.50 



(iLEA^^NLNGrS LN i$H}E CULTUJiK 



Jan. 



creased; but at the low price at which honey is sold, 

 is it not possible that it would be profitable to enciMi- 

 agc wax secretion and natural comb-building-V To 

 what extent, when, where, how, in what manner, 

 and under what circumstances, it would be advisa- 

 ble to have natural comb built instead of using- 

 fdn., will probably take some time to decide; but 

 if we will only start out with this object in view, 

 and M'or7f, we can find out. In my locality, and 

 with my management, 1 know that the use of fdn. 

 in the brood-nest, when hiving- swarms, is unprofit- 

 able; but I do not think the matter stops here. I 

 think there are still more advantages to be g-ained 

 by utilizing- the natural secretion of wax, but just 

 how it is to be done 1 do not know, and 1 don't 

 know hut T am glad I do not, as there is now be- 

 fore me the pleasure of flnding out. I have not a 

 particle of doubt that there are times, places, and 

 conditions, when the use of fdn. is very profitable; 

 and what we need to learn is, how to use it benefi- 

 cially. 



1 sometimes feel Impelled to write an article up- 

 on this subject, but its magnitude appalls me, as 

 there are so many things to be considered, so many 

 ifs and ands, that 1 fear 1 could not do it justice. 



Rogersville, Mich. W. z. Hutchinson. 



Our friends will remember that this has 

 been broiij^ht ni) at different times thi-ong-h 

 our j)ast volumes. Friends Hasty and 

 Viallon have given tis the most light'on the 

 subject. Imt we are still a ^'ood deal in the 

 dark. The above lettei- from W. Z. 

 Hutchinson was not intended IVu- i»riid, btd 

 it comes in so well with several other sug- 

 gestions that I have taken tlie liberty of 

 giving it just as he gave it to me, and I 

 think he will not object. 



VARIOUS MATTERS. 



APIAUY NEAR RAILROAD. 



TT. CO RRESPONDENT wishes to know (p. 171, J><8.5) 

 2£|K i^ it will be a damage to an apiary, if located 

 ^^K\ within ten rods of a railroad. As a rule, I 

 "^^ should say not; yet if the bees are to be win- 

 tered in a cellaror underground cave, the jar 

 from the trains might cause trouble. I have little ex- 

 perience along this line, as I live eight miles from 

 any railroad; but a friend of mine who lived within 

 six rods of the Auburn branch of the N. Y. C. R. R. 

 told me that he believed very much of his loss during 

 winter was owing to the disturbance of his bees 

 caused by this raih'oad. While there one day he in- 

 vited me to go into his bee-cave, or special under- 

 ground repository in which he wintered his bees, 

 about train time, to see what I thought about the 

 matter. The repository was as nice a one as I ever 

 saw, as the sides and bottom were of clean white 

 sand, and kept at a uniform temperature of from 

 43 to 46°. If 1 recollect aright it was in December 

 when I was there; and when we went into the cave 

 all was as quiet as I ever knew a bee-cellar. No 

 light was yet made, for he wished me to note the ef- 

 fect of the train on the bees, the same as it would 

 be every time a train passed. Soon we began to 

 feel a slight jar to the ground, and in a moment 

 more the bees began to buzz, or show signs of be- 

 ing disturbed, which increased as the train neared; 

 and as it went by, the trembling of the earth in this 

 dark place was bo g-reat that it was any thing but 



pleasant to me, and I did not wcnder that the bees 

 became so woke u\) that they came to the en- 

 trance of their hives and ran wildly about to see 

 what the trouble was. He told mo thiit this dis- 

 quietude lasted them from ten to fifteen minutes 

 after the passing of every train; while toward 

 spring they did not get settled down between the 

 passing of the trains. He never was successful in 

 wintering bees in this jilace, and soon sold out and 

 moved away. Since then I have thought I should 

 prefer some other jilace for cellar wintering of bees 

 besides one near a railroad. 



WORKING (QUALITIES OK BEES. 



Another correspondent writes (p. 430, 188')) that he 

 thinks that Italian bees work best on basswood and 

 thistle: the blacks on raspbei-ry and buckwheat, 

 and wants m.y opinion in the matter. After the 

 most close watching of these two varieties of bees 

 during a period of ten years, up to three or four 

 years ago I failed to find a single instance when, or 

 a single plant or tree upon which, the blacks ex- 

 ceeded the Italians in the least as to honey-gather- 

 ing, while at many times the Italians were actually 

 making a gain while the others consumed their 

 stores. F(ji- this reason T discarded the blacks en- 

 tirelj', since which, of course, 1 have had no oppor- 

 tunity to test them. To be sure I was right, I sent 

 and got (lueens of the isaid to be) hirge hrount bees, 

 and of the industrious gray bee; but a thorough 

 trial of both only proved, as I expected, that each 

 was not different from the black bee of our fathers' 

 time. Next 1 tried the much-praised hybrids, pro- 

 duced by the famed breeder of Apin Americana, and 

 found them not a whit ahead of the hybrids which I 

 had had for years; at last, the profit made from my 

 sales of honej' from my Italians forced me to part 

 with all other varieties of bees. I know that black 

 bees will store more dark or buckwheat honej- 

 than the Italians; but my experience is, that, at the 

 same time this is being done, the Italians are stor- 

 ing more white honey from red clover, whiteweed, 

 and selendine, than the others get from buckwheat. 

 When this white honey is not obtainable, then the 

 Italians store of dark honey an etiual amount with 

 the blacks. 



CRAMPING OF yUEENS. 



When queens are caught by the wings they often 

 double up and appear to have a cramp, the death of 

 a queen having been reeorded from this supposed 

 cause (p. 532, 188.')). For a long time I supposed this 

 doubling up was caused b.\- a real cramp; but after 

 a little I learned what the trouble was. 1 caught a 

 queen to clip her wings, when she doubled upas 

 has been described. I thought to let her go as I had 

 always done before when they had thus cramped, 

 but I hesitated, as she was ashyl)ody; and I had 

 had several times of hunting for her before I foiuid 

 her. I soon concluded to clip her, even if she died, 

 rather than hunt for her again; sol lowered my 

 hands very close to the top of the frames and clip- 

 ped off all the wings as I usually do. She lay on the 

 top-bar of a frame, apparently lifeless, so it gave 

 me a good opportunity to examine her closely, 

 when I soon saw that she had one of her front feet 

 tightly clamjjcd in the opening from which the 

 sting extrudes. In a moment more she began to 

 kick about (as the bees hovered around her, so she 

 saw she was in her own home), when the foot was 

 loosed liy the opening parting, and she crawled 

 down among the bees unharmed. Since then 1 

 have closely watched scores of queens when thus 



