1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



835) 



ous other things upon it to keep it down. I have 

 used sawdust about the hives; I have even strewn 

 salt lightly over the yard to induce the cow and 

 horse to feed it down, which they very soon learn- 

 ed to do at night, when the bees would not molest 

 them. This plan, as simple as it may seem, has 

 much to recommend it when it is convenient to 

 practice it. It is worthy of a trial. Don't think 

 your hives will be all upset. Your cow or horse 

 will learn to be as careful about the hives as any 

 one doing the same work. I have had sheep turned 

 in to one of my out-apiaries at different times for 

 several years. They are the most reckless of any 

 animals I have ever tried among the hives, even 

 more so than hogs. A sheep seems never satisfied 

 to keep away from the bees. The hog needs only 

 one lesson. 



"Now, Ed, I'll go over to the office and get the 

 mail. I shall not be gone long, as I am interested 

 in the work just begun in the bee-yard. 



"Why, this isn't going to be a very long job. 

 You have got 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, done already. How 

 much better that will be for the bees that fall in 

 front of the hive thanfjrass! How nice it would 

 be to have the yard peeled all over just that way ! 

 Just wait a moment. I am half decided to have 

 you make a clean job of it. To be sure, it will be 

 quite a job; but there is no work particularly ur- 

 gent at present, and I've long wanted to make this 

 yard a model. Just you begin over there at the 

 corner, between those two rows of hives, and see 

 how much work it will be, and how it will look. I 

 shall be back in a moment, as soon as I can take a 

 look at the new mammoth wax-extractor. I de- 

 clare! if we don't get different weather, there won't 

 be sunshine enough to test it this summer. There 

 has been nearly two weeks now that the wax has 

 not melted enough to run. At this rate the moth 

 worms will eat up all of my combs before they can 

 be melted out. I will just wheel it out between the 

 buildings in that open space, where the sun shines 

 stronger." H. R. Boardman. 



East Townsend, Huron Co., O. 



Old friend, you have hit me exactly in the 

 above. I have studied and experimented, 

 and I am sure it pays to have a good door- 

 yard ; but it is a harder matter than you 

 think, to make one that will be permanent. 

 It is not a very big job to take a sharp shov- 

 el and go over the apiary, say once in two 

 weeks, in the growing season ; but some 

 way there are very few who do it. Sawdust 

 is objectionable, as has been explained. 

 White sand does better, but the weeds grow 

 up through it. Not long ago I suggested 

 sawed flagging. For our locality, pieces, 

 say 15 x 20 or 18 x 21 would not cost very 

 much. I think, however, that slate would 

 be still cheaper, but the latter would be in 

 danger of breaking if a heavy man like Doo- 

 litile and some of the rest should step on 

 them ; and I believe I would rather have 

 the sawed flagging besides. Will some one 

 who is in the quarry business please tell us 

 about what it would cost ? We will also 

 make inquiries. Yes, friend B., it does 

 make a difference with me whether I have a 

 good road to walk on or not ; and I think 

 more about it now since I am getting well 

 along in years than I used to. From the 

 creek garden to the house there is a nice, 

 smooth, well-trodden path, but it has a 



good many windings. A great many times, 

 when weary, I ask mjself which I shall do 

 —take a straight line ior the house, over the 

 soft ground, or go nearly twice as far to fol- 

 low the hard well-trodden path. I believe 

 it tires me less to take the longer route ; and 

 I am sure it is very poor economy to make 

 our bees travel or take wing again when 

 they fall around the entrances. Through 

 California and Wisconsin I watched the 

 apiaries to see what provision had been 

 made for an alighting-place. A good many 

 used boards ; but by far the greater part did 

 nothing at all ; and where an apiary was lit- 

 erally choked up with weeds and brush, I 

 knew beforehand that the owner would tell 

 that it " did't pay expenses." I don't be- 

 lieve I like cows or horses in an apiary, and 

 I am sure I do not like rabbits, as friend 

 Fradenburg has advised. The greatest trou- 

 ble wdth rabbits is, that there are soon too 

 many of them. I hope you will tell us more 

 about that mammoth wax- extractor. 



^ i ^ 



DOOLITTLE'S REPORT FOR 1889. 



giving; the dark side. 



TTp BEE-KEEPING neighbor happened in a few 

 SMI' days a §' ' ai1 ^' * n speaking of the poorness 



0K'' of the season, he said: " You will not report 

 -^ 2 ** this season, I. suppose, owing to the light 

 crop of honey which you have; for I notice 

 that there are not many who go into print with a 

 report unless they have a very large crop." I told 

 him I should give my report again this year the 

 same as I always had, for I did not consider it the 

 fair thing for a bee-keeper to do, to tell of his 

 large yields only, and then censure the editors of 

 our bee-publications for giving only the "bright 

 side " of apiculture, as some have been known to 

 do, when bee-keepers gave only the largest yields, 

 withholding a report at all other times. Only as 

 reverses are reported equally with the large yields, 

 can we get a true idea of the value there is in api- 

 culture as a pursuit; and he who purposely with- 

 holds the dark side of any matter must be consider- 

 ed one who would purposely deceive. I am glad to 

 know, however, that the most of those who report 

 for our bee-papers are generally willing to give the 

 dark as well as the bright side of bee-keeping. 



The season of 1889 has been a peculiar one. The 

 month of March, which, as a rule, is the most 

 rough and unpleasant month of the whole year, in 

 this locality proved'to be the most calm and pleas- 

 ant of any we have had so far, considering the 

 time of year. This gave the bees which were out- 

 doors an early start; and as April continued nearly 

 as fine, high hopes were entertained for the season 

 of 1889 as a honey year. Very few cold storms oc- 

 curred up to May 20, at which time the bees had so 

 advanced that some of the stronger colonies were 

 thinking about swarming, they having queen-cells 

 started while the weaker ones were fully as good 

 as the strongest are usually at this season of the 

 year. But, alas! the shortness of human vision is 

 such that it can not foretell what the season will 

 turn out to be; hence, right in the midst of our 

 hij.'-h hopes came the most disastrous weather for 

 the bees that I ever experienced; for on May 20th 

 came a cold rainstorm which kept the bees in their 

 hives for a whole week, at the end of which it froze 

 so hard that the bees in the smaller colonies were 



