198 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



M\K. 1 



both brood and extracting, of an eight- 

 frame hive? The combs in question would 

 be very old, black, and poor, but not moth- 

 eaten. In other words, how much availa- 

 ble wax would a set of combs such as I de- 

 scribed, contain? Wm. Bloch. 

 Dulzura, Cal., Jan. 24. 



[This is a hard question to answer. A 

 good deal depends on whether the combs 

 were made originally from foundation; and, 

 if so, was the foundation heavj^, medium, 

 or light brood? If no foundation was used 

 at all, then the amount of wax that can be 

 obtained will be smaller still. I should 

 not expect, ordinarily, more than from half 

 a pound to one pound of wax from such 

 combs. With the best of apparatus, and 

 combs that were built off from good heavy 

 foundation, we might get two pounds; but 

 under ordinary circumstances I should not 

 be surprised if you did not get even half a 

 pound. — Ed.] 



MOVING BEES ON A WAGON WITHOUT CLOS- 

 ING THE ENTRANCE SUCCESSFULLY 

 PRACTICED. 



Last spring I moved about 60 colonies of 

 bees a short distance, without cl< sing the 

 entrance. About dusk I went along and 

 gave each hive a few puffs of smoke, then 

 in a few minutes I went back to the first 

 ones, puffed a little more smoke into five 

 or six hives, then went to work loading un- 

 til I had these five or six loaded, then 

 smoked live or six more; commenced load- 

 ing again, and so on until all were loaded. 

 I started very carefullj^ If they were much 

 disturbed I would stop fo a minute or two, 

 then start again. After going a little way 

 I would not pa}' anj' more attention to them, 

 but drive right along. R. C. Clary. 



Ft. Morgan, Colo. 



A CARD FROM F. W. L. SLADEN. 



/I//-. Roof: — Have you room in Gleanings 

 for a few words of thanks from me to the 

 American apiarists who entertained me so 

 splendidly on my recent trip to the great 

 country across the ocean? I was very sorry 

 not to have been able to get over in time to 

 attend the Bee-keepers' Convention at the 

 Pan-American Exposition, but the disap- 

 pointment was well compensated by the 

 greater pleasure I had in becoming ac- 

 quainted with some of the bee-keepers in 

 their own homes. The " royal welcome " 

 you bespoke for me in your issue of October 

 1 was indeed realized, and I had a down- 

 right good time with every bee-keeper I 

 was able to visit. My chief regret is that 

 I had only time to go and see so few. 



It is difficult for me to sum up in a few 

 words my many impressions of American 

 bee-keeping from an English bee-keeper's 

 point of view, so I will not attempt it here, 

 but will just say that I made a special 

 point of endeavoring to investigate the dif- 

 ferences between the methods practiced in 

 the two countries, and looking into the 

 causes of these differences. I found this to 



be a particularly interesting and profitable 

 line of thought. On the whole I was sur- 

 prised and delighted to see the remarkable 

 progress that apiculture is making in 

 America. Though I did not go far either 

 west or south. I tried to realize the vastness 

 of the country and the man_v varieties of the 

 conditions for — and therefore methods in — 

 bee-keeping that must exist. The industry 

 is certainly in a verj' vigorous state. My 

 best wishes for further progress during the 

 year which will have begun before this 

 reaches you, and also for a good crop to the 

 bread-winners of the happy homes I have 

 such pleasant recollections of having visit- 

 ed. F. W. L. Sladen. 

 Ripple Court, near Dover, Eng. , Dec. 26. 



THE marked difference IN THE WORK- 

 ING QUALITIES OF COLONIES. 



I have many times watched the different 

 colonies in my apiary when there was ap- 

 parently very little honey-flow; and while 

 some colonies were quite active, and actual- 

 ly bringing in honev, others would be al- 

 most entir ly idle. I have observed it so 

 closely and so many times, also noting 

 the conditions of the active and inactive 

 colonies, that I am satisfied in my own 

 niind that there is quite a difference in the 

 industrial qualities of individual colonies. 

 And why should it not be so, the same as 

 in the rest of animal life? Progression in 

 bee culture is still ahead of us; and to ob- 

 tain the best results means experimental 

 study. 



Your advice, Mr. Editor, in footnotes on 

 page 97.5, I consider pure gold. 



Brooklyn, Pa. I.uthek S. Ely. 



Please give me 3'our opinion on wintering 

 with sviper on, with no absorbents or any 

 thing inside but cover sealed tight. 



Earl N. Evkrson. 



Brilliant, O., Nov. 17, l'H)l. 



[Some very good results in wintering 

 have been secured by leaving on the supers; 

 but usually we would advise taking themoff, 

 putting on absorbents instead, or, perhcips, 

 better still, a sealed cover. — Ed.] 



Will you please tell me how to feed refuse 

 honej' to bees at this time of 3'ear? 



Clifford Rannev. 

 Hillsdale, Mich., Jan. 2. 



[It is a bad time of year to feed refuse 

 honey to bees, either in the cellar or out- 

 doors. Better give cakes of hard rock can- 

 d_y, and keep your honey until next spring. 

 —Ed.] 



LIARS -WHAT THE SU DAY SCHOOL TIMES THINKS 

 ABOUT THEM. 

 No liar can ever be great except as a liar. He does not 

 stauil on the eternal foundations of truth. All great tides 

 of power in the universe sweej) along the lines of truth. 

 Whoever works against them goi s down. Ananias died 

 nuclily: all other-, more or less so. Thi- war^as of this sin is 

 death. 



