576 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



July 



procured to write up the subject of glucose. 

 Instead of going to a glucose-factory, or 

 consulting a manufacturer, or even a work- 

 man, he goes and gives for a cyclopedia the 

 above absurd piece of newspaper gossip and 

 scandal. If this is the way they do things, 

 the makers of cyclopedias, the publishers 

 and agents should be told, when they come 

 around with their books, " No, thank you. 

 When we can iind a cyclopedia that gives us 

 facts obtained from real practical work, we 

 are ready to invest ; but no book shall find 

 a place in our families for our children to 

 read, that retails falsehood and scandal like 

 the glucose story." 



BEES FOR BEAUTY OR BEES TOR 



BUSINESS WHICH ? 



SOME VERY PEHTINENT SUGGESTIONS. 



TN the selection of queens for breeding purposes, 

 (if snoul d there not be less stress put on those 

 W producing- workers having- three or more yel- 

 ■*■ low bands, that we have been told so often are 

 the distinctive marking-s of pure Italians, and 

 more be said about pure Italians that have that pe- 

 culiar vim that indicates business in the hive and 

 field? There has of late been much said about such 

 very brig-ht workers and red-headed drones, that 

 many might be led to believe that only bees possess- 

 ing those characteristics would be of any benefit to 

 any one contemplating the keeping of bees. The 

 question seems to be whether to breed for beauty 

 and gentleness, or for utility and ;is much gentle- 

 ness as we can. As the result of several years of 

 breeding for beauty and gentleness, we find that, 

 in nearly all cases, where we have a colony that are 

 beauties and need no smoke when we manipulate, 

 that these same bees are far behind some of their 

 less showy and darker neighbors. Of course, there 

 are exceptions, and we find that occasionally there 

 will be bees combining all three requisites; viz., 

 color, gentleness, and excellent honey-gatherers; 

 but when we breed from queens producing such 

 bees, they almost universally fail to reproduce all 

 those requisites; therefore we have come to the 

 conclusion that, from a financial standpoint, it is 

 very nearly impracticable to breed such ideal bees; 

 while, on the other hand, we can quite easily breed 

 a strain of pure Italians that do not have any dis- 

 tinctive marking, yet they are hardy and great 

 workers, and it would do a man's heart good to see 

 them dropping away in front of their hives and 

 finishing the rest of their journey on foot; and 

 when we look into their hive they make one say, 

 " By their works ye shall know them." 



Risking the treading on some queen-breeder's 

 toes, we will say, that, generally, these beautiful 

 golden yellow bees are the "dudes" in beedom. 

 Some of our largest honey - producers repudiate 

 these same light-colored bees, and some have de- 

 cided that a cross between dark Italians and the 

 brown bees produces a strain possessing more 

 good points than any race in their purity; but we 

 have a very strong opinion that a strain of dark 

 leather-colored Italians can successfully compete 

 with any bee on earth, and in all points. If we are 

 wrong, we have the consolation of knowing that we 

 are not alone, and that hundreds stand ready to be 

 convinced of their error, if error it is. Who is 

 there that is trying to make his bread and butter by 



the production of honey, that cares whether his 

 bees show beauty or not? Stings are to be expect- 

 ed ; and if a colony of bees have stamina enough to 

 fill their hive and supers with honey, they will try 

 to protect it. Judgment must be used in handling 

 bees, as all times is not always the right time; and 

 this fact should he borne in mind when people wish 

 to peep into their hives, or take off honey; if they 

 will, there will not be so many wishing for bees 

 showing a more gentle and loving disposition. 

 Rochester, O. M. W. Shepherd. 



CARING FOR COMB HONEY. 



SOME SEASONABLE HINTS FROM G. M. DOOI.ITTLE. 



Jp S the time is near at hand when the main crop 

 k of white honey in sections will be taken 

 r from the hives, I thought that a few words 

 *■ relative to the care of it might not be out of 

 place. Next to getting plenty of comb hon- 

 ey in sections, is the care of it. Many seem to sup- 

 pose that the producing part is about all there is to 

 any branch of business which supplies our mar- 

 kets with merchandise. How often we find butter, 

 wool, maple sugar, meat, etc., taken to market in 

 such poor shape that they do not bring as much, 

 within 20 per cent, as goods of no better quality are 

 selling for, where the producer understands that 

 the placing of his product upon the market in at- 

 tractive shape has much to do with the value there- 

 of. It is said of a certain strawberry grower, who 

 always produces very fine berries, and puts them 

 on the market all fresh and nice, that he always 

 finds a ready sale for his berries at a very high fig- 

 ure, while those of shiftless producers spoil on the 

 markets without a purchaser. Thus he obtains 

 more money for his few rows of choice fruit put 

 upon the market in attractive shape, than is obtain- 

 ed from as many acres grown in a slip-shod man- 

 ner, and put on the market in an unattractive way. 

 Honey is no exception to this rule, unless it is that 

 the difference is still greater than on most other 

 productions. Hence, to place our honey upon the 

 market in the best possible shape should be the aim 

 of every bee-keeper in the land. My aim has al- 

 ways been, not only to get the honey off the hives 

 before it was soiled by the bees, but also to keep 

 the combs as nice and perfect till they are placed 

 upon the market as they were when first taken 

 from the hive. This is no easy task; for from the 

 first, honey is liable to accidents which, if they oc- 

 cur, soon reduce the price from that of a No. 1 ar- 

 ticle down to that of second or third quality. I 

 once hired a man to help me remove honey from 

 the hive, as I was nearly sick and unable to keep 

 even with my work as I desired to; but after his 

 working with me half a day I so improved in health 

 that his assistance was no longer necessary. He 

 would manage to get his fingers against the honey, 

 so as to break the nice cappings to about every 

 other box, in spite of all I could say or do; and if he 

 did not do that he would get the corner of one box 

 into the face side of the comb in some of the other 

 boxes, till I actually believe T paid him 75 cents for 

 doing me $10 damage. Where a person is naturally 

 sensitive, and wants things nice, as they always 

 should be, such proceedings will cure a slight sick- 

 ness quicker than a physician can. I give this il- 

 lustration only to impress on the mind of the read- 

 er that the utmost care is necessary at all times 



