1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



347 



due to the injury to the pistil or stigmatic sur- 

 face by the fungicide." Mr. Craig then men- 

 tions another objection to spraying in bloom ; 

 viz., the " destruction of the bees ; " and then, 

 in giving a reason why such destruction should 

 not take place, he says : "When cross-polli- 

 nation is carried on by the bees, larger fruit 

 will be secured than if self-pollination occurs. 

 . Now, if we cover our apple-blossoms 

 with mixtures which are likely to poison the 

 bees, it seems to me that we shall be using 

 against ourselves a double-edged weapon." 

 When it is remembered that these experiments 

 were begun at the Geneva and Cornell stations 

 at the instigation of the fruit-men, who were 

 anxious to prove that spraying during bloom- 

 ing-time was an advantage, the results, being 

 just the reverse of what was expected, are all 

 the more valuable. 



MISS mori^ey's honey-makers. 



In looking over the many different bee- 

 books on our list it would seem that the field 

 is pretty well covered. The beginner, by 

 studying Langstroth, may make himself ac- 

 quainted with all the different phases of bee 

 culture. The more advanced will profit by 

 reading Heddon's "Success in Bee Culture," 

 or by following Dr. Miller for a year. The 

 student can satisfy his thirst after knowledge 

 by perusing the pages of Prof. A. J. Cook's 

 "Guide;" the queen-breeder or the experi- 

 enced honey-producer wishing to breed his 

 own queens will find Doolittle's book on 

 queen-rearing just the thing. The A B C of 

 Bee Culture is an encyclopedia for all, the be- 

 ginner and experienced. So I might go on 

 and name many other good bee-books. 



Miss Morley, in her late book, " The Hon- 

 ey-makers," fills a vacancy which the honey- 

 producers have not felt. But the laity will be 

 pleased that this vacancy is now filled, for the 

 book is especially adapted to the non-bee- 

 keeper, although this does not imply that the 

 professional may not learn from it. The il- 

 lustrations, particularly those of the external 

 organs of the bee, can not help making it 

 clear to even those who know nothing about 

 this wonderful insect, what the organs are for, 

 and how they are used. The whole book is 

 written in such a pleasing, unique, and fasci- 

 nating style as to lead the reader on and on 

 so he will not rest until it is read clear through. 



The first chapter gives a general outlining 

 of the structure, habits, products, and mission 

 of the honey-bee. The next 20 pages are de- 

 voted to the bee's tongue, which at present re- 

 ceives so much attention from the bee-keep- 

 ers. The illustrations of this organ are so 

 nearly tjerfect as to give the reader a very 

 clear conception of the workings of this won- 

 derful organ through which all the honey, 

 stored for us, must pass. Chapter 3 describes 

 eyes, antennae, and brain ; chapter 4, the 

 wings ; chapter 5, the legs. The reader will 

 be informed that the six legs of the bee are 

 not so many sticks to prop up the body of the 

 bee, but that each one consists of many parts, 

 forming a very complicated piece of mechan- 

 ism, intended for various uses. 



After the external organs are described, the 

 writer makes the reader acquainted with the 

 inner organs. Then the different members of 

 the bee-family are described; further on, the 

 whole as one family. 



The different uses of honey in this and oth- 

 er countries are explained ; many wonderful 

 things are told regarding the customs of the 

 ancients in the line of using honey. Many 

 extracts from Hindu bee-literature, and that 

 from Egypt and other eastern countries, are 

 given. Much space is devoted to showing 

 what knowledge the Greeks and Romans had 

 of the physiology of the honey-bee. 



The book will be an ornament in any library. 

 May it find many readers, and thus dissemi- 

 nate bee knowledge among the general public. 

 It may be the means of dispersing prejudice, 

 and establishing a better feeling between the 

 bee-keepers and those who can see in the bee 

 only a disturbing elem.ent. 



This book is published by A. C. McClurg & 

 Co., Chicago. It contains 400 pages, well 

 illustrated, acd the price is $1.50. It can be 

 supplud from this cffice. 



DAVITTE'S tent for CONTROI.I.ING THE 

 MATING OF QUEENS. 



In our issue for March 16, page 247, I de- 

 scribed the Davitte method of controlling the 

 mating of queens, as given in the February 

 issue of the Bee-keepers^ Review; and through 

 the courtesy of that paper I am able to repro- 

 duce that illustration showing the fertilizing- 

 tent that Mr. Davitte recommends, and de- 

 scribed by him as follows: 



I would secure 12 tall poles. I would have them at 

 least 30 feet long— 40 would be better. These I would 

 plant firmly in the ground, 12 feet apart in a circle. 

 From pole to pole, at the top, I would stretch No. 10 

 wire to keep the poles true and in place. I would 

 also brace the poles from the inside; and the braces 

 would be allowed to go up 20 feet on the inside, as the 

 drones use only the upper part of the tent. At the 

 top of the poles I would also stretch No. 10 wire ^rom 

 each pole to its opposite neighbor, thus strengthening 

 the structure and furnishing support for the covering 

 that goes over the top. I strengthen every seam of 

 my netting by stitching on a strip of bridle-rein stuff 

 about an inch in width. This allows me to stretch 

 the covering very even and tight without tearing it. 

 Common boards can be used around the bottom to the 

 height of five or six feet. At noon the tent should 

 have the appearance of a sun-palace. 



The secret of success, according to Mr. Da- 

 vitte, lies in keeping the workers out of the 

 cage, as they have a tendency to annoy 

 drones. As 1 explained in Gleanings, this 

 is accompli'shed by placing the hives around 

 the tent as shown in the cut, each hive hav- 

 ing two entrances, one communicating with 

 the inside of the inclosure, and the other out- 

 doors. The former is closed several days, or 

 until the workers become thoroughly accus- 

 tomed to the outside entrance, and then is 

 opened to admit the drones from 1 1 o'clock 

 till 1:30. After a little the drones begin fly- 

 ing inside of the inclosure, forming a "school" 

 in the air, and, nine times out of ten, they 

 will, according to Mr. Davitte, meet the queen 

 on the wing before she reaches the top of the 

 cage. 



But the tent proposed by Mr. Davitte is 



