166 



GLEANINGS IxN HEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



It. In this way I was able to get the lowest point 

 reached during- cool nights, on some of which there 

 was nearly a frost. This proved to be at the lowest 

 92° in all colonies having four frames and upward 

 of bi'ood. In a small colony having brood in only 

 three combs I found 90° registered after a very cool 

 night. From this we see that there is only 8° varia- 

 tion inside the brood-nest during the height of 

 brood-rearing, if my tests are any criterion to go 

 by. During all of these tests so far mentioned, the 

 bees were as activ^e as we usually find them in June 

 and July, so that the activity of the bees may have 

 much to do with this matter. 



Now for the last experiment, which was made the 

 last of September. For several years I had noticed 

 that queen-cells in a queen-nursery, used on the 

 Alley plan, would not hatch regularly after Sept. 

 1, the time varying from the usual 16 days to 24, 

 and sometimes more, while later they would not 

 hatch at all, and I found much the same conditions 

 existing with frames of worker brood. A sin- 

 gle experiment gave a temperature at this time of 

 year of only 81° as that now maintained inside the 

 brood-nest. At this time all that activity manifest- 

 ed early in the season was gone, and the bees were 

 sluggish and idle, which might account for the 

 whole matter, were it not that brood-rearing is re- 

 tarded during the season of activity. Reader, here 

 is a subject for study and experiment; and this 

 somewhat (jUsponnected article is written with the 

 hope that such an interest may be taken in this im- 

 perfectly understood matter that we may soon 

 know all about this interesting part of our pursuit. 



Borodino, N. Y. G. M. Doolitti^e. 



Thanks for the facts furnished, friend D 

 Although temperature is a very necessary 

 item in the matter, I am inclined to think, 

 from the experiments I have tried, that it is 

 by no means the most important element. 

 In trying to get a small cluster of bees to 

 rear brood, I failed entirely, even when I 

 had the temperature exactly where you place 

 it. The activity that comes, say when fruit- 

 trees are in bloom, is, I am very sure, an 

 important element. I think I can see how 

 the bees may lower the temperature ; in 

 fact, I knew of this before, for I have seen 

 bees right in the blazing sun, where the en- 

 trance was large enough, keep the interior 

 of tlie hive comparatively cool; and my 

 opinion at the time was. that it was done by 

 the evaporation of the thin, newly gathered 

 honey. Converting any liquid into vapor 

 carries oil the heat very rapidly, and advan- 

 tage is taken of this fact in ice-machines, to 

 be seen at onr expositions. No doubt the 

 bees knew all about it long before it was 

 discovered by human beings. 



A MOEAIi QUESTION. 



ONE THAT COMES FROM A YOUNG SUPPLY-DEALER. 



R. ROOT: — I wish to ask your opinion about 



a little matter concerning sections. My 



trade in them is not very extensive. On 



account of the very low rate at which I 



can get poplar here, and with my facilities 



for making them in the winter time, I am sure I 



can furnish them, freight paid to any point in the 



Eastern and Middle States, at a lower price than 



they are now offered. My inquiry is this: Would 

 it be right for me to lay my plans to do so next 

 winter, as being the " greatest good to the greatest 

 number" (of bee-keepers), or should 1 join with my 

 brother-manufacturers in not injuring their trade, 

 which they may have woi-ked hard to get? 



I admit, this may be a rather funny question, 

 but I am young in the ways of the world, and per- 

 haps Dr. C. C. Miller might want another act of 

 "special legislation" on the ground of "priority 

 of trade." H. P. Langdon. 



East Constable, N. Y., Feb. 18, 1887. 



Friend L., 1 am exceedingly glad to have 

 you ask such a question before going ahead. 

 1 do not mean that I am able to answer it, 

 for I am not — I can simply suggest. If you 

 can furnish sections as you say, and your mo- 

 tive is a right and proper one, I do not know 

 why you should not sell them at whatever 

 price you can honestly afford to. You should 

 remember, however, that we are having fail- 

 ures in business almost constantly, because 

 some one new to the work undertakes to sell 

 things lower than he can afford ; that is, he 

 fails to take into account the necessary ex- 

 penses incident to doing almost any kind of 

 business. I hardly believe, however, that I 

 would agree to pay freight to all parts of the 

 country. Some manufacturers advertise that 

 they will allow a rebate of from 25 to 50 cts. 

 per lOU lbs., in order to equalize freights. It 

 seems to me the safer way for you would be, 

 however, to advertise at a moderate price ; 

 then after you have done business a while, 

 and have carefully kept account of expenses, 

 come down a little if you can do so safely. I 

 think it is very neighborly and kind to talk 

 over the matter with other supply-dealers or 

 manufacturers of sections, and avoid ruin- 

 ous competition as much as maybe. I would 

 also avoid getting into so-called "rings," to 

 keep up prices, especially where they are 

 managed so as to keep prices above what 

 they ought to be. The greatest good to the 

 greatest number of bee-keepers is a very 

 safe rule, I think, always remembering to 

 be just and fair in all your transactions. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCK"WHEAT. 



HENDERSON'S NEW JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT. 



J'{^ S buckwheat is one of the few honey- 

 I plants that can be raised by bee-keep- 

 K ers with a great probability of paying 

 ^ expenses on the grain alone, without 

 any mention of the honey, we are 

 ready for any improvements that may be 

 made in the grain ; and even should the im- 

 provement be justaslightone,it will amount 

 to quite a sum in the aggregate, for we can 

 just as well plant the best as to plant the 

 poorest. When it comes to the matter of 

 seeds, even if the first expense should be 

 four or five times the price of the common 

 variety, we can in one year, or, at the most, 

 two, liave the improved seed as cheaply as 

 the poorest. Over we give you a cut of a 

 new buckwheat illustrated in Peter Hender- 

 son's catalogue. We shall test it at once, 

 and shall be glad to have it tried extensively 

 by bee-men. 



