1894 



GLEANiNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



->n 



A coRiJKSPONDKNT, referring to the tall ever- 

 greens around our apiary and tliat of Mr. 

 Boardman, asks what kind of evergreens ihey 

 are. Around our own apiary they are only the 

 ordinary Norway spruce. They are the hardi- 

 est and most vigorous growing of any of that 

 kind of trees in our locality, and perhaps for 

 most localities in the North. 



TiiK very thing that we were afraid would 

 some time happen did hap{)en in our last issue. 

 A type puli< d up and planted itself lengthwise 

 over the face of the half-tone engraving on 

 page 4.').>, and went through the press. The re- 

 sult was an oblong white spot on the face of 

 the picture. We mention it here so our readers 

 may know that it was not an original blemish 

 in the engraving. 



W Z. Hutchinson takes the ground, and 

 very correctly, that bees ought not to be sent 

 by the pound, without brood; that bees and 

 brood are like man and wife— they ought not to 

 be separated. We have long since abandoned 

 the selling of bees by the pound, for the very 

 reason we had so many losses during shipment; 

 and now when we send them on brood they in- 

 variably go through in good order. 



"Obsekver," in Progressive, hints that the 

 *' whole Heddon business was a put-up job." 

 We wonder whether Observer would say this 

 under his real name, Attacks from a writer 

 under a noni de plume are like stones thrown 

 by a man from behind a tree. Well, referring 

 to the "put-up job," all we have to say is, 

 that if Observer, or aiuj one else, wW] call at 

 our office we can furni>ii him plenty of proof 

 that it was not. We might say a great many 

 more ihings than we have said; but we forbear 

 saying more. 



PROSPECTS. 



We have been receiving reports saying that 

 bees were starving; others that honey is just 

 coming in. In all probability this warm spell 

 of weather had not begun to take effi-ct in lo- 

 calities of those first mentioned, and we are in 

 hopes that even they are beginning to find now 

 that honey is not only beginning to come, but 

 coming with a rush. No doubt the cause of 

 the bees starving was due largely if not alto- 

 gether to the spi'll of cold weather that pre- 

 vailed thioughout thi' North, iit least, a week 

 or ten days ago. In our own h cality we were 

 threatened alnio-^t every night with frost and 

 we did have it in two or three instances. Dur- 

 ing the day it was so cold and rainy that the 

 bees were not evc^n able to fly, and hence it is 

 that reports bi'gan to come in showing that 

 bees were starving. Our bees have been work- 

 ing on clover for three or four days, and tlie 

 appearance of the ba^swood- blossoms, not yet 

 opened, gives a good promise of honey from 

 them. 



STATISTICS. 



We have just received the following statis- 

 tical report from the Secretary of the Illinois 

 State Bee-keepers' Association. We have as 

 yet prepared no statistics, but the following 

 will answer for the present. " a" refers to the 

 number of colonies; *'b"to the prospects of a 

 crop; "c" to the amount of surplus, and "d" 

 to the grade or quality. 



A. B. Anthonv. CoIet;i 111. a. 26; ti. verv crood; c. none now. 



F. X. Arnold, Oii'v Pliiiii PI. a ft; h. ' ery i^ood for spring 

 (■vp: c none hits in a starving condition. 



T R Allen, Slirrup Glove, 111. a. .'i2; b. very poor — no white 

 clover; c. none. 



J. Bertram, Bristol. 111. a. 12, hives crowded; b. poor; white 

 clover injured by drouth; c. none 



M. Bevier. Bradford, III. a. 4"; I). t>ood ; c. none. 



S N Black. Cloyton, 111. a. 30; b pour— no white clover; c. 

 nosnrplns. 



F. Bleeka Elp-in. Ill a. 18: b. good — hope; c. bees working 

 In actions; ri. No. 1. 



P Blunier, R'.anoke. 111. a. ."il in Rood condition; b not good 

 —white clover thin; c. no surplus, but some in brood-nest; d. 

 good. 



D. A. Cadwallader. Prairie du Rocher. Ill a. 22; b. good at 

 date-white clover a^nndant: c. none yet— bees swarming. 



Dadant & Son. Hamilton. 111. n. S-V); b. pro ; c. none. 



