GLEANINGS IX BEE CULTURE 



can ship a higher or lower priced qi;een 

 than was called for will meet with a ready 

 response from the customer; but the main 

 point is, he wants to know Avhat to depend 

 on, and he has a right to know. Mr. Tan- 

 ton, in the article above, has given the 

 reason ichy better than we can do it. 



In a word, a queen-breeder should either 

 fill the order promptly or send a card of 

 explanation, telling when he can send. If 

 a customer can not wait, he can cancel the 

 order, and at the same time send elsewhere. 



Perhai:s in what we have said we may 

 be throwing stones at our own glass house 

 as well as that of the other fellow; but 

 if so we will take the consequences. — Ed.] 



MOVING TWO CARLOADS OF BEES OVER A 

 THOUSAND MILES 



BY K. F. HOLTERilAXN 



Years of experience in moving bees to 

 buckAvheat as well as to favorable clover 

 pastures and into winter quai'ters has given 

 me a good deal of dearly bought informa- 

 tion ; but I have sometimes asked myself, 

 "Is it worth while?" My friends some- 

 times say that I take the matter of moving 

 bees too seriously ; but my reply has always 

 been that the only one who should under- 

 take such work is one who looks upon this 

 branch of beekeeping in a serious manner. 

 Such a one must be willing to guard every 

 point and make sure that every thing is 

 right. 



Last year I jmrchased a carload of bees 

 in Michigan and brought them home with 

 entire success. From past experience I 

 have learned that there is a great differ- 

 ence between cars. For instance, some 

 have that portion above the floor loose, so 

 that it sways from side to side. Others 

 have weak or uneven springs, so that while 

 traveling tliey bump up and doAvn contin- 

 ually, and, of course, disturb the bees un- 

 necessarily. 



On this trip I found that, in routing a 

 car, the interests of the railway company 

 and my own may not be the same. On this 

 occasion, after about twenty-four hours, I 

 was just about as far from Detroit as when 

 I started, only on another line. If I had 

 only known it, I could have gone by a 

 much more direct and rapid route. 



Early last winter I purchased a lot of 

 colonies in eight and ten frame Langstroth 

 hives from a beekeeper who lived in Mis- 

 souri. The severe drouth of last year had 

 practically desti'oyed all the clover in his 

 section, so that there was no prospect for 

 a surplus white-honey flow. 



Of several railway lines equally avail- 

 able we selected the one which had the rep- 

 utation of being officered by men who were 

 courteous, obliging, and desirous of con- 

 sidering their customers; namelj', the Chi- 

 cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; and our ex- 

 perience proved entirely satisfactory, as we 

 heard neither oaths nor unbecoming lan- 

 guage from any of the railroad officials. 

 In ordering the car I stii^ulated for one in 

 good condition, and I also specified the way 

 in Avhich it should be sent. I had a prom- 

 ise from the district traffic manager that, 

 if I Avould Avire him ahead of my aiTival, 

 he Avould see that the cars were picked up 

 at Chicago and sent on by the first through 

 freight from that point, so Ave had the 

 promise of fast freight service all through. 

 The distance to be traveled was about six 

 hundred miles to Chicago, and from that 

 point liome a little less than six hundred 

 miles more. As the through freight Avhich 

 Avas to take our bees left about 9 :00 P. M.^ 

 Ave had to do most of the loading the night 

 before, as I load only at night. This delay 

 of nearly tAventj'-four hours is quite a se- 

 rious matter in Avarm Aveather, when the 

 temperature is betAveen 80 and 90 degi'ees 

 in the shade. 



THE KIND OF HIVES WE HAD TO DEAL AVITH. 



In the lot of hives that Ave purchased, 

 there Avere eight and ten frame hives, sev- 

 eral odd-sized hives, and some box hives. 

 The bees Avere Italians, hybrids, and blacks. 

 Over about three-fifths of the colonies we 

 had a shalloAV super on top, half of Avliieh 

 Avas covered Avith Avire screen and the rest 

 with a thin board. Wire screen also cover- 

 ed the entrances. 



About one-third of the hives had a porti- 

 co fastened over the entrance, four inches 

 deep and the Avidth and height of the front 

 of the liive. This portico had a wooden 

 top and sideSj and a Avire-cloth front. 

 Then about half Avay betAveen the entrance 

 and the top of the hive there Avere tAvo air- 

 holes, 1^2 inches in diameter, in the front 

 Avail of the hive, for ventilation during 

 SAvarming time. These odd-sized hives, 

 and the box hives also, had a hole the same 

 size at the back, Avhich Ave made to enable 

 us to keep the hiA^es closed at the regular 

 entrances after Ave brought them from the 

 distant points in the country, the three 

 nights previous to loading. This hole in 

 the back Avas covered Avith wire screen the 

 night Ave loaded, and it gave considerable 

 air. The bees in hives so prejiared did the 

 best of all, but it may have been because 

 they Avere blacks. 



The box hives had a li2-iiic'h hole at the 

 top, coA'ered Avith wire screen, and the 



