588 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 15 



visited his ranch last summer, and there were 

 over 300 hives ; in early autumn he increased 

 100, which gave a total of about 400. Of this 

 number there are possibly 50 from which no 

 honey, scarcely, was taken. 



In Mr. Osburn's calculations I think he 

 should have stated that there were 1200 col- 

 onies on his range, including the apiary that 

 he has ; and I might add that 500 or 600 of 

 these will barely come within the three miles ; 

 or, in other words, are just about three miles 

 away. This, however, doesn't place the en- 

 tire force of all those bees on that same terri- 

 tory, because, five miles from Mr. Osburn, or 

 one, two, and three miles from the other two 

 large apiaries along the coast, the range is al- 

 most as good as if not better than the range 

 near him. 



The two other apiaries are separated by 

 three or four miles, thus scattering those bees 

 over a much larger territory than Mr. Osburn 

 seems to indicate. He also signifies that, 

 could he have remained at the apiary and 

 personally superintended or done the work 

 himself, during the winter of 1898, he would 

 have made a great record ; yet whoever had 

 the ranch that year secured more than double 

 the amount per colony that Mr. Osburn re- 

 ceived the past season. 



Taking the unusual amount of 50,000 lbs. 

 from 200 hives, this gives 250 lbs. per colony. 

 Taking the 400 colonies that Mr. Osburn had 

 the past season, that produced 40,500 lbs., 

 this gives a fraction over 104 lbs. per colony. 

 This is not saying much for him as a record- 

 smasher, for a single year, but his figures for 

 a term of years are very large. It should be 

 taken into consideration, also, that the year 

 1898 was when farming was paralyzed, and 

 there were but few stocks on the range to eat 

 and trample under foot the flowers that at 

 that time must have grown in profusion ev- 

 erywhere, thus making it possible at that 

 time to secure such large yields. 



There is something strange regarding the 

 quantity of honey a bee or a hive will gather 

 here as compared with what a colony of the 

 same strength would gather in the States. 

 In the best of the honey-flow it requires here 

 on an average a third more time or a third 

 longer for a hive to fill up and become ready 

 to extract than in the States. I think several 

 others have noticed this too, and I have 

 heard Mr. Harry Howe say that he has never 

 seen bees work here with the eagerness and 

 rapidity with which they work in the North. 

 I might add, though, that people are affected 

 in the same way ; and what is done is by force 

 more than by the natural desire that a person 

 has for activity in the States. 



I can look at the cut of "Rambler's Re- 

 treat" among the peach-trees, with the fruit 

 in plain view, with a longing eye and water- 

 ing mouth. It reminds me a little of our 

 mangoes here in Cuba, excepting that the 

 mango grows very large, and tall, almost, as 

 an oak-tree, and are sometimes laden with 

 fruit from the first branches clear to the top, 

 and will have small fruit and ripening fruit at 

 the same time. This is a large fruit, rather 

 coarse, though, that to some extent fills the 



vacancy of the peach here. But I am afraid, 

 were Rambler here with that pretty ranch in 

 so much shade, without sheds, he would 

 soon find things unpleasantly damp, especial- 

 ly through June, July, and August. That 

 little 22-caliber honey-elevator looks more 

 like the inventive genius of a novice than the 

 man of Rambler's experience ; and should he, 

 while extracting, allow his thoughts to ram- 

 ble as his pen does sometimes he would soon 

 find that honey to be of a rambling disposi- 

 tion also. However, some of our Cuban bee- 

 keepers prefer a little can arrangement, to 

 place honey in the cask with. An American 

 in Cuba, though, can be partially excused for 

 such arrangements, for they tend to concen- 

 trate a person's thoughts and keep him from 

 thinking of the good country, good people, 

 good society and surroundings, where the 

 good English language is spoken. That little 

 elevator would, of course, place all such 

 thoughts in oblivion, as it were, to the opera- 

 tor, whose thoughts would be occupied thus : 

 " Can I uncap this comb before that can runs 

 over ? can I throw out these two combs before 

 that can runs over ? can I put some more fuel 

 in the smoker by the time that can is full?" 

 or else in steps a friend whom you were not 

 expecting, and you can't give him a welcome 

 handshake, and an unrestrained greeting, on 

 account of that miserable little can. 



Yes, you all know this, and even more is 

 true. I've traveled this path, and have decid- 

 ed, just for one season, a platform just high 

 enough to allow the honey to run right into 

 the tank. This must have a long gradually 

 sloping plank approach to allow the cart to 

 run right up on the platform beside the un- 

 capping-box and extractor; then you can work 

 unmolested ; and should you hear some noise 

 in the apiary, or something call your atten- 

 tion, your honey is going right on into the 

 tank. And this question of honey at a little 

 less than 3 cents per lb. that we have to con- 

 tend with here is not conducive to a desire to 

 handle it any more than is actually necessary. 



However, I am glad to learn that Mr. Os- 

 burn has so satisfactorily settled this question 

 for himself that it gives him no uneasiness. 

 I think I shall go over and see friend O., and 

 see if I can't get a key to the situation. All 

 Cuban bee-keepers should be annexationists. 



Bejucal, Cuba, June 11. 



THE SWARTHMORE SYSTEM OF QUEEN- 

 REARING. 



Starting Queen-cells by the Shell cup Plan. 

 BY SWARTHMORE. 



To start queen-cells by the shell-cup plan, 

 proceed as follows : 



To an empty hive-body attach, at top and 

 bottom, frames covered with wire netting so 

 as to confine a swarm of bees as Henry Alley 

 does in his well-known "swarm-box." In the 

 top screen is left an opening to admit of plac- 

 ing several Swarthmore top-bars side by side, 

 as shown in the drawing. Bind the bars close 

 together with four pins. A, A, A, A. Then 



