GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



J. E. Crane 



IFTING 



Middlebury, Vt. 



On page 651, Aug. 15, the crop 

 in Ontario is given as fifty-five 

 pounds per colony. Js this comb 



or extracted honey? 



• « « 



A bunch of sweet-clover blos- 

 soms, white and yellow mixed, 

 makes a beautiful bouquet for the dining- 

 room table. 



* * » 



The editor says, page 657, Aug. 15, "We 

 should like to know what you mean by 

 breeding from the best." Have we at this 

 time any well-considered standards of ex- 

 cellence for our bees? 



Dr. Miller, page 657, Aug. 15, says the 

 Brilish Bee Journal copies a clipping whicli 

 says that one firm in that country uses 40 

 tons of honey a month in the manufacture 

 of a cough mixture, and comments, " Some 

 honey." I should say, " Some story." 



» « « "" 



On page 48J, June 15, Dr. Miller says, 

 " If all * we men ' had voted with me in the 

 last forty years there wouldn't be a saloon 

 in the land," and he is right; but that is 

 not all. There wouldn't be one red-faced, 

 unsteady-gaited man by newspaper courtesy 

 called " drunks " where there are ten now. 

 » * * 



Dr. Miller inquires, page 569, if we can 

 steam a whole box of sections at once with 

 a tea-kettle. Well, no — not unless you have 

 a very strong jet of steam. We took a 

 bundle that we could hold in the hand, al- 

 lowing the steam to pass through the cor- 

 ners. It takes a little time, but does a good 



job. 



» * • 



The sum of $25,000 paid out in one year 

 for advertising honey by the A. I. Root Co. 

 This seems like casting a good deal of 

 bread on the water, expecting it to return 

 after many days. I shall be greatly mistak- 

 en if the rank and file of beekeepers don't 

 get some of that bread as well as the A. I. 

 Root Co., when it returns. 

 • * • 



I enjoyed reading INIr. 0. 0. Poppleton's 

 experience with the Long-idea hive. I con- 

 fess I was somewhat prejudiced against 

 such a hive until I came in contact with it 

 in his yard. The ease with which it can 

 be opened and examined at any time, even 

 when bees are storing surplus, will com- 

 mend it to almost any one, especially in the 

 South. 



An article by John W. Love, page 668, 

 Aug. 15, on the factor of cleanliness in 

 honey distribution is of mucii interest. He 

 says, " Comb honey put up in a dust-proof 

 carton suggests delicacy and sanitation 

 moi'e than that displayed in a glass show- 

 case." ]t is many years since we began to 

 use cartons here in the East, and Mr. Bui- 

 nett, of Chicago, informs us that they are 

 coming into use in the West. 

 » * * 



Looking over a yard yesterday ,for foul 

 brood, I discovered one I had been into 

 where robbing had begun. I tried to drive 

 away the robbers with smoke, but the more 

 [ smoked the lliicker they came. I piled 

 grass and weeds about the entrance, but 

 still they came. Then I placed an empty 

 hive in front of the one they were trying 

 to rob. In a moment they left the latter 

 and rushed into the empty hive that con- 

 tained some dry combs, and more surprised 

 bees ] never s:jw. The nise was an entire 



Several articles in the Aug. 15th Glean- 

 ings on aster honey show the widespread 

 interest in this source of winter stores. 

 The objections to it appear to be that it is 

 thin, and bees winter badlj'' on it. Now, I 

 have my doubts as to whether it is any thin- 

 ner when gatliered than other honey or nec- 

 tar; but it is gathered late, often when the 

 weather is cool, and the bees are, for this 

 reason, unable to reduce such nectar to a 

 tliickness or ripeness in the North as to 

 make it a good winter food. Where such 

 is the case I believe it would often be ad- 

 visable to reduce the size of the brood- 

 chamber to increase the temperature so it 

 could be ripened. 



* • • 



That extract from the Rural New-Yorker, 

 page 567, July 15, is well worth more than 

 a year's subscription for Gleanings. I 

 wanted to put in a half-acre, but thought 

 I must first plow the gi'ound — not neces- 

 sary. And, again, I have wondered how it 

 could be best brought in in pastures. I 

 thought, of course, the first thing would be 

 to plow the old rough pasture — a very dif- 

 ficult job; but from this I learn I can just 

 disk the surface, roll, and sow the seed. It 

 has seemed as though the use of sweet clo- 

 ver for pasture might be more helpful to 

 beekeepers than that sown for hay, as it 

 will be quite apt to get the start of stock 

 and throw out a good deal of bloom the 

 latter part of summer. 



