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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15 



SIFTINGS. 



By J. E. Crane 



I am much interested in the editor's experiment 

 of wintering bees in a warm room, page 1489, 

 Dec. 15. 1 hope we may get some new facts on 

 the philosophy of wintering. 



Mr. Scholl is quite right in calling attention to 

 the care needed in shipping honey. We may 

 all be sure that the loss from breakage eventually 

 comes out of the bee-keeper's pocket. 

 4?- 



Mr. Morrison gives us a short and interesting 

 article on sweet clover, p. 1430. I wonder if it 

 wouldn't be a good thing for bee-keepers all over 

 the country to get the local papers to copy it. 



Mr. Waggoner's hints on selling honey, page 

 1486, near home, are well worth our attention. 

 The value of a neat nairow showcase to set in a 

 window or on a counter is worth our attention. 

 It is much better, to my mind, than a large ship- 

 ping-case. 



4>- 



I believe Mr. Louis H. Scholl beats the record 

 in takirg off super honey, p. 1493. This is one 

 of the best arguments I liave heard in favor of 

 shallow super-frames; but isn't it often very in- 

 convenient not to iiave the super and brood- 

 frames of the same size.? 



On p. 1424, Dec. 1, the editor says it is a good 

 time to unite when putting colonies in a cellar. 

 Any time in the fall after the weather is cold 

 enough so the bees cluster close together, I have 

 found that they may be united without difficulty 

 by simply shaking them together. 



Prof. Bigelow calls attention, among other 

 things, to the fact that bees gather but one kind 

 of pollen on a foraging expedition, p. 1497, Dec. 

 15. This is true as a rule, but, I believe, not al- 

 ways. I have actually seen a bee fly from the 

 flower of one species of plant to another of an en- 

 tirely different species. 



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I do not often call attention to the Home de- 

 partment of A. I. Root; but it seems to me that 

 any one who reads this in the Dec. 1st number, 

 and his pulse is not quickened, and his aspirations 

 for a nobler life strengthened, is greatly to be 

 pitied. The news in the temperance column is 

 well worth a year's subscription to Gleanings. 

 These are great times in which we are living. 

 4>- 



On p. 1423, Dec. 1, Dr. Miller says: " In ac- 

 tual practice I let a queen live as long as she does 

 good work. Not often do my bees allow a queen 

 to live after that." Good bees! Mine are not so 

 skillful in superseding. Last spring I had a good 

 many colonies that were among my best and 

 strongest in bees and brood. Early in May their 

 queens began to fail; and before new queens 

 were laying they were so reduced that they gave 

 me one less super of honey than other colonies 

 whose queens retained their vitality. 



Dr. Miller objects, p. 1488, Dec. 15, to drone 

 comb in supers, and he is right. The less drone 

 comb in a hive, above or below, the better. My 

 experience is that it is a nuisance everywhere ex- 

 cept a very little in the brood-nest, and for mak- 

 ing beeswax. It is better for this last purpose 

 than worker comb by far. 



Mention is made, p. 1488, Dec. 15, of old hon- 

 ey being better than new, but it was kept up in 

 the garret. A garret, or some other dry room, 

 is the place to keep honey; and if it is left under 

 some low roof, all the better. Under a loof is 

 best. One of my neighbors, when prices were 

 low, kept a large crop of honey over until the 

 next year, and sold it at a much better price. 

 His honey-room was under a roof where it was 

 very hot through the summer. 



On p. 1514 A. I. Root has seemed to get down 

 to pretty near the bottom of things that a live 

 bee-keeper is interested in. It would take a good 

 deal of room to tell all I have suffered from 

 cramped feet in the years gone by. But within 

 a few years I have been able to buy shoes that 

 give me perfect freedom, and I can not tell how 

 much pleasure they have given me. I would not 

 go back to the old style for any amount^of mon- 

 ey, it seems to me. 



How TO PUT ON SUPERS. 



Commencing on page 1441 is an artida by Dr. 

 Miller on putting comb-honey supers on hives, 

 and it would be well for all bee-keepers to study 

 it careful'y. A great amount of honey is lost in 

 not giving enough room early in the season. I 

 have found of late years that a strong colony, 

 when honey is abundant, will fill two supers al- 

 most as soon as one. The old theory, that the 

 first super should be two-thirds full and partly 

 sealed before a second one is given, is exploded. 

 Doolittle's advice to get as many sections as pos- 

 sible started early in the season.is sour.d. 

 ■4p- 

 double-tier shipping-cases. 



Wesley Foster makes some rather novel state- 

 ments, page 1312, Nov. 1, in regard to the value 

 of double-tier shipping-cases. I supposed that 

 subject was setiled long ago in favor of single- 

 tier cases; but he informs us that several carloads 

 of honey did not sell readily because in single-tier 

 cases. How little we downeasters know about 

 the great big world out west! He says the only 

 objection to double-tier cases is that broken hon- 

 ey will leak on the section below, and proceeds 

 to brush away this objection by saying that 

 " broken or leaky honey should not be cased for 

 shipment, anyway." I wonder if friend Foster 

 thinks those who oppose double-tier cases are in 

 the habit of putting up leaky and broken honey. 

 I wonder if he has ever heard of any comb honey 

 broken on its way to market. I heard of several 

 tons the other day. I will admit, however, that 

 such is not usually the case. I believe that, as a 

 rule, it reaches the wholesale dealer in fairly good 

 shape; but when he ships again to the retail deal- 

 er, unless special care is taken it is quite likely to 

 get broken, and then it is a mess. I had no idea, 

 until within a few years, how much is broken 

 before it reaches the consumer. 



