238 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 15. 



SOFTENING FOUNDATION. 



On page 22 you say, "Soften old foundation 

 by putting it in warm water." I soften mine 

 by letting it lie in the sun a little while, but not 

 long ejiough to melt. 



I think Zed Smith struck it about right (page 

 19) in regard to ripening and keeping honey. I 

 had some stored in a room over the kitchen, 

 where there was a fire nearly every day the 

 year through, and it was in good condition aft- 

 er being stored 2K years. Super Lifter. 



Columbus, Wis., Feb. 10. 



NARROW sections; why they are used. 



Some of my neighboring bee-keepers are us- 

 ing sections holding about ^u lb., and their hon- 

 ey was the best I have ever seen, being much 

 ahead of that on exhibition at the fair. Does 

 size of section make any difference in looks? 



Camillus, N. Y., Feb. .">. M. Wheaton. 



[No; but they fill quicker, and. in a poor sea- 

 son, you can get full sections of the narrow 

 sort where perhaps you could not with the 

 standard widths. The former have the prefer- 

 ence in Canada, and are gaining favor on this 

 side.— Ed.] 



artificial honey from beet sugar. 



At a bee-keepers' convention held in Gorlitz, 

 Prussian Silesia, attention was called to a new 

 use of sugar. In the sugar-refinery of Lange- 

 liitje Bros., in Kulm, on the Elbe, real honey 

 was so closely imitated that even a chemical 

 analysis could scarcely show the difference. 

 Even the same crystallization is noticed in the 

 artificial product as in the best natural honey. 

 This artificial stuff will sell at about 18 cts. per 

 214 lbs., and hence threatens to become a for- 

 midable competitor to genuine honey. 



Medina, O., Feb. 16. Karl R. Mathey. 



[It seems that the same idea has broken loose 

 in Germany that we have to contend within 

 this country. We sincerely hope and believe it 

 will never "' become a formidable rival " of real 

 floral honey in either country. We have 

 enough to fight against in glucose.— Ed.] 



swarming and the SUNDAY QUESTION. 



On page 99 we see an article headed " Hiving 

 Bees on Sunday." I will give my plan, but it 

 may be diiferent in other localities. I have 

 never missed a service at church by watching 

 for bees to swarm, and I do not think L have 

 ever lost a swarm. The swarms that come out 

 before time to go to church I hive, and leave 

 the rest until I return. I have never known a 

 swarm to come off without settling. As we are 

 never absent more than three hours on Sunday, 

 we are not likely to lose any thing. Sometimes 

 two swarms go together, but nothing is lost by 

 that. Brethren, by all means go to church. 



Tipton Station, Tenn. A. C. Spence. 



[Swarms will usually remain two or three 

 hours before "lighting out," but not always. 

 It is possible you lose a few swarms and do not 

 know it. Again, in rare instances swarms will 

 abscond without alighting beforehand on some 

 ■ tree or shrub.— Ed.] 





36"Pages7v:10 

 0.0 PER YEAPj 



His deligrht is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he 

 meditate day and night.— Psalm 1: 2. 



The Progressive JBee-Treeper is packed full of 

 information useful to bee-keepers. Every issue 

 shows a progressive spirit. 



We are obliged to leave out a good deal of 

 matter from this issue, now standing in type. 

 It will have to be held over till our next. By 

 the way. Bro. Leahy, of the Progressive Bee- 

 keeper, finds the same condition of things in his 

 office. This must indicate prosperity. 



We call particular attention to the articles 

 by Prof. Cook and Hon. J. M. Hambaugh, in 

 another column. Let every bee-keeper who 

 has an eye to bread and butter that he may get 

 out of the production of honest honey, petition 

 his senators and representatives at once. 



We are now working on the 62d thousand of 

 our A B C of Bee Culture. We fear that the 

 previous edition will be exhausted before we 

 have the new one completed. The new edition, 

 like every previous one, is receiving some large 

 additions and revisions — so rapid, indeed, is the 

 progress of our industry. 



The policy of i\\Q American Bee Journal and 

 Gleanings, in strongly condemning Mr. Hed- 

 don's position on the question of glucose, is 

 warmly indorsed by a number of writers in the 

 first-mentioned journal. Our own collection, if 

 we were to publish the w hole list giving similar 

 indorsements, would be a long one. 



Bho. Hutchinson, editor of the Bee-keepers' 

 Revieiv, has written a very interesting article 

 on "The Largest House-apiary in the World." 

 It was written for the American Agriculturist, 

 and is accompanied by half-tone engravings 

 showing exterior and interior views. The 

 building is owned by H. P. Langdon, of East 

 Constable, N. Y., of non-swarming fame. 



In the Aitierican Bee Journal for March 1. 

 under Queries and Replies the question is ask- 

 ed, of a score or more of bee-keepers who an- 

 swer the questions in that department, what 

 race of bees they prefer. Nineteen out of 26 

 vote for the Italians; 1, Italians crossed with 

 German bees; 2, Italians crossed with Carnio- 

 lans; 1, the Syrio-albino; and 2 the Carniolans. 

 It is remarkable how the Italians seem to hold 

 the preference among prominent bee-keepers. 

 There was a time when the Holy-Lands, the 

 Syrians, and Cyprians, were preferred by a large 

 number of bee-keepers. These, with the excep- 

 tion of a cross of the Syrians, are utterly ignor- 



