24 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



wait only for the waniilh of spiing, to bring 

 this dormant life into growlli. As soon as 

 these buds unfold some time during the com- 

 ing May, then we can see and know whether 

 to make preparations for moving the bees or 

 not. By examining closely we can find the 

 bunch of buds at the base of each leaf, curl- 

 ed up, looking like the half of a small sweet- 

 pea seed, or perhaps a little fuzzy caterpillar 

 would describe it better. With each week 

 the bunch of buds grows till at the end of 

 about seven weeks from the time the trees 

 begin to show their green in spring Ihey open 

 their Mowers filled with nectar, to invite the 

 bees to a sumptuous feast. Of course, a cool 

 season will retard the time of bloom from a 

 week to ten days, and a very hot season ad- 

 vance it nearly as much, but the above is the 

 rule. June 28th is the earliest I ever knew 

 basswood- bloom to open in this locality, and 

 July 10th the latest. Thus the practical eye 

 can tell nearly two months in advance as to 

 the promise of a yield of basswood honey. 



SELKCTING QUEENS. 



I read with great interest the article in Nov. 

 Ist issue Gleanings from E. W. Alexander, as I 

 always do words from his pen. Two points 

 interested me particularly, as my own ex- 

 nerience is strictly in line with his. One of 

 the greatest inventions ever made in this 

 country, or, for that matter, in the world, 

 was the Bahcock milk-tester. This simple 

 instrument makes it possible for the dairy- 

 man to know just what each cow brings him. 

 He need not leave any thing to chance, but 

 can tell easily, at once, and with no chance 

 for mistake, the exact status of every one of 

 his cows. This makes it possible to weed 

 out the failures, and also the indifferent ani- 

 mals, and soon he has only the best; and as 

 he breeds from those retained, he reaps a 

 double benefit; he has cows that pay, and he 

 gets a renewal in kind for future use. It is 

 said that this simple invention of Prof. Bab- 

 cock, of the Wisconsin University, which 

 was given to the world, increased the dairy 

 products and profits by one-half in Wiscon- 

 sin; and if there, then of course it has done 

 equal service in every other State where the 

 dairy interest is prominent. 



Mr. Alexander's article suggests that the 

 dairyman is not the only one who practices 

 this weeding-out process. The bee-keeper 

 has no Babcock machine, but he is less in 

 need of one than is the dairyman; for if he has 

 sharp eyes ( and these are quite requisite to 

 the successful bee-keeper) he will know his 

 queens from alpha to omega, and will know 



the one that fills his hives with industry, 

 honey, and his pocketbook with dollars. 

 But, even with this knowledge, how many 

 practice the keeping of only the best, and 

 breeding from only the very best? Here the 

 apiarist has advantage over even the dairy- 

 man, for the dairyman will, with a great 

 show of reason, hesitate to kill any of his 

 calves from selected mother's, while the bee- 

 keeper has no good reason for breeding from 

 any one but the very best queen of the api- 

 ary The dairyman can get but one offspring 

 from each cow in a year, while the bee-man 

 can get all his queens from his best queen — 

 an unlimited number; and if he exercises the 

 requisite care, he can get them nearly all 

 mated with drones from his next-best queen. 

 Should not all then follow the advice and ex- 

 ample of Mr. Alexander, taking every pains 

 to determine the very best queens, those that 

 breed late in fall, those that are phenomenal- 

 ly prolific, those that give us sweet-temper- 

 ed workers, and, indeed, workers that are 

 models in every respect? Then let us be un- 

 sparing, and mercilessly destroy every one 

 that does not come up to the best, and re- 

 queen from young queens that are reared 

 from the very best queen in the bee-yard. 

 If others have better- they will not have if 

 we practice the above — then we will, if wise, 

 secure from them, that we may breed and 

 possess Ihe very best that are to be had. 



Peter Collyer once said that it would be a 

 God-send if lightning would strike half the 

 cows in the State of New York if it would 

 select discreetly. Mr. Wm McEvoy says in the 

 October number of the Canadian Bee Journal, 

 that 90 per cent of the queens of Ontario 

 should be destroyed, and young better queens 

 put in their place. We have no reason to 

 think that Ontario is one whit behind any 

 section of the world in the skill and intelli- 

 gence of her bee-keepers. 



The second point made by Mr. Alexander 

 is just as wise and timely as the other. 

 Years ago, as readers of the bee-journals will 

 remember, I tried the effects of stimulative 

 feeding in the spring, and with surprising 

 results. There is no question but judicious 

 feeding, regularly carried on, will do wonders 

 as the colonies are building up in the spring. 

 Mr. Alexander makes another good point 

 which has so much of his customary good 

 sense coupled with it that it must commend 

 itself to every thoughtful 'experienced bee- 

 keeper. The solid combs of capped honey 

 in the middle of the brood-nest are surely in 

 the way of a prosperous increase. Some one 

 has said that dirt is matter out of place, and, 

 if so, a very short word characterizes the 

 keeping of great frames solid with honey in 

 the brood-chamber in the early season of the 

 year. 



There are three decided gains in the rec- 

 ommendation of Mr Alexander, faithfully 

 carried out: First and least, we often get 

 honey to sell that would otherwise be worse 

 than useless, for a time; second, we remove 

 the great cold barriers in the midst of the 

 brood-nest, that would better be in cellar or 

 storeroom, or, better still, extracted, the hon- 



