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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



some data and facts, as it has a very direct bear- 

 ing on the question of whether one should pro- 

 duce comb or extracted honey. — Eu. J 



W.\LTziNG bees, are they carrying on that way 

 to shaice off wax scales or to show they've found 

 some new honey or pollen.? p. 830. If it were 

 throwing off wax scales, there would be a lot of 

 them at it all the time when wax is being secret- 

 ed, and generally it's only a single bee at a time. 

 I'm skeptical about the heralding a new find of 

 honey or pollen. If Prof. Gaston Bonnier is 

 correct about the explorers who make the finds, 

 waltzing should be seen only in the morning. Is 

 it thus limited.? Besides, explorers are supposed 

 to have attained considerable maturity; and did 

 you ever see any but a rather youthful bee en- 

 gaged in the dizzy waltz.? There's one good rea- 

 son I can see for it: Whenever a man thinks he 

 knows all about bees, you can settle him by ask- 

 ing, "What is the meaning of bees waltzing and 

 raking.?" [The one who thinks he "knows it 

 all" will often answer your last question with a 

 degree of assurance that makes one feel like put- 

 ting him down as an ignoramus. However this 

 may be, it is generally believed that the waltzers 

 are young bees, and that their act is a sign of joy 

 that they have found pollen, and that they take 

 this means to communicate the knowledge to 

 their fellows. — Ed.] 



" Figures printed on heavy tagboard manila, 

 boiled in paraffrne," are commended, p. 799, for 

 hive-numbering. A few years ago I got a set of 

 100, and within two years I had to replace them 

 with a hand-painted set. They don't fill the bill 

 at all. I think, Mr. Editor, there are thousands 

 of bee-keepers who would not object to % cent 

 for each aluminum. figure. That would make it 

 cost $1.44 to number the first 100 hives (a great 

 many would need no more), and $2. 25 for each suc- 

 ceeding 100. For one, I'm ready to put in an order 

 for a set with duty added to the price. But can't 

 they be made as cheaply here as in Germany.? 

 [When you say you have tried figures printed 

 on heavy cardboard manila boiled in paraffine we 

 suspect you refer to number-tags we sent you two 

 or three years ago. Those were soaked in linseed 

 oil, not boiled in paraffine, as you apparently in- 

 fer. One who says he has tried both the paraffine 

 boiled, and the tag soaked in linseed, says there 

 is a very great difference between the two. The 

 former will hold its color and shape, while the 

 litter will turn black as you describe. 



No, we can not make the metal tags as cheap 

 as they can be made in Germany. Labor is 

 cheaper there, especially skilled labor, and that 

 is what is required to make dies. If the bee- 

 keepers of this country will put up a strong enough 

 demand we will see that that demand is supplied. 

 —Ed.] 



Editorial 



By E. R. Root. 



The Corn Products Co., according to news- 

 paper reports, have placed an order in Argentina 

 for 100,000 bushels of corn to keep their facto- 

 ries running. They claim to be losing money 

 at present prices, and that is probably true. 

 They require corn at low prices. Hitherto they 

 have made much of the fact that they were 

 heavy buyers of American corn. Continued 

 high prices would force them out of business. 



w. K. M. 



Honey will be of exceptionally fine quality 

 this season, for it will be mainly clover. If it is 

 clover, it is good enough for anybody. 



Are you going to the National convention 

 that is to be held in Detroit Oct. 13, 14, and 15.? 

 This convention promises to be very interesting 

 as well as a big one. Don't miss the chance to 

 attend. 



White clover is still hanging on in our local- 

 ity; and, what is more, reports from a large num- 

 ber of localities, north and south of the Ohio 

 River, and as far east as the Atlantic coast, show 

 the same thing. Strangely enough, there are 

 pockets where there is drouth and no honey, sur- 

 rounded by moisture and honey. 



GEO. E. HILTON WINS A MtDAL AT JAMESTOWN. 



At the Jamestown exposition there were not 

 many honey exhibits. The one made by Ohio 

 called forth considerable comment. But there 

 was one exhibit by Mr. Geo. E. Hilton, Presi- 

 dent of the National Bee-keepers' Association, 

 that won the gold medal. Unlike some of these 

 so-called medals it was of solid gold, with an 

 intrinsic value of $175. 



A HIVE-CAGE. 



A SPLENDID thing to stop robbing and to catch 

 swarms is a little wire cage, just large enough 

 to be set down over the largest hive, and leave 

 six or eight inches clearance around the hive and 

 on top. If one discovers a swarm just coming- 

 out, he can clap this right over the hive and catch 

 nearly the entire swarm. The whole cage may 

 then be picked up and the bees dumped in front 

 of the hive that has been prepared for it. Dur- 

 ing the robbing season such a cage is invaluable. 



BEE-KEEPERS, ATTENTION ! 



The following has just been received: 



The most dreaded of all diseases, foul brood, exists in various 

 parts of Massachusetts. This disease can be easily eradicated. 

 It is of great importance that all bee-keepers satisfy themselves at 

 once whether they have the disease. To enable them to deter- 

 mine this point, and in order to teach them how to get rid of the 

 disease, the State Board of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Ex- 

 periment Station will unite in holding an institute to demon- 

 strate the treatment necessary to cure it. 



Mr. Charles Stewart, one of the foul-brood inspectors of New 

 York, has been engaged to make a demonstration. This will 

 take place in Ludlow, at the farm of Mr. E. N. Fisher, on July 

 21. Mr. Stewart will show the proper methods of treatment, and 

 no bee-keeper in the State should fail to be present at the dem- 

 onstration. \Vm. p. Brooks, Director. 



GREASY WASTE AS A SMOKER FUEL. 



We have several times spoken of the excellence 

 of greasy waste, such as can be obtained at a ma- 

 chine-shop or printing-office, as a smoker fuel. 

 It gives a pure lasting smoke with almost no 

 sparks; and, what is more, it does not gum up 

 the smoker as does ordinary fuel. In our opin- 

 ion, it leaves every thing else clear in the shade. 

 The waste should not be too greasy, but just such 

 as an ordinary machine-shop is glad to get rid of 

 for the asking. Two or three bushels of it yvill 



