684 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



between 25 and 30 acres; that he has looked 

 into Dr. Gandy's hives, and says he knows 

 '"the statement of the vleld of houej' to be 

 absolutely correct." 



Dr. Gandy, in writing- for himself, says 

 the substance of his letter in Gi.iiANiNGS 

 was published in the Anierican Bee Journal 

 some time last September, and that the 

 same was extensively copied at the time, 

 and no one appeared to question the state- 

 ments. He has no catnip seed for sale, but 

 did sell one man a little as an accommoda- 

 tion. 



He says he sowed last year nearly 50 

 acres of catnip, but that, on account of the 

 drouth, it was largely killed out; that, 

 moreover, he has devoted sixteen 3'ears to 

 working on artificial pasturage, and that 

 time he has planted 80 acres of buckbush, 

 100 acres of hoarhound, has tried horse- 

 mint, mustard, and numerous other plants, 

 and as a result has found nothing to equal 

 catnip and sweet clover. He says that two 

 or three bee-keepers following his method 

 have been able to equal his yield. He ad- 

 mits that his figures look a little strange to 

 Eastern bee-keepers, but that he is pre- 

 pared to prove all he says, and courts the 

 fullest investigation. His honey is sold 

 mostly in the local towns, and is delivered 

 in wagons. Being a physician he preaches 

 the food value of honey, and as a result has 

 induced many families to use honey in pref- 

 erence to any other sweet. 



Over against these statements are some 

 doubting Thomases— some who live right in 

 the vicinity. One man in particulsr says 

 he does not know how such results could be 

 secured and he not know it. 



The evidence in hand is very conflicting, 

 and if I had the space I would publish the 

 whole of it, barring some portions that are 

 not intended for the public. As it is, I 

 have endeavored to give a brief synopsis of 

 each letter and the names of some of the 

 writers. I hold in my hand all the corres- 

 pondence, and am prepared to show it to 

 any one who may visit our office, who de- 

 sires further information. 



But I wish to enter a general caution to 

 the general reader against getting excited 

 over artificial pasturage. The editor of 

 Gleanings and of the Bee-Peepers' Revieiv 

 are planning a trip to Humboldt, and I 

 therefore suggest that you do not ivaste any 

 time or money, bid wait till ive tivo can go 

 into the field and see xvith our own eyes. 

 There is no immediate hurry; and along 

 about the middle of September Mr. Hutch- 

 inson and I expect to be on the field. 



There, you have the facts before you as 

 nearly as I can give them without going to 

 Humboldt; but I will say this: No one 

 denies that Dr. Gandy is a very wealthy 

 resident of Humboldt, and that he keeps a 

 good many bees. Besides owning a large 

 number of farms he owns several hotels. 

 The only disputed points are whether he is 

 able to produce the results he has stated 

 from bees, and whether he has the acreage 

 of artificial pasturage he claims. 



THE CONVENTION AT DENVER, SEPT. 3, 4, 

 5, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, BE- 

 GINNING WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



Rates from Chicago to Denver and re- 

 turn will be S25; from St. Louis, $21; from 

 St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Omaha, $15. 

 If j'ou desire to stop off at any point you 

 will probably have to make special ar- 

 rangements. Whether the railroad com- 

 panies will allow a stop-off I can not sas'. 

 A party of bee-keepers will start from 

 Chicago via the Northwestern, on Monday 

 evening, Sept. 1. For further particulars 

 write Geo. W. York, 144 Erie St., Chicago. 



Such men as W. L. Coggshall and W. 

 F. Marks, of New York; George E. Hilton, 

 of Michigan; Dr. C. C. Miller; Mr. W. Z. 

 Hutchinson; Dr. A. B. Mason ; E. T. Ab- 

 bott; G. W. York ; H. H. Hyde and Louis 

 Scholl, of Texas; F. E. Brown, of Califor- 

 nia; Huber Root, E. R. Root, and quite a 

 number of others whose names I do not now 

 recall, will go to Denver. Those who ex- 

 pect to go had better go to their agents 

 and inquire for rates at once. 



Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, Flint, Mich., will 

 go by the A. T. & S. F. route, and any 

 who desire to go with his party would do 

 well to write him earlj^. Just which route 

 Huber and I will take is a little uncertain 

 at this time. I wish to make my plans so I 

 can stop at Humboldt, Neb., on my return. 



The low rates to Denver and return are 

 secured through the Letter Carriers' Asso- 

 ciation, and apply to everyone. The rates 

 apply pretty much through the United 

 States. Those who are coming from Cali- 

 fornia will be glad to know that there will 

 be provision made for them. President 

 Hutchinson writes: 



Friend RooL— I have just received notice from the 

 Santa Fe Railroad that they will sell round-trip tickets 

 from California to Denver and return for 555 to ac- 

 credited delegates to the National Bee-keepers' Con- 

 vention. Date of sale, Aug. 28. Final limit, 00 days 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Those from the far West need to get their 

 credentials from their local society. 



MR. DANZENBAKER AND BRUSHED SWARMS. 



We have just had a brief visit from Mr. 

 Danzenbaker, who is on his way to Cali- 

 fornia on special business. In talking over 

 the matter of the brushed-swdrm plan he 

 mentioned the fact that he had practiced 

 for years that method of controlling swarms; 

 and by it he is enabled to get a powerful 

 colony in one of his shallow brood-nests for 

 comb honey; and if there i^ any honey at 

 all to be had, he is going to get it. and th;it 

 with a small probability of swarming. 



I have been looking up this matter of 

 brushed or "shook" swarms; and in the 

 face of the favorable testimony concerning 

 it I am suryrised that bee-keepers have mt 

 made more of it. Wh}-, just think of it! //' 

 swarms can be controlled in small brood - 

 nests when running for comb honey, it will 

 be one of the greatest boons that ever struck 

 modern apiculture. If any one else has had 

 experience with brushed swarms I wish he 

 would tell us about it. 



