 be A No. 1 quality of honey that was some of this 

 hop-apis bug-juice, honey-dew lioney, that made 

 oiir pets go wild the past season. The colonies that 

 arc affected had stores from it, and those that ap- 

 pear all right have some stores from the season of 

 1883, this being saved on account of so much apple- 

 bloom last spring, and so the bug-juice, or hop 

 honey, was stored in boxes. ('. L. Hill. 



Dennisou, Ohio, March 9, 188.5. 



