22 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



but you stated that the eottonwood-tree of the North 

 and West was not a honey-producing tree. The 

 name cotton-tree is a local, or common name only. 

 The proper, or scientific name, is Paulownia. It 

 grows as large, or larger, than a big apple-tree, with 

 much the same form. It blooms early in the spring, 

 before any leaves appear, and is remarkably fra- 

 grant. One large tree will scent or perfume half a 

 dozen town lots. It is raised principally on account 

 of its strong perfume and dense shade. Its flower 

 resembles a purple Jimson (Jamestown) weed, ex- 

 cept it is only half as long. In regard to its being a 

 good honey-producing tree, I can't say any thing 

 further than this: Bees work on it just as last as 

 they do on an apple-tree in Ohio when in full bloom. 

 But few people here know its right name. I asked 

 a Rieat many before 1 found out, and Dr. Brantley, 

 one of your subscribers, gave me the true name. 

 The doctor is well posted on nearly every thing, and 

 is one of the best conversationalists I ever met. 

 Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 17, 1*88. John Barford. 



WATER IN A BEE-CELLAR, AND HOW IT MAY BE 

 SUPPLIED. 



I winter most of my bees in the cellar, and gen- 

 erally with very good success. I have just built a 

 cellar especially for the purpose, in which 151 colo- 

 nies are wintering. They are exceedingly quiet, 

 which I consider the best proof of perfect winter- 

 ing in a cellar. Having had positive proof of the 

 heneflts of water in the cellar several years since, 

 1 wanted a living spriug in my new cellar; and as 

 we found none while digging it I managed to get a 

 cheap artificial one by digging out at 

 one corner, thus. The small room, or 

 projection to the cellar, takes in my 

 pump-pipe (it is a drive-well iron 

 pump). The supply of water for the 

 cellar is simply the waste which spurts out of the 

 vent-hole in the pipe; and as this well furnishes all 

 the water used by two families, besides several 

 head of stock, there is a large quantity of water 

 which passes out of the pipe into the cellar. The 

 cellar is under a part of the dwelling-house, and the 

 pump is at one end of a porch. It has a stone wall 

 full depth, and is lathed and plastered overhead. 

 The surplus water passes off through a drain. 1 

 expect to utilize the little room for milk and but- 

 ter in warm weather, letting the water pass around 

 the milk-dishes, etc. 0. H. Townsend. 



Alamo. Mich., Dec. 11, 1*88. 



SMALL SECTIONS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM OUT 

 OF WOOD SEPARATORS. 



Having read of the Rambler's troubles with the 

 Harmer 2-oz. section, I will tell him, and others who 

 may be interested, how 1 made 201) or ISIK) last spring. 



Having bought of you a lot of wood separators I 

 look some of them, cut them into lengths of 7J-4 

 inches, and then cut the lengths into strips ?» inch 

 wide, and marked them oft like this. 



Now take a sharp-pointed knife and cut the cross- 

 lines partly through and you can fold them very 

 easily, and they will tit into the frames all right it 

 out accurately. In folding I put a drop of glue 

 where the ends meet; but perhaps a bit of well- 

 gummed paper would be better; it certainly would 

 not be so sticky to handle as glue is. 1 was not very 

 successful in getting them filled, but I think the 



trouble mostly was due to there being no honey to 

 gather, as 1 got but 3MI lbs. of comb, and no extract- 

 ed honey this year. I will try the little sections 

 again this eoming summer. 0. G. Josenhans. 



Owosso, Mich., Dec. 7, 1888. 



HONEY GRANULATING. 



I read in Gleanings somewhere of the spraying 

 of honey in extracting causing, or at least hasten- 

 ing, granulation, in something the way that stirring 

 sugar syrup when making taffy will cause it to 

 granulate. When the stirring is slight, the granu- 

 lations may not commence until the taffy is sold, 

 and sometimes several hours afterward. 1 had 

 practical proof of this fact this fall. When taking 

 off my honey I cut out the unsalable sections and 

 filled a jar with them, to sell in bulk to home cus- 

 tomers. After emptying the jar a few days ago, 1 

 found the droppings not granulated inline least, 

 while honey of the same kind, extracted at the 

 same time that this was cut out, and though in 

 tight cans, and capped up, was granulated so much 

 it could not be poured out without warming; and 

 some in an open lard-jar was solid, while the drip- 

 pings from the uncappings in another jar were 

 granulated but little; this was all late honey, main- 

 ly from Spanish needle, which does not granulate 

 so readily as clover honey. 15. A. Rapp. 



Chillicothe, Mo., Dec. 8, 1***. 



FOUL BROOD IN NEW ZEALAND. 



The Langstroth hive is the one in use in New 

 Zealand by all advanced bee-keepers, and is found 

 quite sufficient protection without chaff packing, 

 to winter on summer stands, owing to the mildness 

 of our climate. I noticed a report in a late issue of 

 Gleanings (July, I think), that foul brood is very 

 troublesome in the North Island. This I believe is 

 correct, but it is not so prevalent in the South; in- 

 deed, we much doubt if the true foul brood exists 

 here at all. It is a very mild form of the disease 

 with which we are acquainted, and readily yields to 

 proper treatment. R. E. D'Oylv. 



Dunedin, N. Z., Nov. I, 18**. 



ARE QUEENS INJURED BY SHIPPING? 



I read with no little interest friend Doolittle's ar- 

 ticle on page 749. It is just so near my own experi- 

 ence in handling and shipping queens, that I am 

 fully persuaded, from practical trial and applica- 

 tion of many of the circumstances mentioned there- 

 in, that friend Doolittle is nearly correct, while our 

 friend ('has. Dadant, on page *4t>, is very much in 

 error, I am sorry to say. It would be furthering my 

 interest very much if I were able to sustain his as- 

 sertion: "The shipment, by mail or express, does not 

 deteriorate the laying of a queen, * * * even when 

 she is taken from a full colony during the height of 

 the laying season." Nearly every prolific queen 

 that I have ever sent out from a full colony in the 

 height of the laying season has been more or less a 

 failure, ever afterward, as a layer. Why this was 

 so, I am not able to say, though it may be caused in 

 a variety of ways. A queen, when once partly 

 starved, chilled, or overheated, is never worth any- 

 thing as a laying queen, though she may lay a few- 

 eggs, and live a year or two. A queen taken from 

 a full colony in the laying season, and full of eggs, 

 may be damaged by the difference in the tempera- 

 ture while in that state, as much as by the stoppage 

 of laying in the regular order. No one, 1 hope, 

 will say that it does not damage inan to eat at ir- 



