1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



267 



From 4 stands in the spring, 1 increased to 30, and 

 secured surplus in sections, 1000 lbs. 

 Ediua, Mo., Mar. 12, 1889. J. M. Long. 



I had 13 hives, spring count; increased to 22; ex- 

 tracted 10(1 gallons of honey; sold it at 75 cents per 

 gallon. S. C. Cuhard. 



Luling, Tex., Jan. 18, 1889. 



FROM 19 TO 44; 13 QUEENS AND 840 LBS. OF HONEY 

 SOLD. 



In 1888 1 commenced in the spring with 19, and in- 

 creased to 44, tall count. I sold 13 queens, and took 

 840 lbs. of honey. J. W. Taylor. 



Ozan, Ark., Jan. 13, 1889. 



FROM 26 TO 48, AND 5100 LBS. OF HONEY. 



My account with the bees for 1888 is as follows: 

 I started in the spring with 26 colonies ; increased 

 them to 48, and obtained 5100 lbs. of honey— 1400 lbs. 

 comb, and 3700 of extracted. 



Salt Lake City, Utah. Wm. G. Adamson. 



3850 I.BS. OF HONEY FROM 50 COLONIES, SPRING 

 COUNT. 



During 1888 we secured from 50 colonies, spring 

 count, 3850 lbs. of comb honey— an average per col- 

 ony of 77 lbs. John and James Cowe. 



Goodland, Mich., March 7, 1889. 



pfeK$ ]kpd Queried 



We solicit for this department short items and questions of 

 a practical nature; but all questions, if accompanied by oth- 

 er matter, must be put upon a separate slip of paper with 

 name and address. 



BEES DYING OFF IN EARLY SPRING. 



T HAVE 3 hives of bees, and on warm days the 

 J|f bees come out in big lots, and die. What can 1 

 W do for them? James M. Smith. 



^ Perkiomenville, Pa., Mar. 4, 1889. 



[Those bees which fly out and do not return 

 are probably old bees. They probably would not 

 be of very much service to the colony any way, and 

 would likely die in the hives if not outdoors before 

 actual weather comes on. Apiarists generally cal- 

 culate on having some of these old bees, at least, 

 die early in the spring. They will accumulate on 

 the bottom-board if the colony is in the cellar, or 

 will fly out on the first sunny day if on their sum- 

 mer stands packed in chaff.] 



PROSPECTS GOOD ; FROM 18 TO 22, AND 1000 LBS. 

 OF HONEY. 



1 commenced the season with 18 stands of bees; 

 increased to 22, and obtained 1000 lbs. of comb hon- 

 ey in 1-lb. sections. J. B. Riggens. 



Swanton, Neb., Feb. 18, 1889. 



A POOR SEASON, BUT 3000 LBS. 



Last year was not very favorable. 1 got 3000 lbs. 

 of honey this year. 1 am wintering 100 swarms in a 

 cave. Thus far it has been very warm in the cellar. 

 It is colder and snowing to-day. Thirty colonies 

 are out of doors. T. Koulo. 



Portville, N. Y. 



WINTERED WELL, AND GATHERING POLLEN. 



My bees wintered very well on winter stands. 

 The majority of the hives are full of bees, and they 

 have all been gathering pollen for the last three 

 days, from black elder. I have 25 colonies, all in 

 good condition. S. Yingst. 



Sydney, Pa., Mar. 18, 1889. 



ENCOURAGING FOR CALIFORNIA— SEE PAGE 207. 



I have just finished trimming and plowing my or- 

 chard. The peach-trees are commencing to bloom, 

 and the oranges are getting nice and ripe. I noticed 

 the bees bringing in pollen to-day, and the queens 

 commencing to lay. So far we have had 11 inches 

 of rain, and the grass and weeds are growing very 

 fast. We must have an abundance of both early 

 and late rains, however, to insure a good honey 

 crop. J. F. McIntyre. 



Fillmore, Cal., Jan. 7, 1889. 



the first pollen. 



How pleasing to the eye and ear to witness the 

 return of the first pollen-laden bees of the season! 

 How eagerly they rush out, and how business-like 

 they march in, after reaching the alighting-board! 

 Such a sight I had the pleasure of witnessing to- 

 day. My 100 colonies have all wintered, and are in 

 good shape, but are rather short of stores, the 

 mild winter being the cause of a greater consump- 

 tion of stores than usual. W. H. Laws. 



Lavaca, Ark., Feb. 14, 1889. 



why we dispense with the tin rabbet in the 

 dovetailed hive. 



1 like your dovetailed hive, as shown in Glean- 

 ings for Mar. 1, but 1 don't understand why you do 

 not use the tin strip, or rabbet, for frames to redt 

 upon, as it renders the manipulation of the frames 

 much more rapid. R. Q. Kin<;. 



Springfield, O., Mar. 6, 1889. 



[Because the majority of the honey-producers, 

 those who are extensive bee-keepers, prefer to dis- 

 pense with the tin rabbet, for the very reason that 

 the latter allow the frames to shuck about too 

 much in transportation from one out-apiary to an- 

 other. Hives having frames resting on wood bear- 

 ings require no special provision to hold the frames 

 in moving. See Question-Box, this issue.] 



what is a fair commission for selling honey? 



I am starting a home market for selling my hon- 

 ey. Most of the groceries in this town sell it for 

 me. 1 furnish every thing, show-cases and paper- 

 boxes, stands, and cases for extracted honey, and 

 all they have to do is to sell it out. Now, the ques- 

 tion is, what per cent do you think is right to allow 

 the grocers for selling it for me? 



Mrs. W. G. Tittsworth. 



Avoea, la., March 3, 1889. 



[Under the circumstances I think that 5 or 10 per 

 cent would be all your groceryman should charge; 

 but friend Heddon and some others have suggested 

 that grocerymen will work much harder to make 

 sales, and to work honey off, where they have from 

 20 to 25 per cent, than where they get only from 5 

 to 10.] 



CAN CHLOROFORM BE USED SAFELY ON BEES ? 



I lately read an article, saying that chloroform 

 might be used with safety in quieting bees, when 

 handling them; but I thought best to refer to you 

 before making the attempt; and as I presume oth- 

 er readers of Gleanings would like your opinion, 

 would you please give it through the columns of 

 your excellent magazine? Mrs. S. Allcock. 



Ashtabula, O., Mar. 12, 1889. 



[Bees can be chloroformed so that they will fall 

 down on the bottom-board, or stick to the combs, 

 apparently dead. The idea is very old; but I be- 

 lieve that one after another who have tried it have 

 decided they would much rather have live bees to 

 manipulate than dead ones. Smoke is very much 

 handier and cheaper, and at the same time accom- 

 plishes the purpose far better than chloroform. 1 



61 BUSHELS OF JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT FROM 24 

 LBS. OF SEED. 



I bought a bushel of Japanese buckwheat of you 

 last spring; sold half of it to a neighbor, and sowed 

 the remainder, just 24 lbs. It made a wonderful 

 growth of straw, and was, without exception, the 



