796 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



there was a rank sage growth, though not so 

 numerous a growth of shoots as in the more 

 favorable seasons. It does not seem reasonable 

 that a plant could make a thrifty six-foot 

 growth and yet fail in furnishing a most minute 

 drop of nectar. Last season the honey, when 

 first gathered, was thick ; this season, thin 

 and watery, showing that there was moisture, 

 at least; and a grain of honey could be dipped 

 from white sage, by hand, in less than an hour. 

 Florence, Cal. 



[The article by Mr. Dayton is exceedingly 

 well and carefully written. I would empha- 

 size especially the point he makes regarding 

 the desirability of the right size of brood-nest 

 for the kind of season. He shows very plainly 

 that too large a brood-nest for some seasons is 

 a waste; for he says that " this year, colonies 

 which attained a rousing strength in large 

 hives were too late for the harvest;" and fur- 

 ther he says, "Too large or too small a hive 

 would decrease the yield by increasing the 

 brood or failing to put a new force of workers 

 on the stage of action as rapidly as the old 

 ones went off."" Therefore we must consider 

 the fact that localities vary, and seasons also 

 vary in those localites. Of course, the advo- 

 cates of large hives will claim that their hives 

 can be reduced, (xranted; but there is a lot of 

 extra wood and extra weight, extra cover, di- 

 vision-board, and what not. that iiiiist be han- 

 dled with this small colony. Now. it seems to 

 me that eight frames is as small as most bee- 

 keepers care to have a brood-nest; and twice 

 eight frames, or one on top of the other, is as 

 large as unusual seasons or unusual localities 

 will require for brooding. Then there is the 

 attendant advantage of handling a small hive 

 when only a medium-sized colony Is wanted. — 

 Ed.] 



AVERAGING A BARREL OF HONEY PER 

 COLONY. 



SOME TREMENDOUS YIELDS FROM THE STATE 

 OF FLORIDA. 



Bii A. F. Brown. 



Friend Root: — In compliance with your re- 

 (juest I herewith hand you my report for the 

 past spring and summer. 



My total crop is a trifle over :.'() tons, from 193 

 colonies in yard. Of this 26 tons, 4}o was comb 

 honey, principally in l.'.'-oz. sections. Five tons 

 of this crop was "orauge" honey, secured at 

 Glenwood, Fla., during March; the remainder, 

 21 tons, from palmetto and mangrove, secured 

 by moving the apiary :>0 miles to the eas-t coast, 

 upon what is known as the "Mosquito Inlet'" 

 belt of black mangrove. This belt of mangrove 

 represents an area of country about three by 

 fifteen miles in extent, and there were about 

 2000 colonies upon the range this year, the total 

 crop being not far fi'om 150 tons. 



A few of the heaviest yields are: Harry 

 Mitchell, of Hawk's Park, ,56 colonies. .52 bbls. — 

 an average of 380 lbs. per colony; W. S. Hart, 

 of Hawk's Park, 116 colonies, 344 lbs. per colony; 

 John Olson, New Smyrna, 38 colonies, 25 bbls. — 

 about 275 lbs. per colony; Mrs. E. A. Marsh, of 

 Oak Hill, 98 colonies, 305 lbs. per colony; T. M. 



Adams, Oak Hill, 70 colonies, 340 lbs. per colony;- 

 E. O. Clinton, Oak Hill, 80 colonies, 40 bbls.— 

 550 lbs. each; about 275 lbs. per colony; Johr» 

 Y. Detwiler, New Smyrna, 13 colonies, 200 gal- 

 lons, and heavy increase (in justice to Mr. Det- 

 wiler I should add that his colonies were hardly-^ 

 more than mere nuclei at the commencement 

 of the season); E. M. Storer, Hawk's Park, 275^ 

 colonies, 90 bbls., and about 2000 lbs. of comb- 

 honey; John Abbott, Eldora, 2i) colonies, 10- 

 bbls.; J. P. Turner, Eldora, 17 colonies, 2}4 

 bbls., and increase to .50. Messrs. O. O. Popple- 

 ton, R. S. Sheldon, S. A. Galbreath, and many 

 others, secured good crops; but I have not the- 

 exact figures to give in this. 



The apiaries in reach of both palmetto and 

 mangrove are the ones which gave the biggest 

 yields; but those in reach of only one source- 

 did well for that, but do not count in the ag- 

 gregates. Again, some men use only a two- 

 story eight-frame hive, whereas others used- 

 three-story ten-frame hives ; still others, the- 

 " Long-idea " hive. 



Some allowed their honey to remain upon the 

 hive until all sealed and thoroughly ripened by 

 the bees, while others ran their extractor 

 twice a week, and harvested " sweetened' 

 water " instead of good No. 1 honey. This is 

 very noticeable with those who secured the 

 "big" yields. 



Again, some extracted so close that their bees 

 will regain a good share of it back before they 

 will meet with any more coming in. Others 

 left 50, 75, or 100 lbs. in their hives. All these 

 items figure in. and materially change the 

 face of many of the yields. 



Summed up as a whole, I think 200 lbs. per 

 colony, and ample stores left within the hive, to- 

 be about correct for average good colonies. I 

 have no record of the largest yield of extracted 

 from one single colony; but I had several col- 

 onies that gave me from 290 to 312 lbs. per col- 

 ony, of comb honey in 12-oz. sections. Mr. E. 

 M. Store and myself are the only ones who- 

 worked for any comb honey. All others ran 

 for extracted. 



I might add, that I used a two-story eight- 

 frame hive, my frames being the original 

 Hoft'man, as invented and used by Julius HoflF- 

 man. I used no division-boards; the inside 

 width of my hives being 11,^ in., frames are I^h 

 in. spacing. Propolis does not interfere with 

 rapid work; on the contrary, it is quite valu- 

 able when migration is followed. 



With honey oft' the hives, and in the extract- 

 ing-room, I have, with one assistant to help, un- 

 capped and extracted five 45-gallon barrels in 

 4>.2 hours, using one of your two-frame Cowan 

 extractors. All my honey remains upon the 

 hive until sealed. I use two Bingham knives, 

 heated, for uncapping. 



This is my third year following migration, 

 and my sixteenth move, covering distances- 

 from 5 to 300 miles, with from 100 to 300 colo^ 



