1004 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Felts, of Palmo Sola, reports a much better yield 

 than last year. With this exception all the reports 

 reaching me have been unfavorable, and I do not 

 think the average yield will reach over 40 per cent 

 of last season. 



Some of my apiaries have yielded an average of 

 40 lbs. per colony ; and one apiary averaged 75 

 lbs. One gave an average of 10 lbs., and my home 

 apiary of 40 colonies has yielded no surplus. In 

 mcst of my apiaries the bees are well provisioned 

 and strong; and I hope, after the fall flow, to make 

 a better report. 



People often remark to me that the bees must be 

 " making " a lot of honey, and then they will tell 

 of seeing bees working on some floAver. At the 

 .same time, the bees were probably consuming more 

 honoy than they were gathering. 



The honey flow from black mangrove was short, 

 though the bloom was profuse. 



Coming in an unu&xially dry time the quality of 

 the mangrove honey was the finest I have yet taken. 



•lime 30 I visited my bees on Anna Maria Key, 

 going by launch from the town of Cortez. 



I'or some reason unknown to me the mangrove on 

 Anna Maria was just coming into bloom, while 

 across the channel to the east on the mainland, and 

 also on the island of Pereka, it was in full bloom. 



Coming home in the afternoon I was surprised to 

 see large numbers of lioney-Iaden bees crossing the 

 channel in the direction of my apiary. Some of the 

 Lees were crossing diagonally, where the distance 

 across the water was not less than 1 Vo miles. We 

 saw only the laden bees flying toward the hives. I 

 suppose the outgoing bees flew higher and more 

 swiftly, and so we did not see them. 



FETERITA IN FLORIDA. 



The first heads of my feterita were heavy with 

 seed, but the heads that put out later had but little 

 grain. The plant produces a quantity of good feed ; 

 and where I cut the old growth the sprouts from 

 the roots are four feet high, and growing fast. Tlie 

 worst drawback to its cultivation here are the birds, 

 whi('h come by the hundreds and devour it. The 

 blackbirds and quail are the worst. 



My feterita has attracted a great deal of atten- 

 tion, and many have expressed a desire for seed. 

 We have recently been blessed with some showers, 

 and farmers are getting busy. 



LATER.- — KOW TAR JIAY BEES FLY ACROSS THE 

 WATER ? 



A few days ago I wrote you enclosing a brief 

 statement of conditions here, and told of the flight 

 of bees across the channel separating Anna Maria 

 Key on the one side and Palma Sola peninsula and 

 Cortez Point on the other side, with the island of 

 Pereka between. To make sure I was well within 

 bounds I stated that some of the bees flew l^A miles 

 across the channel. Yesterday we again made the 

 trip from Corte/ to my apiary on Anna Maria, 3 V& 

 miles distant. On inquiry I found that the distance 

 across the channel to the main land was about two 

 miles. Diagonally across the channel to tlie island 

 of Pereka and to Cortez Point, from which, at the 

 time stated, large numbers of home-coming bees were 

 crossing, the distance is all of 214 miles. The bees 

 wore flying slowly, and close to the water. 



This was of interest to me as showing the distance 

 bees fly across water when conditions are favorable. 

 Arthue E. Ault. 



Bradentown, l?la., Sept. 19. 



fflGH=PKE§§UME GAEDENENG 



THE HELIANTHUS AND THE JERUSALEM 

 ARTICHOKE, 



The friends may recall that last year I 

 grew four or five hills of the helianthus, 

 and pronounced it excellent food. I sup- 

 posed, however, that I had dug up all the 

 tubers before going away ; and I mentioned 

 that one of the objections was that they 

 were so small it was troublesome to harvest 

 them, especially in clay soil. Well, whei 

 we got back to our Medina home, about the 

 first of May, there was a wilderness of heli- 

 anti a foot high or more, right where I dug 

 them last year. I let them grow, and now 

 we have a great crop. At one end of the 

 helianthus-patch there were some stalks that 

 looked a little different from the others. In 

 fact, they grew six or eight feet high. I 

 did not know any artichokes were planted 

 there; but these grew three or four great 

 big stalks, and produced regular old-fash- 

 ioned artichokes. Now, we have cooked 

 both the helianthus and the artichokes. We 

 just boiled and served them as we would 

 serve creamed potatoes, and, once more, I 

 cannot see any difference in taste; but the 

 artichokes are so much less trouble to pre- 

 pare for the table we greatly prefer them. 

 Just one thing more: 



Both artichokes and the hehanti produce 

 a great lot of green tops before anything 

 else. Both winter over, and are ready to 

 start the first thing in the spring. If this 

 young and tender foliage will be eaten by 

 stock, why is it not profitable to grow for 

 feed? I am sorry I did not think to offer 

 it to the cows, pigs, and chickens. If the 

 tops prove valuable, the helianthus might be 

 preferable, because the small tubers will go 

 so much further in planting. If artichokes 

 are really a substitute for potatoes, or I 

 might almost say better than potatoes, I 

 do not see why they have been so long neg- 

 lected as an article of food. 



The letter below touches on the whole 

 thing. Very likely locality will have some- 

 thing to do with it. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — I wonder if the old Jerusalem 

 artichoke and helianti are not one and the same 

 vegetable. When I was a boy, 60 years ago, we 

 lived in the south part of Erie Count}', Pa. One of 

 our neighbors grew artichokes quite extensivel}-, and 

 cooked and ate them as we did Irish potatoes. They 

 grew as large as other potatoes, and yielded fully 

 as well. In the 80's I lived on a city lot in St. 

 Joseph, Mo., and planted artichokes in my back 

 yard, and they grew fine, being very productive, and 

 made a splendid salad; but I did not like them 

 cooked. In 1904 I moved to Madison County, Mo. 

 There I got some artichokes from a neighbor. They 



