1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



545 



actual value as a manure, but acted somehow in a 

 "mechanical way." My experiment with the lime 

 satisfied me. Lime should never be mixed with 

 manure. It may cause a quick start, but the am- 

 monia is wasted. Geo. B. Halt*. 

 Lytle, Tex. 



Friend II., I have often seen soot recom- 

 mended, and even liquid manure, made by 

 stirring a small quantity of soot in a barrel 

 of water ; but I have always been much in- 

 clined to think that it was only a notion. In 

 fact, I do not know that I ever tried soot at 

 all. Now, when yon tell me that soot mixed 

 with lime gives off ammonia in the same 

 way as does guano when mixed with lime, 

 then I can understand it readily. But 

 where does the ammonia come from? I 

 supposed that soot is principally carbon, 

 and that it is just about as good as so much 

 charcoal dust and no more. Charcoal dust 

 is valuable only as an absorbent ; at the 

 same time it makes the soil black so as to 

 attract the rays of the sun. As soon as I 

 can get hold of some soot I will test it in 

 the way you mention. 



MOISTURE IN HIVES ; WHENCE DOES IT COME ? 



I received the oil-cloth covers per express to-day. 

 Will you kindly explain to me why so much mois- 

 ture is in my hives? I have 60 colonies of bees in 

 various styles of hives, the majority being 1 Simplici- 

 ty, Langstroth, and American, and all of them 

 have oil-cloth covers over the section boxes. We 

 have had a very wet season for the past five or six- 

 weeks, and the section boxes in some of the hives 

 have been perfectly soaked with moisture, while in 

 others they are dry. Why the difference? Upon 

 raising the oil-cloth at almost any time, it is found 

 covered with great drops of water, apparently per- 

 spiration. This can not be from the evaporation of 

 the nectar, for none or little has been brought in. 

 The section boxes are so swollen in some of the 

 Simplicity and Langstroth hives that they burst 

 (paitly) apart the T super, and I am obliged to open 

 the hive after every shower to let out moisture. 

 Have you had other complaints like this, regarding 

 the use of the oil-cloth? D. F. Ogden. 



Boulder, Col., June It, 1889. 



If it were in our locality I should say it 

 was all owing to the exceedingly damp 

 weather; but, if I am correct, you never 

 have damp weather in June in Colorado. 

 The oil-cloth, without question, has some- 

 thing to do with it. We have never notic- 

 ed any such trouble as you mention, in the 

 summer time, in our locality. 



A NUT FOR PROFESSOR COOK TO CRACK ; AN ACTU- 

 AL EYE-WITNESS TO A BEE BITING THROUGH 

 THE TUBE OF THE WILD TOUCH-ME-NOT. 



In Gleanings for June 1st, 1889, page 440, Prof. 

 Cook says, " I do not say that honey-bees never cut 

 into flower-tubes, but I fee) very positive that this 

 is the case." If my memory serves me right, it was 

 J. L. Davis, of Holt, Ingham Co., Mich., who told 

 me that bees would bite into the flower of what is 

 here called the wild touch-me-not. Wishing to see 

 it done, I went to a patch of said flowers, which 

 was only about six rods from my house and a few 

 feet from my bee-yard. Bees were quite plentiful 

 on the flowers. My eye caught an Italian bee; he 

 put his head into the open flower for an instant, 



then he went to the bow end of the flower, which I 

 saw had been bitten into by something. He took 

 only a snuff at the hole, and darted to another 

 flower, which was just right for me to see the whole 

 operation in the flower. He went into the open 

 end, backed out, and went to the bow end, and 

 plied his jaws with a vim. With three or four bites 

 he made a hole, and thrust his bill into it for about 

 three seconds, and I followed him to two other 

 flowers which were worked upon about the same by 

 the bees. He visited several other flowers before 

 he reached the last two flowers that he bit into; 

 then I lost sight of him. This was some years ago. 

 I have watched many times since to see them bite 

 the same kind of flowers, but failed every time. 

 There is no mistake in the above. J. L. Lewis. 

 West Windsor, Eaton Co., Mich. 



Well, I declare, friend L., I am now more 

 than ever convinced that I was right, for I 

 thought I saw the same thing you mention. 

 I guess we won't change the ABC book 

 yet, after all— certainly not until we hear 

 from Prof. Cook in regard to the matter. 



ALSIKE CLOVER, AND ONE OF ITS PECULIARITIES. 

 THE VALUE OF THE STATISTICAL REPORT. 



I notice in Gleanings that friend Gough thinks 

 alsike is a cross between white and red clover. My 

 experience with it. has been, that, if it is pastured, 

 or the soil becomes hard or dry from any other 

 cause, it is very liable to look like white clover. I 

 have a piece that has been sown for several years; 

 although it has not been pastured, the ground is 

 hard; and when it bloomed out first this season I 

 think any one would have called it white clover; 

 but since the excessive rains it has grown rank, 

 and has a pink blossom. 



I think the statistical report in Gleanings is 

 worth the price charged. I have enjoyed reading 

 your travels; and, in fact, Gleanings is good from 

 beginning to end, and no bee-keeper should be 

 without it. Bees are doing well here now, and the 

 prospect is good for a good crop of honey, although 

 there were some new swarms that starved the latter 

 part of May. J. T. VanPetten. 



Linn, Kan., June 12, 1889. 



SUNDAY SWARMING. 



I had a rather singular experience with a swarm 

 last Sunday (favorite day with my bees). They set- 

 tled on a large limb in the top of a locust-tree, 

 about 30 feet from the ground. It was too large to 

 saw off. I succeeded in hiving them by using 

 frames tilled with comb. Pressing a comb against 

 the swarm, I would wait until it was covered with 

 bees, and then bring it down. Seven or eight trips 

 sufficed to bring down all but a few. I brushed 

 them off with a feather duster, and they followed 

 down the ladder like a drove of pigs. 



Crescent Hill, Ky., May 30, 1889. I. T. Gaines. 



STRAWBOARD FOR I-SUPEB COVERS, ETC. 



In your foot-note to L. A. Duggan's letter. May ir>, 

 you say, "Very likely thick paper or strawboard 

 would answer nicely for the inside of chaff hives." 

 I have been trying strawboard T super covers this 

 spring, % inch thick, painted two coats. A ftw 

 hours of rain will water-soak them so they will 

 come to pieces; and I think even for the inside of 

 a hive the moisture from the bees would soon ren- 



