1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



597 



pond. But, are you not mistaken, friend .J., 

 in saying that the frogs do not get out of the 

 polliwog state until the next season? I 

 should say, that tadpoles all turn into frogs 

 during the spring months of the year. 



A REPORT OF THE HONEY SEASON 

 IN THE SOUTH FOR 1884 AND 1885. 



ALSO SOMETHING IN REGARD TO DEAD BROOD 

 WHICH AFFECTED TEN DIFFERENT APIARIES. 



NCLOSED you will find the condensed report ot 

 ten apiaries for 1884, which makes a very fair 

 showing for that year. In the alluvial lands 

 the yield of honey was moderately fair; but in 

 the uplands, owing to the drought, there was 

 scarcely enough made to carrj- the hees through 

 the winter. Bro. Haniman's apiary is located in 

 the Bayou Macon hills, one mile from the Mississip- 

 pi swamp. His short crop was the result of so 

 much hill range. 



REPORT (JF APIARIES FOK 188t. 



O. M. Blanton, Greenville, Miss.* Colonies, spring 

 count, 375; fall count, .380; lbs. of honey per col., 7o. 



Blanton &Vaught, Kef ngc, Miss.+ Colonies, spring 

 count, 41; fall count, ho; IIik. honey per col., 110. 



F. S. Elder, near Luke \illiigc, Ark. Col's, spring 

 count, 5«; fall count, Tt; lbs. honey per col., 140. 



H. Ramus, Lake View, Ark. Col's, spring count, 

 43; fall count, 71; lbs. honey per col., 153. 



Alfred Saunders, Luna, Ark. Col's, spring count, 

 40; fall count, 85; lbs. honey per col., 137. 



H. A. Haniman, Giand Lake, Ark. I Col's, spring 

 count, 105; tall count, 135; lbs. honey per col., 65. 



Chas. Kincadc, Sterling, .\rk. Col's, spring, count, 

 !»5: fallcomit, !Mi; lbs. honey per col., HI. 



Victor .lohtisdii. Lake Tort, Ark. Col's, spring 

 count, :iO; tail count, 1(1; lbs. honey per col., 250. 



Kobcit .1. .\<hiins. Lake Port, Ark. Col's, spring 

 count, !I5; fall count, 190; lbs. honey per col., 173. 



Wm. McLcndon, Lake Village, Ark. Col's, spring 

 count, '.tO; fall count, ISO; lbs. honey per col., IIH. 



Average per colony, 133 lbs. 



This season opened with anything but flattering 

 prospects. There was no honey gathered after the 

 25th of August last year, and from that time until 

 April the bees were consuming their stores. Our 

 winter was very severe for this climate, and we had 

 a very cold wet April, and but little honey was 

 gathered until May. 1 commenced extracting the 

 first of June. The colonies were so weak from 

 short stores, it rcijuircd a long time for them to 

 build up strong enough forsuiplus. June and July 

 wer(^ moderately fair honey months, with much dry 

 weather. Within the last few days we have had 

 heavy showers, and the prospects for August are 

 very good from swamp woodbine, boneset, cow- 

 peas, and button-bush. I'roni about 395 colonies, 

 spring count, 1 have extracted to date only 17,0U0 

 lbs. You will find that the Southern crop of honey 

 Avill be decidedly short. 



You seem to think the long logs of my 30-f rame 

 one story hives, shown in the bird's eye view of my 

 apiary, were intended for the overflow. Nothing of 

 the kind has occurred in this locality for the last 

 forty years, owing to our substantial levees (em- 

 bankments). 1 assure you they are for comfort 

 when at work, as they arc 30 inches from the bot- 

 tom of the hive to the ground; which is the proper 

 height for a man of my size. The double stands for 



larms from t-areless assistants whil.st attendiii;,' 



HefufTP apiai 



tBonehl ap 

 gums, by Hei 



IJudtre Hanlmans apiary can 

 ^ion, as it, is op a brow of hills. 



gums, by Heildon's method. 

 IJudffe Haniman's apiary can not be classeil as swamp joca- 



my two-story Simplicity hives are 30 inches from 

 the ground. I prefer them for one hive, as jou can 

 stand on either side of them, and will hereafter cut 

 the stands in two. 



DEAD BROOD. 



Last year, about the first of June one of my neigh- 

 bors, Mr. S. C. Vaught, discovered dead brood in his 

 apiary. It first commenced with the capped brood, 

 but soon extended to the larva?, which, in some In- 

 stances, in both soon became decomposed. On ex- 

 amination I found some of the capped brood with 

 minute ho'es in the cappings, and the decomposi- 

 tion complete. Some of the pupa? just dead, I 

 found reversed in their cells. There was a very 

 disagreeable odor from the decayed brood, but not 

 such as described in articles on foul brood. L'pon 

 inquiry I found ten apiaries, within a radius of 15 

 miles of me, affected by it ; some to the extent of 15 

 per cent, and most of it confined to the capped 

 brood. Two colonies in my home apiary were af- 

 fected slightly. The Refuge apiar,v, with its bright 

 new combs, had it in every colony, but did not reach 

 putrefaction before the bees removed the dead, and 

 filled the cells with hone}', and the queen com- 

 menced laying as vigorously as ever. 



Mr. Vaught's apiary of al)out 2.50 colonies was so 

 badly diseased that he determined to let them work 

 out their own salvation, which they did. I uncap- 

 ped the dead inip:e of some colonies, and the bees 

 soon cleaned the cells. 



Just before the discovery of this condition of 

 things the bees gathered a great deal of dark sour 

 honey-dew (aphides' I, and I attribute the disease to 

 that cause This year, as far as I can learn, there 

 is no evidence of the disease. It certainly can not 

 be the forerunner of foul brood, or we should have 

 it this year. O. M. Bi.anton. 



Greenville, Miss., Aug. 4, 1885. 



Thanks, friend B., for the valuable facts 

 you furni.sli. I sincerely hope it may so 

 "transpire that the trouble you mention witli 

 dead brood was caused Ijy the sour lioney 

 vou speak of: and I think you show excei- 

 lent good sense in investigating the matter 

 before rusliiiig to the conclusion that you 

 have foul brood in your neighborhood. Tlie 

 fact tliat it disappeared of itself. I should 

 think, is pretty nearly conclusive evidence. 

 Did anybody ever hear of foul luood disap- 

 pearing of its owu accord? There has never 

 l)een such a report made, that I know of. 



MORE ABOUT BONE - CHARCOAL FOR 

 PURIFYING HONEY. 



HEE-PASTCRAGE in north CAROLINA. 



N reference to the note of Chas. H. Grote, page 

 388, I think the idea is a most valuable one, and 

 that bone-black, or animal charcoal, could be 

 used t(» change the color of dark honey .just as 

 easily as it takes the color from the syrup in 

 sugar-refineries. Enormous (juantities of bone- 

 charcoal are used in sugar-refineries for clearing 

 the syrup, and why should it not clear honey'/ The 

 bone-black is easily i)rocured. No doubt that Chas. 

 ¥. Mapes, of Front St., New York, who purchases 

 large quantifies of spent bone-black, would tell your 

 readers where they could procure the fresh article. 

 All that is to be done is to fill a tall narrow tubular 

 filter with the black, and run the honey through it. 

 ^n experitpent poHl(} be fpacje 8t a yery .sraslj co^t. 



