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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



have issued if these had not been destroyed. 

 Both 1907 queens would have swarmed if they 

 had been let alone. Strange to say, the 1905 

 queen showed the least inclination to swarm of 

 the lot. Just once an egg was found in one queen- 

 cell. [Then you believe in the general principle 

 of killing queens every two years, notwithstand- 

 ing your "exceptions that prove the rule." — Ed.] 



C. P. Dadant reports a visit to the wizard, 

 Burbank, American Bee Journal, 300, and while 

 there saw a patch of sweel clover on which Bur- 

 bank was experimenting with a view to eliminate 

 the bitter taste, expecting to improve the forage 

 value of the plant. To secure red clover avail- 

 able for the use of our hive-bees, he advises care- 

 ful watching and saving of seed from heads on 

 which bees have actually been seen to remain 

 long enough to gather nectar. Watch thus sea- 

 son after season, successively sowing seed thus 

 saved, and "whenever blossoms are found upon 

 which bees succeed in harvesting nectar during 

 the first bloom, the problem will be practically 

 solved." 



With apologies to Mr. Burbank for the sug- 

 gestion, I would suggest a way that might hasten 

 the last part of the process on a large scale. In- 

 deed, it might do to start with this plan, and any 

 farmer could follow it up without watching the 

 bees. Harvest the first crop when any chance 

 seed-bearing heads are near maturity, but before 

 the plant is spoiled for hay, and in some way se- 

 cure what little seed matures. Bumble-bees be- 

 ing scarce during first bloom, the presumption 

 would be that at least part of the fertilizing was 

 done by hive-bees, consequently the corollas 

 would be short. Seed thus saved should give a 

 crop that would show a marked increase in the 

 amount of seed secured, and successive sowings 

 should in a very few years give a distinct strain 

 of plants with short corollas. The question arises 

 whether such a strain, aside from its value to the 

 bees, might not be desirable from the view-point 

 of a first-crop seeder. [If there is any man who 

 can solve this problem it is Burbank. His advice 

 is good. But we miy suggest that this is a matter 

 that only a keen enthusiast like Burbank can work 

 out; andif this person be given a backing of govern- 

 ment or State funds, all the better. Possibly our 

 experiment station will take this thing up later. 

 We know that something can be done in the 

 way of lengthening the tongues of bees, for some- 

 thing has been done; but, owing to our inability 

 to control mating. Nature has a tendency to re- 

 vert back to the old length, the standard tongue- 

 length, or rather, we should say, the standard 

 X.on^\x^-reach, which is about yVo o^ ^" inch. We 

 succeeded in developing a tongue-reach of about 

 xVij; but we could not increase this length nor 

 hold what we had already gained, because we 

 could not inbreed — that is, mate a long-tongued 

 queen with a long-tongued drone. If we could 

 control mating (and we shall be able to do it 

 some day), and if somebody else will reduce the 

 length of the red-clover corolla tubes (and w'e be- 

 lieve it will be accomplished some day), we shall 

 make available thousands of tons of nectar that 

 are now being wasted. Any one knows, who 

 has ever pulled out the corolla tubes of a head of 

 red clover at the proper season, that a large amount 

 of nectar is stored in each one of those tubes. 

 The honey is of good quality; and, while not 



quite equal to that from v^hite clover, it would 

 make a first-class table honey. 



We desire to lay this general problem before 

 Dr. E F. Phillips, of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 Washington, D. C. He already has his hands 

 full of other important work; but we suggest that 

 he put it on the docket for development at some 

 time in the future. — Ed.] 



Editorial 



By E. R. Root. 



CAUTION ABOUT SENDING SAMPLES OF HONEY 

 THROUGH THE MAILS. 



We receive a great many samples of extracted 

 honey through the mails from bee-keepers, and it 

 frequently happens that some of these are in bad 

 condition owing to improper packing. Persons 

 sending honey or other liquids through the mails 

 should be careful to use a package that will con- 

 form to the postal regulations; for it would be a 

 calamity to bee-keepers if honey were barred from 

 the mails on account of leaky packages damaging 

 other mail-matter. We copy the following from 

 the United States Official Postal Guide for July, 

 1908, article (2), (a) (b), page 124: 



(2) Articles of glass, liquids, oils, fatty substances, dry pow- 

 ders as well as live bees, are admitted lo the mails as " sam- 

 ples " provided ttiey are packed in the following manner: 



(<j) Articles of glass must be packed solidly in boxes of metal 

 or wood in a way to prevent all damage to other articles or the 

 employees. 



(i) Liquids, oils, and substances easily liquefiible, must be 

 inclosed in glass bottles hermetically sealed. Each bottle must 

 be placed in a wooden box filled with spongy material sufficient 

 to absorb the liquid in case the bottle should be broken. Final- 

 ly, the box itself must be inclosed in a case of metal or wood 

 with a screw top, or of strong and thick leather. If wodden 

 blocks perforated to contain several vials or wooden mailing- 

 cases are used, measuring at least one-tenth of an inch in the 

 thinnest part, lined with sufficient absorbing material, and fur. 

 nished with a lid, the box need not be inclosed in a second case 



In addition to the above we would add: Be 

 sure to write your name and address plainly on 

 the package, so that we may have no trouble in 

 identifying your sample. We receive many 

 samples with no name or address, and hence it is 

 impossible for us to tell who sent the sample. 



DOOLITTLE BOOK JUST FROM THE PRESS; HOW TO 

 CONTROL SWARMING. 



We have had quite a call for the publication 

 in book form of Doolittle's series of articles which 

 we published, entitled " A Year's Work in an 

 Out-apiary." This has now been issued from 

 the press; and in order that ail of our new readers, 

 as well as some of the older ones who desire to 

 refresh their memories, may have a copy, we are 

 offering it at a very low price in combination 

 with Gleanings; but the reader, in order to avail 

 himself of this price, must renew before his sub- 

 scription expires. During the long winter eve- 

 nings this book will furnish interesting and profit- 

 able reading. It deals particularly with the prob- 

 lem of control of swarming when running for 

 comb honey. Our edition is limited, and those 

 who desire to secure a copy of this work before 



