1908 



GLKANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



1053 



up, which makes the glucose eatable, otherwise 

 it would not sell at all. It would be better for 

 the public if it were all cane syrup; and it ought 

 to be remembered that the United States can 

 produce vast quantities of cane syrup at a price 

 not appreciably greater than that now paid for 

 glucose. Dr. Wiley was hopeful of creating 

 just such an industry, built up on honesty and 

 fair dealing. Several large plants have been 

 started lately in Louisiana to make a good syrup; 

 but more would have been started had Dr. Wi- 

 ley been allowed to have his own way in the glu- 

 cose controversy. There is this to be said, how- 

 ever: The American people are rapidly becom- 

 ing educated on the food question, and are more 

 particular by far about their eating than they 

 once were. The more particular they are, the 

 better it will be for honey-producers. 

 ♦ 



LAND FOR SETTLERS. 



The following accounts relate entirely to lands 

 lying under an irrigating canal constructed by 

 the United States government acting for the set- 

 tlers. Further particulars can be obtained only 

 from the Secretary of the Interior, Washington. 



In connection with the Sacramento Valley ir- 

 rigation project in California, 265,000 acres will 

 be subject to selection and filing on and after 

 Sept. 3, 1908. The lands lie in townships 12 to 

 13 north, ranges 6 to 10 west, Mount Diablo 

 principal meridian. 



At the Carlsbad, N. M., irrigating project, 

 106,000 acres will soon be subject to settlement 

 and entry. 



Nearly 59,000 acres will soon be open for set- 

 tlement at Big Bend, Washington. 



At the Sun River irrigation project in Monta- 

 na, 45,000 acres will shortly be opened for home- 

 stead entry only. 



Dates will soon be fixed for the opening to set- 

 dement of 128,000 acres of irrigation lands in 

 connection with the Minidoka project in Idaho. 



On and after Sept. 10, 1908, there will be open 

 for settlement 12,000 acres on the Payette-Boise 

 project in Idaho. 



The Secretary of the Interior will shortly de- 

 clare open for settlement 300,000 acres on the 

 Lower Yellowstone project in Montana. 



It may be added that the government has ap- 

 proximately 3000 farms elsewhere which it will 

 give away on certain conditions. These are all 

 on irrigation projects. As a rule, these home- 

 steads are superior to those given away some 

 years ago in the prairie States ; and to men who 

 understand their business they offer excellent op- 

 portunities. All of them are likely to be in the 

 heart of a good bee-range. 

 # 



THE LORE OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



Mr. Tichner Edwardes, author of "The Bee- 

 master of Warrilow," has again appealed to the 

 reading public of the English-speaking race with 

 a new book bearing the above title. Without 

 having seen it I can not express an opinion as to 

 its merits or demerits ; but Methuen & Co., the 

 publishers, state that it is "a history of bees and 

 their masters from the eailiest times down to the 

 present. The wonderful communal life within 

 the hive is touched on in all its varying aspects, 

 and the reader is introduced to a class of men 



from all ages, as quaintly original as their call- 

 ing is inimitably picturesque. The book cov- 

 ers the whole field of ascertained facts in the nat- 

 ural history of the bee, as well as the romance of 

 beemanship, past and present ; and nothing bet- 

 ter could be put in the hands of the beginner in 

 apiculture, as well as those of the advanced stu- 

 dent of what is probably the oldest human occu- 

 pation under the sun." 



NOTES FROM CANADA 



By R. F. HOLTERMANN. 



Messrs. John Newton, Thamesford, Ont. ; D. 

 Chalmers, Musselburg, Ont., and Homer Burk, 

 Highland Creek, Ont, have been appointed in- 

 spectors in Ontario in addition to the list recent- 

 ly given in Gleanings. 

 ♦ 



THE EFFECT OF STORES IN THE HIVE UPON THE 

 ENERGY OF THE BEES. 



Perhaps it is not going too far to assert that, if 

 the bees have not much stores in the hive, they 

 are less active in gathering honey (I certainly be- 

 lieve they are less inclined to rear brood); but it 

 is a new thought to me that the amount of stores 

 in the hive would have any influence on the hon- 

 ey-gathering disposition of the bees. According 

 to that, the disposition of a colony to gather 

 honey would be reduced to a minimum. 



BUCKWHEAT-GROWING. 



On p. 958 Mr. W. K. Morrison says, " Prob- 

 ably few bee-keepers are aware that there has 

 been a serious decline in the production of buck- 

 wheat as a farm crop in America. " This state- 

 ment is followed by facts and figures. Probably 

 that is why the prices obtained in Canada for 

 buckwheat are so much higher in recent years, 

 and it may be for this reason that the acreage in 

 Ontario, at least, is on the increase. German 

 buyers are anxious to buy buckwheat grain in 

 Canada. 



♦ 



SHADE FOR BEES. 



In Stray Straws for Aug. 1, Dr. Miller writes, 

 " When I look back I see the very best results 

 from bees under apple-tree shade." That is cer- 

 tainly my experience. I like to have trees in an 

 orchard. I like to have the bees shaded during 

 the heat of the day, and I believe such shade has 

 a cooling effect, even beyond the actual area of 

 shade. Of course, I prefer a tree which breaks 

 into leaf late in the spring, and I want light 

 enough under the trees to produce healthy vege- 

 tation. 



VENTILATION TO REPRESS SWARMING. 



The question of ventilation in the supers by 

 other means than at the entrance of the hive has 

 been discussed. I have a X-'^ch by 5-inch open- 

 ing for ventilation in three-fourths of my ex- 

 tracting-supers, which can be closed by means of 

 a slide. I find the ventilation given in this way 

 is a great comfort to the bees during hot weath- 

 er. During the time the bees are gathering sur- 

 plus honey there is no great difficulty in keeping 



