188f 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



HJ^il 



in during winter; but since the weather has begun 

 to moderate we liave been at work a part of the 

 time. We have sawed out about 40 Simplicity bod- 

 ies and covers, 10 nucleus hives, 180 metal-cornered 

 brood-frames, dovetailed; also ten ~'i4-8tory hives. 

 We have now 40 more hives in construction, and 

 enough lumber grooved for ripping into frame- 

 stutf which will make four or five hundred frames. 

 • We have not kept any account of the time we 

 worked; (uit to tell what the machine will do, we 

 gave it a trial a few days ago. My brother held the 

 watch while 1 ran the saw, and I ripped ttn feet 

 and nine inches of 'a-inch pine in one minute. The 

 manufacturers of the saws claim that it will rip 

 eight feet of one-inch lumber per minute; but if I 

 have calculated correctly, what I cut would be 

 equal to 9 13-;S2 ft., being almost li4 feet more than 

 is claimed for it. We would not take twice what 

 ours cost us if we could not get another one. Dur- 

 ing the time we have had the machine it has been 

 necessary for us to order some parts from the 

 manufacturers, and the orders, though very small, 

 received the most prompt attention, and we think 

 any one having occasion to deal with the above 

 firm will tind them very pleasant men. 

 poIjI-en the sixth day of march in central 

 missouri. 



Our bees gathered pollen on and perhaps before 

 March 6th, but the sixth was the first we noticed. 

 Since that time there has been some fine weather 

 and they worked quite lively; but for the last few 

 days it has been rather cool and windy. We went 

 into winter with 13 colonies; bought three during 

 the winter, one of which we lost; alsoone of our own 

 died, leaving us IIJ. This spring we bought 18, and 

 in transferring four of them we found one of them 

 queenless. This leaves us iJO colonies, 1(5 of which 

 h»ve to be transferred. S. E. Millek. 



Bluttlon, Montgomery Co., Mo. 



BUMBLE-BEES, AGAIN. 



PROF. COOK'S HEARTY INDORSEMENT OF DOOLIT- 

 TLE'S OBSERVATIONS. 



R. EDITOR:— You do not know with what 

 astonishment and pleasure 1 read Mr. Doo- 

 little's article on bumble-bees, page 303, 

 Gleanings. I am free to say, that not one 

 man in 10,000, with no favoring circum- 

 stance to guide his observations and study, would 

 show such accurate knowledge and observation as 

 he evinces. It is a significant fact that has often in- 

 terested me, that men like Messrs. Doolittle and 

 Heddon. men who are naturalists bj' nature, are al- 

 most sure to make a striking success of whatever 

 they undertake, unless, forsooth, they are natural- 

 ly so indolent, and wanting in energy and push, 

 that there is no foothold in their lives for success. 

 This is why I would incite in the mind of every 

 child a love of nature and its study. It is an easy 

 task to stimulate such a love; and it serves wonder- 

 fully to aid in the struggle for success in this prac- 

 tical age; and, best, by leading the mind and 

 thought toward good things it helps to fortify one 

 against the evil that is in the world. What a rich 

 mine of pleasure our good friend Doolittle has 

 found in his close study of every thing about him I 

 What a wonderful aid this cultivated observation 

 has been to him in his bee-keeping life! and 

 through him it has blessed every bee-keeper in the 



land. What helps any honest laborer in any use- 

 ful occupation, blesses the world and rejoices the 

 All Father. 



Yes, 1 feel sure that the queen bumble-bee hi- 

 bernates. Deep in the ground ur in some otlier 

 protected spot she survives the winter, and awali- 

 ens with the lilacs and apple-blossoms, to her im- 

 portant work. 



Again, my observation agrees with that of our 

 friend, in the statement that the egg is placed in the 

 pollen mass. The cell is formed by the food-taking 

 of the hungry, rapidly growing larvie. Afterward 

 this cell is waxed and is made a honey-cell. This is 

 what friend Doolittle and I used to pilfer from the 

 poor bumble-bees. Often we learned that the 

 curved cimeter of the bumble-bees is well pi'epared 

 to protect their precious stores, and I am not the 

 one to sa>' that it did not serve us right. 



1 am not prepared to say i)ositively that there are 

 not large and small workers, but 1 am doubtful; 

 Several times 1 have chloroformed whole nests, and 

 examined every bee, only to find workers, queens, 

 and drones. The young unimpregnated queens 

 were smaller than the old queen, and larger than 

 the workers. We will examine further, friend 

 Doolittle. You know that prince of observers and 

 naturalists, Huber, said there were two kinds of 

 worker honey-bees. We do not think so now. 

 Careful observation and examination make me 

 quite sure, in some cases at least, the bees in the 

 bumble bees' nest correspond exactly in sex and 

 kind with our honey-bees. I wish our friend would 

 send me his six species next year. 1 will report 

 the names in Gleanin(;s. 



Our students have often asked me about the 

 shade-bees. Every bee-keeper would understand 

 at once why such bees would never sting. Our 

 friends clubbing the shade-bees with dirt-clods, as 

 many a boy has thrown a stone to see his si>orti\e 

 dog run for it, is as interesting as it is exceptional. 

 What other reader of Gleanings ever did that? 

 And who have noticed the swarming-out over 

 nests in August"? How I wish every boj' in the 

 country could have the privilege of a walk once a 

 week with our friend Doolittle, through meadow 

 and woodland 1 What a new world this would be 

 to them ; Add to this the weekly visits of the 

 Youth's Companion, and how few of our boys would 

 go to the bad. 



xVs to close in-breeding. I do not believe nature 

 invariably abhors close in-breeding. She abhors 

 imperfections; and if such are closely inbred she 

 exterminates the whole race. Many plants have to 

 breed" close, and thrive at the same time. Bates 

 and Collins originated our grandest strains of short- 

 horns by just this close in-breeding. It is the most 

 potent instrument in the hands of our best breed- 

 ers to-day. With the bumble-bees, what a gain, in 

 the way of security from danger, is this habit! — 

 such a gain that it overrides any disadvantages by 

 way of close in-breeding in importance. The man 

 who took the leading premium at our last State 

 Fair had bred his short-horns right in for three 

 generations. I know of another excellent breeder 

 who did the same with marked success for a much 

 longer period. 1 should much prefer to breed in 

 closely with good animals, than to use a poor out- 

 cross. A. .7. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich., Apr. 26, 1887. 



I am very glad indeed, friend (\, to hear 

 yon speak such Vcind words of onr old friend. 



