1052 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



GLEANINGS FROM OUR 

 EXCHANGES 



By W. K. Morrison 



FOUL BROOD IN IRELAND. 



After much persistent hard work the bee-keep- 

 ers of Ireland have succeeded in obtaining the 

 passage of a foul-brood law by the British Parlia- 

 ment. This law would never have been enacted 

 without the powerful backing of the Irish De- 

 partment of Agriculture and the sympathetic in- 

 terest of the Irish Nationalists in the House of 

 Commons. Thus far the English bee-keepers 

 have failed to secure such a law, though they cer- 

 tainly are in need of one as much as their Irish 

 brethren! Hoorah for Ireland! 



DUAL QUEENS. 



Among the delegates in attendance at the 

 Franco-British conference of bee-keepers, none 

 excited a livlier interest than Mr. F. R. Beuhne, 

 President of the Victoria Apiarists' Association. 

 In the discussion over Mr. Cowan's paper on the 

 plural-queen system he was the only one present 

 who could speak from practical experience on the 

 value of more than one queen in a hive. He has 

 practiced the dual plan for some years with suc- 

 cess; that is to say, he has a young queen mated 

 in a hive where there is a queen at least two years 

 old. For a time mother and daughter get along 

 well enough side by side; but after a while the 

 old queen quietly disappears. He finds this an 

 excellent method of rearing young queens and 

 putting them to work "helping mamma " with 

 her knitting until the latter ceases to exist. 

 # 



BEES IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY, CAL. 



The bee-keepers of the Imperial Valley are of 

 the opinion that there are sufficient bees now 

 scattered over the valley to gather up all the hon- 

 ey available. In 1W7 only 1000 cases of honey 

 were produced from 700 colonies. During the 

 summer and fall of that year, however, 5000 col- 

 onies were shipped in from elsewhere. This 

 year the honey crop is estimated at 4000 cases, 

 and this, in the opinion of experts, is all the val- 

 ley can accommodate unless the alfalfa crop is 

 largely increased. The alfalfa-bloom louse is a 

 serious pest which curtails the yield of nectar 

 very much. This is a microscopic insect which 

 eats the alfalfa-bloom and consumes the nectar at 

 the same operation. 



Thus far the Imperial Valley has marketed its 

 honey in El Paso, Texas, with satisfactory re- 

 sults. They ship there in carloads, where it is 

 again shipped in small lots. 

 * 



PARCELS POST THIS FALL. 



It will do no harm to ask your Congressman 

 when he comes around this fall seeking for votes 

 how he stands on the parcels-post question. Don't 

 let him put you off with an evasive answer. You 

 can inform him the postofficehasall the machinery 

 necessary for the inauguration of this great im- 

 provement just as soon as it gets the signal from 

 Congress. The mail-wagons go out every morn- 

 ing with plenty of room inside for packages. It 



is the same with cars. Of course, something will 

 be said about the retail country merchant being 

 ruined; but the rule is now the greatest good to 

 the greatest number. Both Bryan and Taft are 

 known to favor parcels post; but there is no pol- 

 itics in this business in any event. The farmers 

 are too slow as a rule in asking for what they de- J 

 sire and need. Whenever the " business " inter- ^ 

 ests demand any thing they very speedily get it 

 from Congress. They organize, and push things 

 until the Congressmen z-xt compelled to give them j 

 every thing they want. Any way, almost all I 

 the bee-keepers would be helped by the establish- i 

 ment of parcels post, and would like to see it 

 come into use. 



# 



HAY-CAPS, AGAIN. 



The following from Hoard's Dairyman bears ■ 

 on a very interesting question to bee-keepers. \ 

 The use of caps for curing clover hay is one of 

 the best agricultural improvements of recent 

 years. It is particularly useful in curing alfalfa, j 

 as it allows the farmer to let his crop grow to full 

 bloom before cutting it. In localities where the 

 ranchers cut the crop before it is in bloom the 

 bee-keepers can, with the greatest confidence, rec- 

 ommend hay-caps. The crop is cured without 

 losing the leaves and other delicate parts. This 

 is the essential point. J 



In the Dairyman of the 7th is an editorial on curing alfalfa. - ] 

 As I wish next season to follow these directions, and I am in 

 doubt about some points, please inform me first: What is the size 

 of your hay-capsf I can not find any cotton cloth more than ?6 

 inches wide, except double-width sheeting. Second, how long 

 must the hay remain in the cock to go through the heating jvhich 

 you say it requires to cure properly, if weather is good? and should 

 it be put up damp enough to change color in the caring process ? 



Wasco, 111. N. H. W. 



You will find a very full discussion on making alfalfa hay in 

 our two last numbers. The hay-caps are made from A sheeting, 

 40 inches wide, but 36-inch cloth will answer. The time the 

 hay must remain under cover will depend on the weather. It 

 may require anywhere from one to three days. When the hay 

 strongly twisted shows no sap it is ready for the mow. If proper- 

 ly cured in the cock it will remain a fresh green in the mow, and 

 will not heat or change color. 



4» 



GLUCOSE AS A FOOD. 



A friend in Nebraska has sent us a clipping 

 from Green's Fruit Gronver, which praises glucose 

 highly as a food. Of course he expects us to re- 

 fute the statements made therein. Briefly the 

 case is thus: Natural glucose is a very fine food 

 (honey is a natural glucose). It is found also in 

 fruits, but in combination with something else. 

 It is true, certain scientific chemists have praised 

 artificial glucose, among them Dr. Wiley. He 

 has changed his opinion, however, and so have 

 others. Artificial glucose is made by the action 

 of sulphuric, hydrochloric, or muriatic acid on 

 starch. The action is far from being complete, 

 and traces of these powerful acids are found in 

 the glucose. Small as the quantities are, they 

 are dangerous, as was amply proven by the Man- 

 chester case. Our glucose always contains chlo- 

 rides. Students of digestion are agreed that 

 these should not be there, even in very small 

 amounts. It is true that glucose is used in mak- 

 ing cheap or inferior preserves. For first-class 

 goods, cane sugar is used. Let California pre- 

 serve-makers use glucose and it will be only a 

 question of time when their industry will be ru- 

 ined. The ordinary " corn syrup " of the gro- 

 ceries contains about one-third part of cane syr- 



