104 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



We have at this date, 8390 subcribers. 



NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. 



An unexpected crowd of new advertisements has 

 obliged us to go to press, omitting much valuable 

 matter that should have appeared in this issue. In 

 our next we shall give you an extra eight pages. 



LENDING GLEANINGS. 



I think I have heard publishers find fault be- 

 cause some people borrow the paper and do not sub- 

 scribe; but I rather like the idea of lending papers. 

 Of course, there may be such a thing as carrying it 

 too far, like borrowing the paper regularly each is- 

 sue. But to encourage the friends in being neigh- 

 borly with their copies of Gleanings, we shall be 

 glad to have you lend them— that is, after you have 

 read them; and whenever one is lost or soiled, just 

 send us word and we will send you a nice clean one 

 free of charge. We can do this just as well as not, 

 because we almost always have surplus copies that 

 get old, and have to be sold for paper-rags, or about 

 the same. In fact, we have got tons of them stack- 

 ed away in an old out-building now. Therefore, 

 " Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again." I 

 got the above suggestion from our friend Minnie 

 Coulter, on page 62, last issue. 



ALFALFA AND CUCUMBER HONEY. 



C. C. Miller, while in Pueblo, Col., purchased a 

 sample of alfalfa honey of that region. On his ar- 

 rival home at Marengo, 111., he sent us this honey, 

 together with a sample of cucumber honey. The 

 flavor of the alfalfa is fully equal to clover, which 

 it resembles closely. It is seldom that we take 

 more than a good taste of honey sent as a sample; 

 but after A. I. R. had tasted, E. R. R. and J. T. C. 

 followed suit. With an expression of "That's good," 

 we kept on scooping it up with our knife-blades un- 

 til— well, there is just a little left for you to try. 

 The fact that this plant yields from three to four 

 crops of hay in a season, that it will grow in most 

 Northern localities, together with the fact that it 

 yields a superb honey, are no small recommenda- 

 tions in its favor. The flavor of the cucumber 

 could hardly be called first-class, but on the whole 

 it is better than the majority of the second-rate 

 honeys. The taste reminds one a little of cucum- 

 ber itself, and this becomes more evident a few mo- 

 ments after tasting. 



langstroth on the honey-bee, revised by 



DADANT. 



The new book is finally on our table. It con- 

 tains 521 p8ges, while Langstroth's old edition has 

 only 387; and after turning over the leavesfor per- 

 haps half an hour (it came just as we were ready to 

 go to press) I should say it gives the fullest and 

 most comprehensive view of bee culture, up to the 

 present day, of any thing in print. The book is full 

 from beginning to end of the finest engravings 

 that ever graced any book on bee culture, or any 

 other industry, for that matter. It is not devoted 

 to any particular hive nor system of management, 

 as is our own ABC book, but it mentions all the 

 principal hives and methods in use, and atthesame 

 time friend Dadant indicates plainly his preference. 

 I was very glad indeed to find, at the close of the 

 chapter on " Hives," several pages devoted to " the 

 hive we prefer;" and then he gives his reasons for 

 his preference. Everybody is given full credit, so 

 far as I can discover, for their own ideas and for 

 their own inventions, and the book gives one an ex- 



ceedingly pleasant idea of the friendly relations in 

 which bee-keepers stand, the one to the other. 

 There is not a word of discussion in it anywhere, 

 that I know of, as to who invented this, that, and 

 the other, or to whom credit belongs; and if our 

 friends have here and there made a mistake or two 

 in giving credit, 1 hope no one will be critical 

 enough to lake it up. We can send the book by 

 mail, postpaid, for $2.00; by freight or express with 

 other goods, $1.85. We have a few of Langstroth's 

 old edition, which we will close out at 50 cts. less 

 than the above, to those who may want one. 



gPECI^Ii J^OTICEg. 



WAX RENDERED BY THE SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTOR. 



At the present time our regular advertised price 

 for wax is 20 cts.; 23 cts. in trade. Now, for wax 

 rendered by the solar wax-extractor— clean yellow 

 wax with no impurities on the bottom of the cakes, 

 we will pay 5 cts. more than the above prices. We 

 think it is no more than lair and just, in considera- 

 tion of the great superiority of sun rendered wax. 



A NEW TEN-INCH FOUNDATION MILL FOR SALE. 



This mill is one of our latest make, and has just 

 reached its destination. Our customer finds that it 

 requires more wax to dip from than he was pre- 

 pared for, and now has changed his mind, and con- 

 cluded to buy his foundation. The mill has never 

 been taken out of the box. If any one in the West 

 is contemplating buying one it will be considerable 

 saving in freight to take tbis. The outfit, at cata- 

 logue prices, would be worth $23; but we will sell it 

 for $22.00. ' 



DARK-COLORED FOUNDATION. 



Some time ago we advertised foundation, made 

 of dark-colored wax, for 3 cts. less per lb.; but as 

 the demand was constantly greater than the sup- 

 ply, we took the notice out. During the past year, 

 however, we have saved up perhaps a ton, too dark 

 in color to send out as regular foundation; but in 

 my opinion it is exactly as good, in every respect, 

 for brood-combs ; but as it does not look quite so 

 nice, we will furnish it, while the supply lasts, for 

 3 cts. per lb. less than the regular price. Perhaps 

 it will be well to order soon if you want it. 



FREIGHTS TO CALIFORNIA. 



We find on investigation, that the rates of freight 

 from here to California, on sections and bee-hive 

 material in the flat, differ widely whether you take 

 a carload or less than a carload. The rate from 

 here to San Diego, Los Angeles, or Bakersfleld, on 

 a carload, is $1.25 per 100 ; while if less than a carload 

 is taken, $2.90 is charged. In view of this fact, it 

 will be greatly to your advantage if you all could 

 club together in sending your orders, in regard to 

 making up a carload, even if part of the load would 

 have to be reshipped after it got there. Remember, 

 this rate applies to fourth-class freight, under 

 which head comes section boxes, and bee-hive ma- 

 terial in the flat which can be called "box stuff." 

 Material coming under a higher classification re- 

 quires a higher rate. 



ALSIKE CLOVER AWAY UP. 



One of the largest dealers in seeds in the city of 

 New York has just written us that the very best he 

 can do on prime alslke at present is $8.50 per bush- 

 el; and as this is the very price that we have been 

 advertising it at retail of late, it leaves us in a rath- 

 er bad predicament; but I rather enjoy it, after all. 

 Do you know why? It is because bee-keepers who 

 have alsike to dispose of are going to get a good 

 price for it; and every bee-keeper ought to have 

 some alsike clover seed to sell; in fact, raising al- 

 sike, buckwheat, rape, and seeds, that produce 

 both grain and honey, should be a part of every 

 bee-keeper's business. Now, then, those of you 

 who have alsike to spare will please tell how much 

 you have, and what you will take for it. Of course, 

 we can not pay $8.50, and furnish bags, and sell it 

 out at retail for $8.50. Another thing, most of the 

 alsike we sell has to go through that new-fangled 

 fanning-mill that goes by steam power, to make it 



