162 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



so valuable to the general bee- world that we 

 decided to make them the leading articles 

 of the subsequent issues. His intense per- 

 sonality shines from every one of these let- 

 ters. Beginning in bee-keeping early in 

 1S77, with four colonies, we And he made his 

 bees pay for all such improvements as the 

 growth of the apiary seemed to necessitate. 

 As he was paying for a home, he had no 

 moiiev to spend on " improvements." Most 

 of the" necessary fixtures, he contrived some- 

 how to manufacture for himself. All this 

 he described in his early articles. To illus- 

 trate how he worked with his bees, and how 

 he economized, we copy from one of these 

 early papers, found on page 391, of 187S. 

 After one year of real experience with bees, 

 he says at the close of an article : 



A SORT OF "HOME" PAPER. 



I am a young man who has just bouerht and partly 

 paid tor a small farm. We, wife and I, are working- 

 hard to finish paving for our home; and we some- 

 times have to " figure pretty close," in order to ob- 

 tain my " bee fixings." For instance, I had long 

 wished for the back volumes of Gleanings, but had 

 never seemed to have the money to spare to buy 

 them; at last, however, by going into partnership 

 with a neighbor, and earning my half by getting up 

 a club, they were obtained. 



In spite of financial difficulties, under which I 

 commenced bee-keeping, I have prospered in it ex- 

 ceedingly well; perhaps my love for the business 

 has had something to do with my success. I some- 

 times wonder if I do not think ton much of my bees. 

 For instance, I wore a suit of clothes last spring un- 

 til I was ashamed of them, in order to save money 

 to buy a swarm with an imported queen. What do 

 you think. Novice? Do you think it is possible for 

 a bee-keeper to be too devoted to his business? 



And there is one thing more that T would like to 

 ask Novice, and that is, don't you think it is a good 

 thing for some of us enthusiastic young bee-keep- 

 ers, that we— well, haven't any bank account? If 

 we had, we would probably buy a whole lot of bees, 

 all the "modern improvements," and then— why, 

 then go into " Blasted Hopes," to be sure. 



There, my first year's " experience " is finished, 

 and if it has helped any one else in their " first 

 year's experience," it has " fulfilled its mission." 



These articles continued to be the leaders 

 until 82 consecutive numbers were issued, 

 ending Dec. 1. 1886, with perhaps two excep- 

 tions toward the close of that year. From 

 this time on, his name occurs only occasion- 

 ally, and finally dropped out altogether. 

 During this time he wrote more or less for 

 the American Bee Journal. American Agricul- 

 turist, and the Country Gentleman. Jan. 1, 

 1888, he started a bee-journal for himself, 

 entitled the Bee-Keepers' 1 Beview. It is hard- 

 ly necessary to explain the features of the 

 Beview, as most of our readers, if not all, have 

 been acquainted through our advertising 

 columns. 



GOLDEN COREOPSIS, OR SPANISH 

 NEEDLE. 



63>/2 LBS. OF THIS HONEY AS THE PRODUCT OF 



ONE COLONY IN 6 BAYS, AND 2021 "LBS. PROM 



43 COLONIES IN 10 DAYS. 



fHE above name is now to be seen on many la- 

 bels that adorn my buckets which contain 

 honey gathered from coreopsis, or Spanish 

 needle. I have added the word " golden" to 

 embellish the name, as it were, and to give 

 it a better send-off. Do you not think the name ap- 

 propriate ? 

 Something over a year ago I wrote a letter for 



Gleanings, claiming that the honey gathered from 

 this plant is superior to that produced from other 

 fall flowers, and that it should rank among the 

 very best grades, and command the same price in 

 the markets as clover and linden honey. My pecu- 

 liar location has, fortunately, placed me in a posi- 

 tion to pretty thoroughly understand the nature of 

 this plant, and the quality of the honey it produces. 

 Located at the foot of the bluffs of the Illinois Riv- 

 er, there is a broad expanse of low marshy lands to 

 the east and south, from three to flvemiles in width. 

 These lands are subject to overflows from the river 

 once a year, which usually take place in early 

 spring. This renders a large portion of the soil un- 

 fit for tilling purposes; and the consequence is, the 

 Spanish needle has secured a permanent foothold, 

 almost to the exclusion of all other plants; and 

 early in September they begin to open their beauti- 

 ful petals, and in a short time whole districts are 

 aglow, and their dazzling brilliancy reminds one of 

 burnished sheets of gold. It is now, should the 

 weather prove favorable, that the bees revel in 

 their glory, and the honey comes piling in; and the 

 beauty about this kind of honey is, it needs but lit- 

 tle "boiling down," and the bees no sooner fill their 

 cells than they are cured and ready to seal. This is 

 one great advantage, and saves the bees lots of la- 

 bor, and makes the storage of honey more rapid. 

 I had one colony of bees that stored 63i lbs. of hon- 

 ey in six days; another one, 86 lbs. in nine days, 

 and 43 producing colonies netted me 2021 lbs. in ten 

 days— an average of 47 lbs. to the colony. This hon- 

 ey, though not quite as clear as clover or linden, is 

 of a golden hue, exquisite flavor, and very fine 

 body, weighing fully 12 lbs. to the gallon, and, as 

 previously stated, I can not see why it should not 

 rank in grade and price on the market with clover 

 and linden honey. 



So far as my market is concerned, there is no hon- 

 ey so universally liked by the consumers as my 

 "golden coreopsis; " in fact, not one word of com- 

 plaint has ever come back to me from this honey, 

 save one. A neighbor ceased buying it; and when 

 questioned as to why, he stated, " My children eat 

 it up too fast." I am now running a peddling-wag- 

 on, and my salesman states he can sell more honey 

 going over territory he has previously canvassed 

 than to hunt up new routes. This certainly speaks 

 well for this kind of honey. I have sold over 4000 

 lbs. in my home market this season, and the de- 

 mand seems to be on the increase; and I believe if 

 apiarists will locate their bees so as to get the ben- 

 efit of these large areas of coreopsis they will not 

 only be conferring a boon on their fellow-man, but 

 will reap a financial reward for themselves. An- 

 other word in favor of the coreopsis honey: It is 

 less inclined to granulate; and at this date there is 

 but little sign of granulation, while my two barrels 

 of linden honey is as hard as New Orleans sugar. 



J. M. Hambaugh. 



Spring,' Brown Co., 111., Jan. 21, 1889. 



I believe you are about right, friend H., 

 in regard to the Spanish-needle honey, al- 

 though with us it does not go off like bass- 

 wood and clover. I do not suppose that 

 anybody will think of planting Spanish 

 needle, but we can certainly do as you say — 

 move our bees to great swamps and marshes, 

 where may be found acres upon acres so full 

 of bloom as to make it appear as if the 

 ground were covered with snow, said^ snow 



