GLEANINGS IN iJEE CULTURE. 



681 



l(EP0iwp Digc6ait^6i::a. 



KEPOUT Ob- THK HONEY SEASON IN WESTERN 

 NORTH CAUOLINA. 



tE are one of your A B C scholars, and saw a 

 letter in last Gi.eanings from Henry 

 Stewart, which rather goes back on us na- 

 tives of the mountains of Western North 

 Carolina, about energy, and making this a 

 great land lor honey. We have a great many honey- 

 plants here, to be sure; but the honey is not in 

 them by the quantity, or the old blacks can jiot get 

 at it. My father has had from 35 to 60 stands for the 

 last 15 years, and I do not remember that he ever 

 got more than 50 lbs. surplus any season from his 

 best stand, and I think 75 lbs. is the best I have 

 heard of from any one stand in this county. Now, 

 the point Mr. Stewart writes from is about .5(1 or 60 

 miles west of here, but about the same kind of a 

 country as this. It is on the same range of the 

 Blue Kidge. Now, you can sec from my report 

 how honey has flowed here this yeai-. 1 have in- 

 vested about 9=.50.O0 in improved l)09-fl.\tures— every 

 thing that would help them out that I saw in your 

 catalogue— your hive, frames, section box, founda- 

 tion, and about every thing that would be of any 

 service to them, and have not got 35 lbs. of surplus 

 honey, and some of my bees are without honey 

 now, and will have to be fed from this till spring, or 

 starve. Some few may ha\ e enough to carry them 

 through till si)ring. 1 I. now of two other lots, of 

 about 15 hives each, that have not got .',0 lbs. of 

 siirplus each this jear. 1 commenced in (he spring 

 with si.vteen; lost one and doubled back to l~, and 

 bought one four-frame nucleus. Now all that I 

 have for my investment is three stands of Italians 

 from my four-frame nucleus, and I have raised and 

 inti-oduced s Italian queens, and think 1 shall get 

 throe, more, and have all in Simplicity hives but 

 four. But still 1 will not go into Blasted Hopes yet, 

 as this has been one of the worst seasons for honey 

 that I ever have seen in this country. I do not 

 think there is one-tenth the honey made here there 

 is in a fair season. I have been in our town, Ashe- 

 ville, from once to five times every week for the 

 last four months, and have heard of but one lot of 

 honey ofl'ered for sale; there. I have never seen my 

 bees come in with large loads at any time, e.vcept 

 when locust and sourwood were in bloom, and but 

 for a little while then. 1 can not see the cause for 

 honey being so scarce this year in this country; but 

 It is not in the bloom; orif itis, the bees did not 

 get it out. K. L. Fatton. 



Best, Buncombi' Co., N. C, Sept. IT, 1W5. 



THE NAMELESS BEE-UISEASE; A KATHEU DlSCdlU- 

 AGING REPORT FROM AN OLD KRIENl). 



Inclosed plcas0 find T5 cts. for Gleanin(;s for 

 nine months. Don't send it any more, as I am not 

 able to take it any longer. Put me iii Blasted 

 Hopes again. Three years ago I got from 70 colo- 

 nies over 11,003 lbs. of honey; two years ago from 

 07 colonies, 5000 lbs.; last year, 1100 lbs. from 09 col- 

 onies. This year from 1(10 colonies, 2000 lbs. I gave 

 all of my time to my bees, and am most dreadfully 

 discouraged. I have had, this entire season, black 

 shiny bees carried out, seemingly In distress. They 

 could not fly, or scarcely fly; would go back, and be 

 ^gain carried out. The trouble extended tp a large 



part of ray bees. Some dwindled Avhile others kept 

 up. As the queen was very prolific, the trouble is 

 nearly stopped, save one hive which is dragging 

 the shiny fellows out. I am greatly alarmed; for 

 if winter weather should assist the trouble, I be- 

 lieve all the bees would go. 



One man here, out of 215 colonies lost all but 19 

 last winter, and his bees were afflicted the same; 

 but he thought the black shiny bees were old and 

 dying bees; but I know better, as it does attack 

 young bees also. I know whereof I speak. The 

 brood is all right in the comb. The California 

 friends called your attention to the trouble, but 

 you passed it lightly, referring to the A B C book. 

 I liave lost bushels of bees during the summer, in 

 the way above described. A. L. Klar. 



Pana, 111., Sept. 21, 188.5. 



I beg pardon, friend K.. but I did not 

 mean to pass the matter over lightly, as you 

 term it. So far as I know, nothing "has been 

 brought to light in regard to the maladv, 

 further than is given in the A ]'> (' book, 

 and it seems hardly worth while to repeat 

 what I have given 'there. Have you and 

 your friends tried a new strain of "l)lood in 

 your apiaries— that is. giving a new queen, 

 and rearing (pieens from herV 1 shall be 

 glad of any facts in the matter that will 

 hell) "S l<> liianage the trouble. 



This has been a very poor season for bees and 

 honey. From ninety hives, spring count, in good 

 condition, I have taken only about l.'JtlO lbs. of comb 

 honey, and shall |)erhaps return some of it, as some 

 hives will probably be too light for winter, without 

 help. Honey is selling here in comb for 10 and 1.3 

 cts. per lb. California honey injures our nuirket. 

 Mrs. H. .V. North. 



Shellsburg, Iowa, Aw,:. ■^•■K lss5. 



PERTAINING TO DEE CULTURE. 



MORE ABOUT MRS. COTTON. 



TTo S quite a uutnber of my friends in this vicinity 

 ^^ have been humbugged and defrauded by 

 l^r purchasing hives and bees of the woman 

 ■^^■^ named below, I send you the inclosed slip, 

 to keej) her methods liefore the imblie. 



Andover, Mass., Sept. 14, 1885. L. H. Sheluon. 



Helow we give the newspaper item which 

 oiu- friend studs us: 



I read in the Trihunc a quoted paragraph nliout 

 Lizzie E. Cotton, saying that she took fSO from a 

 poor one-armed woman and sent in return "part 

 of a hi^•e containing few lices and no queen." 

 She si'rved us precisely the same way, and we 

 threatened to sue her for damages, but could not 

 spend time to follow the matter uji. Hut can not 

 this contemplible fraud be stopi"'!'.- Her method is 

 to work in ecrlain sections until too hot tor her, 

 then steal away to another, answer no letters, but 

 ply her swindle as before.— H. M. Holmes, Orleans, 

 Mass. 



1 presume friend Sheldon would furnish 

 the details of the way in which these friends 

 have been humbugged, if it were necessary; 

 but the matter has been gone over so many 

 times at length, that it will hardly be advis- 

 able to repeat it in detail. Newsi)aper edit- 

 ors who are receiving and inserting her ad- 

 vertisement should look into the matter. 



