10' 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



came, so I went to the house and opened the pack- 

 age, when out tumbled Gleanings. On the wrap- 

 per the word, in large capitals, " Notice." Then 

 followed, in smaller lype, these words: " If we are 

 correct, your subscription expires with the present 

 month." (Just like Mr. Hoot; he did not want to 

 be too positive, although he felt quite sui-e.) Oh, 

 If all men would be as careful, what a world of 

 pleasure this would be! Then on the wrapper I 

 further read: "If you have found Gleanings so 

 far a good investment, we shall be pleased to con- 

 tinue your name on our list. As this is a question 

 that rests with you alone to decide, we can only 

 tender you our thanks for past patronage, and wish 

 you success in bee culture for the future, whether 

 your decision should favor ours or not." 



Now, how was I to decide such a case as that? In 

 my library and on my table is a copy of nearly all 

 the bee-journals published. I can not well afford to 

 take all of them, nor would it be good economy to 

 do so. Well, friend Root, I have not a word of dis- 

 paragement to say of any of these bee-journals; 

 but I find, as Gleanings has been coming regularly 

 for yeai-s, not one copy was missing or out of regu- 

 lar time. It has more than filled my expectations, 

 and proved of great value and satisfaction to me. 

 I consider it a very good investment, even if I keep 

 no bees. As to its arrangement as a bee-journal, T 

 would not attempt to dictate, nor could I make any 

 suggestions that would be an improvement; so, as 

 ray name is on your list, I will send you in this mail 

 an order for another year's subscription. 



Remembering you for your kindness and fair 

 dealings, with the many good things I have read in 

 the ABC and Gleanings, permit me to thank you, 

 wishing you a happy Christmas and prosperous new 

 year; extending the same to all the bee-friends, and 

 especially those who have contributed so many 

 good things to me through Gleanings, I am, re- 

 spectfully, John W. Niman. 



Spring Mills, Ohio. 



Thank you, friend N., for your very kind 

 letter ; but it seems to me your experiment 

 is hardly conclusive, that the bees really 

 gathered the clay and not the water it con- 

 tained, unless you saw them pack the yellow 

 clay, like pollen, into their pollen-baskets. 

 We have had reports of bees packing black 

 peaty soil, just as they pack pollen, and car- 

 ry itinto their hives, and I should not think 

 it very strange if they sometimes used some 

 kinds of yellow earth. It is w'ell known, 

 the way in which they appropriate sawdust ; 

 and why may not this material answer as 

 well? Can any other friend give us any 

 light on the subject? and do they pack clay 

 on their legs? 



■^0¥ES JiJU) QaEl^IEg. 



A REPORT FROM MRS. L. H.ARRISON. 



fp^ HE winter thus far in this locality has been 

 §)" very favorable for bees on their summer 

 f stands. I notice that, from hives protected 

 most, fewest dead bees are carried out. 

 Bees flew finely several days this week; and 

 after they were quiet, part of them were stored 

 in the cellar. The dozen queens purchased of you 

 ast summer all proved satisfactory. 

 Peoria, 111., Dec 36, 1885. MRS. L. Harrison. 



temperature OF THE EARTH AND WELLS. 



I have just tested the water in my well, which is 

 25 ft. deep. The temperature is 45°, water pumped 

 from the bottom. Temperature of the atmosphere, 

 24 above zero at the time of test. I made a test 

 during the warm weather of summer, and the tem- 

 perature was no higher than now. 



H. R. BOARDMAN. 



East Townsend, Ohio, Dec. 26, 1885. 



TEMPERATURE OF DEEP WELLS. 



I have just read friend Doolittle's remarks, and 

 j'our comments, on "Temperature of the Earth," 

 and tested my 60foot well with two good thermom- 

 eters by completely immersing- them in a freshly 

 drawn bucket of water. The bath showed exactly 

 54 degrees. Terre Haute lies between 39th and 40th 

 degree north latitude. T. H. Kloer. 



Terre Haute, Ind., Dec. 25, 1885. 



HONEV-PAILS; wire CLOTH AS A FRUIT-TREE 

 PROTECTOR. 



I was well pleased with my honey-pails, and find 

 it the best way to handle extracted honey. I think 

 ray experiment with the wire cloth as a fruit-tree 

 protector is going to be a success. If so, look out 

 for orders for wire cloth from this locality next sea- 

 son. I will send my honey report for this year 

 soon. W. G. Condon. 



Clinton, Mo., Nov. 10, 1885. 



FROM 300 STANDS TO 500; 8925 LBS. OF HONEY, $150 

 IN CASH, AND 500 LBS. OF BEESWAX. 



Bees are in good condition. I coraraenced in the 

 spring with 300 stands of bees; sold 50 stands at $3 

 a stand; increased the remainder to over 500 colo- 

 nies, all in good condition; also got 15 barrels of 

 honey, each barrel holding 45 gallons, and got 1500 

 pounds of corab honey in sections; also by pruning 

 and cutting out all drone-comb I have accumulated 

 500 pounds of beeswax, which I think is not a very 

 bad crop for this year's work. E. Stahl, Jr. 



Kenner, La., Dec. 28, 1885. 



SCREENS FOR PISH; SWINDLES. 



Yours with zinc, received. If thicker, this mate- 

 rial would answer for small screens, temporarily. 

 There would be danger of breaking them when 

 cleaning. Heavy, substantial galvanized - wire 

 screens are safest, and consequently best and 

 cheapest.— Look out for the newspaper swindler 

 "Bain," with his pretended "Fish-Cultural book," 

 alias LeMorris, alias U. S. Fish Co., Columbus, Ohio. 

 Milton P. Peirce. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 24, 1880. 



[The above refers to the Jones perforated zinc 

 which I sent friend Peirce, with inquiry if it would 

 not answer for outlets to carp-ponds.] 



A woman's success. 

 Mrs. Thomas, of Phihiclelphia, reported at a meeting of bee- 

 keeper.s in Trenton last month that she had obtained an aver- 

 age of 150 lbs. of honey from 20 colonies, or a total crop of 3000 

 lbs. This was extracted honey, for which she received 25 cts. 

 per lb., netting her. therefore, $37.50 per hive. She also clear- 

 ed last year $1000 from her poultry-yard, and runs a twenty, 

 acre farm besides. 



[The above was clipped from one of the news- 

 papers. The price our friend received for her hon- 

 ey, it seems to us, was extravagant; but the yield 

 mentioned is not extraordinary. Perhaps we should 

 make some allowance for newspaper exaggeration, 

 but 1 am rejoiced to know that women can manage 

 these rural industries with as much wisdom, and 

 many times more, than our own sex.] 



