1885 



GLEANINGS m BEE CULTURE. 



831 



moved No. 1 again, and the one in its place I num- 

 bered 3, and so on till I had moved the old colony 4 

 times, and made 5 swarms by July 1st. Sometimes 

 I would have to move the old colony every 9 days, 

 to prevent swarming-. I would always leave a 

 frame of bees and brood on the old location, unless 

 I wanted to raise queen-cells. After the 1st of July 

 No. 1 got ready to swarm, so I made 4 nuclei from 

 this, and afterward built them up from the 4 previ- 

 ous new swarms, so I made 9 from the one, and got 

 295 lbs. from the increase. 



This way I did with all the old queens as fast as 

 they got sti-ong. I always left 6 frames of hatching 

 brood in the old hive, and always moved the old 

 queen. I got my honey from young swarms after 

 they got to work in the upper story. I had all the 

 empty combs I could use. 



Now, friend Root, the Syrian queen I got of you 

 from Neighbor H.'s apiary, her bees are all 3-band- 

 ed; but about a half of her bees have white rings, 

 and are very distinct from those that have the yel- 

 low rings. C— William M.vlone, 5—31. 



Oakley, Iowa, Oct. 20, 188.5. 



ANOTnER WHO HAS REDEEMED HIMSEI.F FROM 

 BLASTED HOPES, AND ALSO FROM TOBACCO. 



I have 36 Italian and 10 brown colonies, in your 

 portico and Simplicity hives. I commenced my 

 apiary in 1883. I went into Blasted Hopes and 

 stayed there. I then made a pledge with you for a 

 smoker, on tobacco, and stayed there also. From 

 24 and no honey in 1883, I went to 36 and 1200 lbs. 

 extracted honey in 1884. I commenced in 1885 with 

 46 colonies. I had two swarming seasons — in April 

 and in Septcml)er. I had throe seasons of honey- 

 How. 



nOHSEMINT noNKV. 



In May and June I took from horsomint (sample 

 sent), 900 lbs. extracted, and 350 lbs. comb, in Mb. 

 sections. July 1st I cleaned up the extractor and 

 put every thing away. Aug. 3d I found the hives 

 full, either of corn, cotton, or sorghum blooms 

 (sample sent). I took 1.50 lbs. in l-lb. sections, and 

 800 lbs. extracted. 



MOHNINO-GLORV HONKV. 



Sept. 6th I cleared away, liy taking 700 lbs. ex- 

 tracted and 200 l-lb. sections from morning-glories, 

 or tie-vines (sample sent). Total, 24€0 lbs. extracted. 

 700 lbs. in sections. To-day every frame and sec- 

 tion is full, and ready to take ott' — not an empty 

 section to put in, and nothing to put extractcl hon- 

 ey in. 



TWO QUEENS, NOT RJLLATED, IN THE SAME HIVE. 



I have a red queen, from Viallon, three years old, 

 and her daughter, three months old, in the same 

 hive, laying right along, and I frequently find them 

 on the same frame; also an Italian (juccn from 

 Tadlock, two years old, with her daughter, doing 

 the same way. 



I noticed one of my l)est and brightest stocks 

 changing to browns. I went in twice to find the 

 cause, but failed. The third time, on the first 

 frame lifted, there was a black queen, laying right 

 along. I pinched her head off. On examination 

 further, there was my old queen, all right, and is 

 doing service yet. I have sold 2300 lbs. of my hon- 

 <y; comb, 12',2C; extracted, IQc. 



Oakland, Tex. John H. Mullin. 



I am very glad, friend ]M., to find that you 

 are ahead, or, at least, on the right side of 

 botli of these departments — Blasted Hopes 



and Tobacco. — The honey yon call morning- 

 ^lory is beautiful in body and color, but not 

 first class in flavor, although it is very fair. 

 It is the first report we have ever had, I 

 think, from this plant. — Your sample of 

 horsemint honey is hardly equal to some we 

 have had ; but if you get 10 cts. per lb. for it, 

 extracted, I think you are doing well. The 

 other lot I should- call a mixture of horse- 

 mint and cotton, but there may be some oth- 

 er plant that gives it the horsemint flavor.— 

 The fact you furnish in regard to a black and 

 an Italian queen laying side by side in the 

 same hive, is a valuable one. Of course, they 

 could not be related, and it goes to show that 

 tlie matter is certainly within our reach, of 

 having queens that will work together with- 

 out the deadly hostility that has been so long 

 characteristic of queens. Who will be the 

 first one to advertise a race of queens that 

 will not quarrel with each other ? It seems 

 to me tliere is surely an opening for some 

 one, to both fame and fortune. 



TAXING bees; and ARE BEES TAXABLE PROPERTY? 



I should like your opinion on the subject of tax- 

 ing bees. Last winter I purchased fifty swarms, 

 and the city assessor assessed them at full value, to 

 which I objected, and at the meeting of the Board 

 of Supervisors I laid the case before our city attor- 

 ney, and he decided them taxable property. I know 

 of no other bees in this State which are taxed, and 

 think they should not be. Will you please enlighten 

 me on the subject? C. W. Kandall. 



, Baraboo, Wis., Nov. 20, 1885. 



Friend R., I have several times before ex- 

 pressed my views on this question, and there 

 has been some discussion in the matter ; but 

 I liope, if the brethren will excuse me, even 

 where they think dilterently, for saying that 

 we consider our bees ta.xable inoperty, and 

 sliould feel a little hurl and neglected," if the 

 assessor shotdd pass us b>. Hives of bees 

 used to be classed with dogs and cats and 

 brusli-heaps, and other uncertain i)roperty; 

 but it seems to me that, with the jtreseht 

 state of iirogress in Itee culture, they should 

 be considered property with other taxable 

 stock. It is true, they are uncertain property, 

 and I should say your assessor had no right 

 to put them in "at full value— that is, at the 

 price you offer to sell them. Thus, a hive 

 of bees is worth, say, §8.00 in the spring of 

 the year : after the honey season is over, may_ 

 be ^{.W : and perhaps, during the month of 

 Decemlier, .-?!'. .5(1 might be all you could sell 

 them for. Therefore I would" suggest that 

 he rate good strong stocks, hive and all, at 

 about $o.(J0 to So.oO. AVeak colonies, or 

 those with hybri<l queens, etc.. rale at about 

 $12.00 to i?2.5b. In localities wlu're bees sell 

 for less prices, SI. 00 i)er colony might be a 

 fair valiuition. We want to do in this mat- 

 ter what is right in the eyes of the law ; or, 

 if you choose, what is right before God ; and 

 I confess I should feel better about asking 

 God's blessing on the duties of the day, after 

 having pai<l taxes on my bees, than if I had 

 succeeded by so representing the matter that 

 I got clear"of paying taxes. If you don't 

 think as I do about this, I am quite will- 

 ing you should act according to the dicta- 

 tions of your own conscience. I only wish to 

 have you know how 1 feel about it. 



