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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Death of Walter M. Parrish 



Walter M. Parrish, a well-known beekeeper and 

 queen-breeder of Lawrence, Kansas, died July 18 

 at San Bernardino, Cal., where he had gone some 

 months previously because of failing health. Mr. 

 Parrish was an enthusiastic beekeeper, and was 

 exceedingly well posted upon the subject of which 

 he was a student almost from childhood. He 

 will be remembered as having contributed a num- 

 ber of articles to the bee journals. He also lectured 

 at various times before the bee and horticultural 

 societies of his native State. Not only was Mr. 

 Parrish a beekeeper, but he was an ardent lover 

 of nature in every form. He was a young man 

 possessed of a strong character and a kind and 

 lovable nature. His loss to the community and 

 the beekeeping fraternity will long be felt. 



Monrovia, Cal., Aug. 19. Levi J. Ray. 



Growing Sweet Clover on Wheat Ground 



Last fall I prepared 14 acres for wheat, and 

 in December sowed nearly five bushels of white- 

 sweet-clover seed on the field ; but it was not en- 

 tirely a success. However, I will have another 

 14 acres of wheat ground sown to white-sweet- 

 clover (in the hull) this fall. 



To begin with, the soil must be good. Here is 

 my plan: We have 14 acres of good fallow 

 ground plowed and harrowed nicely. Two tons 

 per acre of raw ground limestone have been ap- 

 plied since the ground was plowed. Next we will 

 apply 250 lbs. of acid phosphate per acre. The 

 wheat will be drilled at the regular time, and five 

 bushels of white-sweet-clover seed will be sown 

 just before winter. We cut our sweet-clover for 

 hay the second year of its growth. The after- 

 math, or second growth, is to be turned under for 

 potatoes the year following. We gather the seed 

 in the fall when most of it is ripe, and spread 

 it out on the barn floor, and stir every day or two; 

 then it will not heat, but grow finely. 



We clip our sweet clover the first year in July 

 or August to destroy weeds ; but if it is clipped 

 twice the first season it seems to be injured. If 

 there are but few weeds it should not be clipped 

 at all. 



Lakeville, Ind. C. A. Bunch. 



Uniting a Laying-worker Colony with the One that 

 Stands Nearest to it 



Having just read the article on laying workers, 

 page 523, Aug. 15, I wish to say that, in my opin- 

 ion, there is little use in trying to save the colony in 

 the same hive. My method is to unite the laying- 

 worker colony with the nearest colony after smok- 

 ing both of them so that the bees fill up with honey. 

 I leave entirely vacant for a week the stand for- 

 merly occupied by the laying-worker hive. 



Like Dr. Miller I think bees count as much in 

 one hive as in another ; but if I want a colony on 

 the vacant stand, after a week's time, I secure it 

 by taking frames of brood and young bees from 

 any source I see fit, letting them raise a young 

 queen of their own if I have no other to give them. 



I leave for 24 hours the laying-worker hive over 

 the hive it was united with, then drive all the bees 

 down into the lower hive with smoke, brushing off 

 the few that remain. After this I use the hive that 

 formerly contained the laying-worker colony any 

 place where it happens to be needed. 



Wesley L. Roberts. 



Four to Five Comb Honey Supers per Colony 



On my strong hives, that did not swarm, bees 

 are working on their fourth and fifth comb-honey 

 supers, and the extracting colonies are three stories 

 high, with the two top stories ready for the bee- 

 escape. 



White and sweet clover and basswood seem to 

 have yielded tremendously during the latter part 

 of June and the greater part of July. I have 

 had supers of ten shallow extracting-frames, filled 

 from two-inch foundation-starters, in about eleven 

 days, as I kept close watch on the honey flow. 



Considering the fact that I am but an amateur, 

 and the first season that I have actually seen 

 a queen or even the inside of a hive, I took a 

 chance at an out-apiary which I can visit only 



after working hours, getting swarms on the treea 

 as late as dusk. I increased from 12 to 27 hives, 

 tliree of which gave third swarms which I hived 

 on eight-frame hives, as I was anxious for increase. 

 These are doing well. At the last inspection there 

 was brood in seven or eight frames. 



Timothy O'Donnell, Jr. 



Chicago, 111., Aug. 20. 



[This, is a good report for a beginner; but it 

 should be remembered that a small apiary in a com- 

 paratively isolated location will give a much larger 

 yield in proportion to the number of colonies than 

 a large apiary. — Ed.] 



Moving Bees in Hives that were About to Fall 

 Apart 



Last spring we moved some colonies in old- 

 fashioned hives that were so old they could hardly 

 be lifted without coming apart. In the evening, 

 when we loaded the colonies, we ripped open a 

 lot of burlap sacks, put about eight inches ol 

 straw in the wagon, and drove to the apiary. We 

 tied one sack over the top of the hive; then, 

 while one man lifted the hive up, two more tied 

 another sack around the under part. By being 

 careful in handling the hives we reached our des- 

 tination, a distance of about six miles, and lost 

 verv few bees. 



Cochranville, Pa. Floyd Minick. 



[It is our opinion that bees in these hives could 

 have been moved without the use of sacking by 

 giving them a liberal dose of smoke before loading 

 them on the wagon, then starting off on a brisk 

 trot. The jarring would have kept the bees good- 

 natured ; and if they were unloaded immediately 

 before recovering their colony spirit, there probably 

 would have been no trouble to man or horses. — 

 Ed.] 



Swarm Stopped by Smoke 



About a month ago I opened a colony of bees, 

 and they started to swarm. I gave them a good 

 smoking and they returned at once. Yesterday I 

 had a colony start to swarm, and I gave the bees 

 a good smoking and they returned. 



Dry Fork, W. Va., Aug. 22. E. C. Mersing. 



[As a general thing, when smoke is used liberal- 

 ly to drive back a swarm that is coming out it has 

 very little effect. We have tried it repeatedly; and 

 while it may check for a moment the onslaught 

 of bees coming out, they will recover themselves and 

 rush harder than ever. Your experience, we 

 should say, was quite unusual. The only way we 

 succeed in stopping such a swarm is to claj) u 

 wire-cloth cage right over the hive, and catch the 

 swarm in the top of the cage. — Ed.] 



Lizards Eating Bees 



The worst enemy that my bees have are the 

 lizards that lie under the hive and catch the 

 heavily laden bees that miss the alighting-board. 

 I have an extension board 5 V2 inches wide ; but 

 many bees miss it and fall to the ground, especially 

 on windy days. My hives are on stands a foot 

 above the ground because of ants, lizards, etc., 

 and also in order to provide ventilation under- 

 neath, for the sand is very hot during the sum- 

 mer months. I have found hens' eggs in which 

 the whites were cooked by the sun and hot sand. 

 There are a good many ants' nests under the hives 

 on the ground. About all I can do is to use a 

 22-caliber rifle to kill the lizards. 



Bishop, Cal. GEO. -.. Huntington. 



Nearly One Thousand Colonies in One Apiary 



I moved 700 colonies here. This is a mesquite 

 location. I secured 350 cases of honey, and in- 

 creased the apiary to 985 colonies. I now intend 

 to move back to Chandler for alfalfa. 



Chandler, Ariz. J. M. Herman. 



[So far as we know this is the largest apiary, 

 possibly, in the world. Mr. Alexander kept 750 

 colonies in one apiary on the average ; but here 

 is a case where, for a time at least, there were 

 neai-ly one thousand colonies. Can anybody beat 

 it? — Ed.] 



