1S87 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CrLTlRE. 



9» 



they get old there is great liability of trouble 

 of this kind. Where circumstances are fa- 

 vorable, steam does the business nicely, and 

 the heat may be distributed and made to 

 come exactly wliere you want it, and no heat 

 where you prefer none. By the way, 1 pre- 

 sume you meant you would like to keep your 

 potatoes at a temperature of about 84 ; and 

 that whenever the weather is cold enough 

 you keep it pretty nearly there. To keep it 

 at all times at or about 34 would require the 

 very best modern appliances for cold storage. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



FOUNDATION OR NO FOUNDATION. 



■R. BASS objects to empty brood-nests, when 

 hiving swarms, on the ground that, in his 

 locality, the yield is slow. At the Indian- 

 apolis Convention, Mr. Poppleton sug- 

 gested that my success might be attributa- 

 ble to the same reason; viz., a long, slow flow. I 

 do not think the success of my plan would be ma- 

 terially affected by either. It the flow is abundant, 

 the bees are furnished all the fdn. they can draw 

 out in the supers; while if it is slow the bees cer- 

 tainly have abundant" time in which to draw out 

 fdn. in the supers. If they can only be started, 

 at the outset, to working with a " boom " in the 

 sections, there will be no crowding of the queen, 

 nor building of drone comb, unless the queen is 

 about to be superseded. Mr. Bass made the mis- 

 take of using too large a brood-apartment. 



I guess you are right, friend Root; the matter is 

 more complex than it appears upon the surface, 

 and the publication of a few short articles scatter- 

 ed through the various journals does not present 

 the subject in the best possible manner; and I am 

 going to thankfully accept your suggestion and 

 "roll up my sleeves," mentally, clear up to my 

 shoulders, and write a little book covering the 

 whole subject of comb-honey production, as I prac- 

 tice it, and have it published in time for use next 

 spring. W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Rogersville, Mich., Jan. 7, 1887. 



CAN BEES FROM TWO DIFFERENT QUEENS WORK 

 HARMONIOUSLY IN THE SURPLUS-BOXES? 



I have received the first three numbers of Glean- 

 ings, and must say that I am well pleased with it, 

 as an exponent of advanced apiculture. 1 wish to 

 ask two questions. First, if I make my hive long 

 enough to hold 16 frames (Gallup), and put a solid 

 division-board in the center, with perforated zinc 

 honey-board over all, and two entrances, one on 

 the south and one on the east, the queens being 

 thus confined to their respective chambers, would 

 the bees work agreeably in the upper story of the 

 hive? If so, would there be any advantage in such 

 procedure? Second, are bees moi-e liable to store 

 pollen in sections IVo inches thick than they are in 

 thicker ones? J. M. Cruickshank. 



Lyons, Ontario, Canada. 



The plan you give will not work with any 

 certainty for any length of time, friend C. 

 During the rush of the honey-season, bees 

 from different hives may mix up indiscrimi- 

 fiately ; but as soon as the honey-flow is 



over, one of the queens will be balled, and 

 you will eventually have but one swarm of 

 bees. The matter has been thoroughly gone 

 over by having division-boards that shrink, 

 and letting the bees pass through or over 

 them. I think likely the queen would be 

 more apt to go into the sections where the 

 latter were so much nearer the thickness of 

 an ordinary brood-comb, although I have 

 not tested the nintter from experience. Can 

 any of the friends inform usV 



ALSIKE clover for THE SOUTH. 



1 see in Gleanings that you advise Southern 

 bee-keepers to plant alsike clover to better the 

 quality of Southern honey. Will the clover do well 

 here ? Will the Chapman honey-plant do ? My 

 place is on the Brazos River, subject to overflow 

 occasionally. Will the clover stand it ? I saw Dr. 

 O. M. Blanton's report (Gle.\nings for Nov. 1), and 

 he says cypress barrels are the best that he has ever 

 used. Won't the honej' taste of the cypress, and ruin 

 the sale of it— it there is any ? Dr. B. is an old bee- 

 keeper, and should know. Won't iron hoops do on 

 the cj'press barrels, as well as Avood ? C. F. Muth's 

 price for oak barrels is $2.00, without any inside 

 coating or paint. They cost here about S^S.OO— too 

 much. I find that people don't want to pay for bar- 

 rels or any other vessel. I receive letters wanting 

 me to ship honey to them on commission, one from 

 Chicago; at the present prices the freight would 

 cost more than the honey would sell for. Some of 

 the parties writing don't give references. 



J. W. Park. 



Columbia, Brazos Co., Tex., Dec. 24, IS86. 



Friend P., I can not tell you whether al- 

 sike clover will do well with you or not. It 

 can be settled only by experiment. But 1 

 think you can be sure of this, any way : It 

 can be- raised in any locality where red or 

 white clover will grow\— The supposition is, 

 that the Cliapman honey-plant will grow 

 anywhere— or, at least, I should feel safe in 

 saying in anyplace where thistles will grow. 

 —I am not acquainted with cypress for bar- 

 rels. Will Dr. Blanton tell us about itV— Be 

 very careful about shipping honey — not only 

 to lohom you ship, but ascertain beforeliand, 

 as near as possible, whether the transaction 

 promises to be a paying one. I understand 

 it is not very unusual for commission-men 

 to sell goods for only enough to pay freight, 

 cartage, and commission ; and I have known 

 of some commission-men who were very cool 

 about such transactions. It seems to 'me a 

 fearful way to do liusiness ; and if any com- 

 mission-man has any regard for his patrons, 

 it seems to me he should manage in some 

 way to avoid having goods shipped him, to 

 meet such a fate as this. 



HOW TO EMPTY THE HONEY-SACK, WITHOUT IN- 

 .JURV TO THE BEE. 



I have often noticed, by writers in bee-journals, 

 and some, again, quite lately, in Oct. Gle.\nings, 

 as well as one number of the A. B. J., where bees 

 are dissected for the simple purpose of getting 

 their honey. As this is not only a tedious and un- 

 necessary operation, and, for that purpose, imper- 

 fect. I beg leave to inform the readers of Glean- 

 ings of a better and more simple way, and one, 

 also, which will spare the bee from any harm. 

 Take the bee the usual way. with both wings be- 



