GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



We only wish we could take our subscrib- 

 ers and have them look over our shoulder 

 at the U. S. weather maps, and see how the 

 rains spread over certain areas of the Unit- 

 ed States. Apparently the rains fall in a 

 sort of haphazard way; but a little study 

 shows that the deficiency at one time is fully 

 made up at another. If there is a long 

 drouth in early spring it will be followed 

 by a heavy precipitation in late summer or 

 early fall. In the same way, a very cold 

 winter is apt to be followed by a hot sum- 

 mer. Of course, there are exceptions to 

 these general rules ; but it is wonderful how 

 Nature sooner or later equalizes her "show- 

 ers of blessings." 



In like manner an abnormal hot spell in 

 early spring will be followed by cold and 

 frosts. In April of this year we had two 

 weeks of " awful hot weather." A few days 

 after, we had cold and frosts. 



Danger in Sending Old Comb by 

 Parcel Post 



We have repeatedly advised our readers 

 that we cannot accept shipments of old 

 combs to be rendered into wax. We should 

 be glad to do this were it not for the fact 

 that our home apiary is located within a 

 stone's throw of the railroad station, and 

 sooner or later a box would come in 

 bad condition — honey leaking out on the 

 platform. If those combs came from hives 

 containing foul brood, such leakage would 

 be a source of very great danger to our bees. 



The carelessness that some beekeepers 

 show in sending old comb by parcel post is 

 beyond our comprehension. Pieces of comb 

 containing honey (and thin honey at that), 

 and dead bees, are sometimes wrapped with 

 a single thickness of paper and sent to us 

 by parcel post for examination to see 

 whether the comb contains foul brood. We 

 have mentioned this matter in these columns 

 repeatedly, but we presume these instances 

 of what might almost be called criminal 

 carelessness are caused by ignorance on the 

 part of beekeepers who do not read Glean- 

 ings nor any other bee-journal. Neverthe- 

 less, we wish to repeat again that we do not 

 make examinations of suspected samples of 

 brood. All such should be securely packed 

 in a wooden or tin box and sent to Dr. E. 

 F. Phillips, in Charge of Bee Culture In- 

 vestigations, Department of Agrieuulture, 

 Washington, D. C. Dr. Phillips will even 

 send government franks on i-equest, which 

 will save the cost of the postage. 



It is because of this same danger that we 

 cannot accept parcel-post, express, nor 



freight shipments of old combs to be ren- 

 dered into wax. As meiilioned above, if our 

 home apiary were not located so close it 

 would be a different matter; but under ex- 

 isting circumstances the whole proposition 

 is a dangerous one. 



About a month ago we received a package 

 of old combs by parcel post from a point 

 so far distant that the postage on the 

 package amounted to more than the wax 

 was worth. 



Honey-crop Conditions and Prices — 



Clover Prospects Good 



Up to this writing, June 10, it has been 

 rather cool in the clover districts ; but there 

 never was a time when clover looked better 

 in most of the clover regions in the north- 

 ern and central states, as there have been 

 nice rains in most of the territory. 



Clover is promising in Iowa, Minnesota, 

 Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and parts of 

 Illinois and Indiana. Winter losses and a 

 lack of rain, frosts and freezing, will cause 

 a light crop in New York and Pennsylvania. 

 From New England, reports are somewhat 

 scarce ; but from what w^e have received no 

 large yield is promised. There are almost 

 no reports from the eastern sections of the 

 country. This would rather indicate that 

 the beekeepers are in a state of don't know, 

 and, therefore, are saying nothing. 



Mr. J. J. Wilder, of Georgia, who is 

 largely engaged in the business, says the 

 reports from the South are somewhat dis- 

 couraging. In the northern Blue Ridge 

 region he siays the situation is better; but 

 further dow^n in the Red Hills an average 

 crop has been secured. 



In northern Florida tupelo is a failure, 

 and the yield from palmetto and other 

 sources in the state was not large. 



In Texas the prospects were good earlier 

 in the season; but continued unfavorable 

 weather and a severe drouth have cut down 

 the yield, in southern Texas at least. A 

 letter just received as we go to press says 

 the crop will be thirty days late. This is 

 generally true of the North and East also. 

 In the famous Uvalde region there will be 

 an almost entire failure. 



In Colorado there will probably be a fair 

 crop of honey. The shortage of snow in 

 the mountains was made up later by falls 

 of snow and later by rains. Prospects are 

 also good in other alfalfa and sweet-clover 

 producing states. 



In California the situation is somewhat 

 uncertain, and the yield from mountain 

 sage, orange, and alfalfa is reported light, 

 although there will probably be some fa- 



