1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



423 



the other way. Moreover, after each wipe, the 

 dirt adhering to the lump must bo kneaded into 

 the mass so as to present a new surface to the 

 work. The lump can be used until it becomes 

 quite dark with dirt. Last night I cleaned a 

 room l:.' x 14, ceiling and all, with but four good 

 handfuls, and in about an hour and a half. 

 This same paper had been cleaned three times 

 before, and to all appearances it can be cleaned 

 several times more. The possession of the above 

 has been a source of comfort and saving to us, 

 and we hope it will be tried by others. 

 Cleveland. O. R. V. Murray. 



IN FAVOR OF THE TEN-FRAME HIVE. 



Brother Koot;— To-day I made a visit to my 

 Bronson apiary, numbering 10.5 colonies, and 

 found them in splendid condition. I always 

 ■winter this apiary outdoors in Root's old-style 

 two-story chatf hives, with uniform success; 

 and if you will promise not to let Uro. Miller 

 and those other "fellers " pitch into me I will 

 tell you why. 



A few years ago I thought these hives too 

 large to s'cure the best results in producing 

 comb honey, and I reduced the size of the 

 most of them from 10 to 7 frames by ihe use of 

 dummies. Each year thereafter I noticed that 

 the hives in which the dummies were not used 

 wintered the best, were the strongest in the 

 spring, and gave the best results. Why? Be- 

 cause the colonies in such hives had an abun- 

 dance of honey, and never required feeding. 

 My experience for 20 years teaches me that the 

 less bees are tampei'ed with from Nov. 1st to 

 May 1st, the belter will be their condition; and 

 I seldom visit my out-apiary between those two 

 dates. 



Last winter I lost only two colonies out of 107, 

 and they were queenless, and probably had 

 been so tor some time before they went into 

 winter quarters. Such experience conclusively 

 proves to my mind that the 10-frame hive will, 

 on the average, produce the best results. 



If you wish I will tell my method of operat- 

 ing in producing comb honey, and how I pro- 

 duced 4 tons from 120 colonies last year. 



Norwalk, O., May 4. S. F. Newman. 



NOT MARKING QUEEN-CAGES. 



I think it would be well for you to warn 

 your advertisers not to send out queen bees 

 without marking their names on the cages. 

 Last fall I received two warranted queens in 

 the same mail from different parties, and no 

 Tiiaik to distinguish them. Had either proved 

 mismated it is probable that injustice would 

 have been done and hard feelings caused. 

 Again, this spring, among other orders, I order- 

 ed, a week apart, a warranted queen for a 

 neighbor and a select tested queen for myself. 

 A queen arrived without any mark on the cage; 

 so. judging from the time since ordering, I 

 pas.'-ed the queen to my iieigiibor as the war- 



ranted one; and now, a weok later, comes a 

 queen with the sender's name, which proves to 

 be the warranted one, which I have had to take 

 or run the risk of changing queens again. Had 

 this warranted queen proved mismated, and 

 the cage not been marked, I should have been 

 apt to think that the party I bought the select 

 tested queen from had cheated me; and if I 

 had claimed another queen from them they 

 would think likewise of me. R. F. Ritchie. 

 Rum ford, Va., April 28. 



THAT VANII.I.A-FI.AVOR TASTE IN SWEET- 

 CLOVER HONEY. 



I saw a query in Stray Straws of March 1.5th 

 as to where or how bees got vanilla flavoring 

 in honey. I think they get it from sweet clover. 

 If you will put a couple of seeds in your mouth, 

 and chev/ them, you will find they have a strong 

 vanilla flavor. Here in this section of Colorado, 

 where we raise so much alfalfa, sweet clover is 

 voted a nuisance; yet it grows wild along the 

 ditches, and the bees work on it. 



Timnath, Col., April 10. Abram Elliott. 



[No doubt you are right as to the source of 

 this vanilla flavor.— Ed.] 



MAPLE SUGAR, ETC.; SOMETHING FROM BERT 

 COOK, SON OF FROF. COOK. 



I am glad to see father again writing for 

 Gleanings. From all I hear, I think that he 

 enjoys his California home very much. 



I see your remarks about the maple-sugar 

 product in Ohio, and you can include Michigan 

 right in. We almost always make 2.50 gallons 

 of A 1, but this year only 115 gallons, and about 

 100 of it is rank. Too bad. Uncle's bees are 

 in fine shape, and we have 15 acres of alsike 

 clover that will bloom for them this year, so we 

 expect quite a flow from that. 



Owasso, Mich., April 21. Bert Cook. 



[We are very glad also, friend Bert, to see 

 your father's communications in our columns; 

 but we are sorry to hear the unfavorable report 

 in regard to maple sugar and syrup in Michi- 

 gan as well as Ohio. But it only seems to em- 

 phasize the fact that all industries— especially 

 rural industries— are uncertain.— Ed.] 



GOOD FOR SEALED COVERS. 



My bees had a good flight March 4 and 5. 

 Out of .55 colonies, 51 were alive, and all seemed 

 strong; 45 had sealed covers. Among the dead 

 ones, two colonies had sealed covers and two 

 had on Hill's device. E. U. Parshall. 



Coopersiown, N. Y. 



[Is there any question upon which there are 

 any more diametrically opposite experiences 

 than upon this sealed-cover idea for wintering? 

 At one time last year there would be a batch of 

 reports praising the sealed top, and at another 

 time, for the same winter, there would be as 

 many or more declaring the sealed cover a 

 fraud and a mistake. We shall advocate, how- 

 ever, absorbing cusiiions, because tliey have 

 done well by us. Bui the sealed covers gave 

 us a black eye that we haven't forgot, and 

 won't for a while.— Ed ] 