P Dahl. Granville, III. a. IS8; b. fair; c. no surplus; d. some 

 honey dew 



D. B. Robbins. PTv.son. HI. a .SO: b. very poor- no white clo- 

 ver; c. enough to keep brood-rea: ing brisk; d. honeydew al- 

 most entirel.v. 



P. J. Enirla'nd Fan"v Prair'e 111 a. 26; h good; c. none yet. 



J. D. Everett. Oak Park 111 a. U; h. very i?ood : c. can't tell. 



J. W. Finch. Jr. Springfield, 111. a.lS; b. very poor— no white 

 clover; c. not an^' 



E.T.Flanagan BeUeville 111. a. 27S;b onl.v fai- : c. none. 



J. A. Green, Ottawa 111. a. 118; b. fa r bees in tirst-rate con- 

 dition: e. no surplus; d. some honeydew. 



N S Hahn. Henderson 111. b. favorable if dry weather keeps 

 off; c. have examined far enough to know that pollen is plenti- 

 ful; d. don't know. 



J. M. Hambaugh, Spring 111. a. 120; b. very poor; c. no sur- 

 plus; d don't know. 



Rir. W. Hayek. Quiney. III. a. 74; not good — may be half a 

 crop of white clover: b. no surplus— bee- need it all; c. No. 2. 



L. H.vbnrger. Leaf River. III. a. 70; b. fair— white clover cut 

 short bv last fall's drouth; c. enough to keep brood going. 



Wm Little, Marissa. HI. a. 60; b. not good — cold, and bees 

 starving; c. nine- clover badly injured by late frost. 



J. H. Martin. Bloomington. (}al. a. 170: h. prospects are that 

 there will be but little honey to ship from this part of the 

 state; c.bees have hardly made a living— are being fed in some 

 lo'':ilities: d not much io grade. 



Dr. C. C. Miller Marengo, 111. a. 201; b. excellent; c. what 

 are vou talking about? 



A. Phelps SoringHeld. 111. a. 30; b.fair: c. can't say; d. No.l. 



Jas. Poindevter. Blo'inington. 111. a, l.")fi— majority weak; b. 

 not good— • lo\er bailly killed: c. no surplus — an average for 

 brood-rearing; d. not tr"od I think, for time of year, and for 

 source from whirl) it wa" g.athered. 



G. F. Robbins. Mcchaiiicsburg. III. n. /S; b. very poor — clo- 

 ver all killed out last year; c one thimbleful from fruit-bloom. 



A. I. Root. Medina. O a. 1.50; b. good; c. probably 10 lbs. per 

 colony; d. good ipialit.v. 



J. Q Smith. L'ncoln 111. a. 62; b. not any so far — no clover 

 in sight: c none. 



F. A. Snell.Milledgeville Til a. 110; h fair; c. a liberal quan- 

 titv for hroo ' reaiing: d none -tori d to date. 



P. E. Vande'ibu'g .lerseyvil e. III. a 40; b. very poor— have 

 neirlv stopped breeding: c. haven't a sealed cell* 



W. M VanMeter Eia.Tex. a 4; h. irood: c. .iO: d ex eMent. 



E. Wbittlese.v Pecatonica, 111. a. 6.5; b. fair— white clover In- 

 jured by drouth; c. nune. 



Jas. a. Stone, Sec. 



At the close of the honey-harvest we will 

 prepare such statistics for the whole United 

 States, the same as we have done in former 

 times. 



GAIA'ANIZED UTENSIT.S FOR HONEY. AGAIN ; A 

 STATEMENT FROM PROF. SPENCER. 



0\ page 4(14 it will be noted that Mr. Elias 

 Fox stated he had been in the habit of having 

 his honey stored in a galvanized vessel, and 

 that he had never d<'tecied any injury to the 

 honey. At the lime, he sent us a sample of 

 honey that had been melted in this galvanized 

 pan three times: and in our footnote following 

 we statf d that w(' had forwarded this sample 

 to the Chief Chemist, at Washingion. The 

 nature of our let icr lo the chemist will be plain 

 from the reply fnllowiiig. which we take pleas- 

 ure in submitting to our read( r^: 



