1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CI LTURE. 



177 



which a queeu hatched in clue course. She was one 

 of the smallest and darkest queens 1 ever saw, but 

 she proved to be very prolitlc. I saw her all right 

 when packing- the stock lor winter; but she disap- 

 peared mj'steriously, and the hive was queenless 

 when I looked at it the following spring. 



The first stock came out of winter quarters in 

 very line condition, and throve amazingly. I 

 moved it into a twenty-frame hive (the largest I 

 had), but T could not get the bees to work in sec- 

 tions, whether placed in the body of the hive or 

 over the frames, so I put a second story on the 

 liive, with excluder lying between, tor extracting, 

 and the rate at which those bees brought in honey 

 was simply astonishing. About the end of June, 

 1!^85, a swarm issued from this stock; but the bees, 

 after clustering, returned without the old queen. I 

 fancy she must have fallen to the ground and got 

 lost, for 1 never saw her again. 



My opinion of the Carniolans is, that they are the 

 best bees we have. The queens ai-o conspicuous, 

 the bees art; gentle, and good honey-gatherers, and 

 they are very hardy. I think them quite as hand- 

 some as the Italians, ('yjjrians, or Syrians, none of 

 which are good honey-gatherers in this country. 

 To show the industry of the Carniolans, I may 

 mention that I sometimes feed ray stock b.y placing 

 a supply of syrup outdoors at some little distance 

 from the hives. The Carniolans are the first to 

 find it out, and have every drop taken away before 

 the blacks begin flying for the daj-. 



Although the, Carniolans do not stay on the combs 

 as well as the Ttalians, they are much more easily 

 handled than the blacks. The crosses, first, second, 

 and third, with blacks, are almost as gentle as the 

 full bloods, which is a consideration when introduc- 

 ing new blood into an apiary. I intend to get half 

 a dozen queens next season; and if you will allow 

 me, I shall write to you again to let you know how 

 they go on. I think Carniolans would be more gen- 

 erally kept but for the difficulty in getting queens 

 oarlj' in the season. Last year, for instance, 1 or- 

 dered some iiueens, to be delh'CL'cd in May, but I 

 could not hear any thing about them until August, 

 when I was advised that (ntr had arrived. 



Dublin, Ireland. IIohkht Spkoule. 



We are very glad indeed, friend S., to get 

 so good a report from tlie Cariiiolaiis, and 

 shall be quite glad to liear from you again 

 on the sul)ject. They will have a careful 

 test in our own apiary this coming season, 

 nothing preventing. 



KIND WrOKDS. 



ISO.METHING TO TUf: CIIEDIT SIDE Ot" HU.MANiTV. 



terest where the simi amounts to any thing ; 

 but Ave !ik(^ to know that it is all right, and 

 that the lightf 111 owner may clearly under- 

 stand that he can have it any time he Avants 

 it. AV^ell, the friend Avho writes below hap- 

 pened to he the postmaster himself, and 

 here is his reply : 



My Dear Ml-. Runt:— Youvlettcv oi the first insl. 

 was received, and in reply 1 would say I have been 

 postmaster so long I almost forget the time when I 

 was not. Your other two letters were received. 

 The reason 1 did not answer them was on account 

 of my wanting again, some time, some more of 

 your stock. It gives mo pleasure to think there is 

 one man in this whole United States who is anxious 

 to do as he would like to be done by. You will hear 

 from me again in the future. AAMth many vhanks 1 

 remain yours. (i. W. Gili-its. 



Ellington, !a., Feb. -l, issii. 



Is it not worth while to get siicli a letter 

 us the aboveV 



HOUSE-APIAHIES. 



HE(()XSIDEI!Kn BV AV. F. Cr-ARliK. 



J ONCE before remarked, that it Avas not 

 altogether people Avho are owing you 

 that Avon't Avrite letters, for very of ten 

 Ave find those Avho have a credit on our 

 books neglect to answer. Once a year 

 we go over the credits and send statements. 

 When a man does not reply after Ave have 

 sent him one statement, asking him if his 

 credit is correct, Ave Avrite to his postmaster 

 to see if he has moved away, or is dead, or 

 something of that sort. .\ great many times 

 it turns otit that he meant to answer till the 

 while, but kept ])utting it off. Now, Ave 

 don't care hoAV long money is left in our 

 ^lancls— in fact, Ave ahvays prefer to pay in- 



TF, T all our conventions much useful informa- 

 ;£rVi tion is gained by conversation with that 

 jRslf quiet class of bee-keepers who have never 

 "*■'"*'' outgrov.-n the habit of •modest childhood, but 

 still make it a rule to speak only when they 

 are spoken to. In fact, the lobby meetings are oft- 

 en more interesting and instructive than the public 

 ones. The recent Detroit Convention furnished 

 many illustrations of the truth ofj these remarks. 

 Among the topics much discussed " between- 

 whiles" was that of house-apiaries. The stillest 

 man in the c(nivention was7perhaps the most talka- 

 ti^•c on this theme^ont ofj it. I refer to Mr. J. 

 Vander\oort, who has become a thorough helievcr 

 in house apiaries, and could "a tale nirl'old " in 

 regard to them thatiwould interest the dullest con- 

 vention ever assembled. But, nnfortunatelj\ Mr. 

 A'andervoort is no talker in public, though hois 

 one of the^best I e\er listened to in private. He is 

 a good writer, however; and if he wonld write out 

 his views and experiences on house-apiaries he 

 would confer a great benefit on the' bee-keeping 

 public. 



The house apiaryjis not a new idea, by any means, 

 but one that has been tried in various forms for 

 more than a century past. Most of those who have 

 tried it for a time have abandoned it because of 

 some'objection or], difficulty whichjmlght, with pa- 

 tient thought, have been obviated. From the win- 

 dow at which 1 1 am'writing I have a"f ull^view^f a 

 pretty littlejjiouse-apiary which I builtl'morccthan 

 twenty years ago, and abandoned after a single 

 year's] trial of it. I fonnd.it ob.iectionable,;because 

 the house appeared^tohe-practically.'one hive; and 

 if a single colony became excited, all the neighbors 

 joined[in the^row;" also';becausc''the entrances,',bc- 

 ing exjictly alike, youii^';;(nie(!ns"were1 aptrto'enter 

 the^'rong.hivowhen returning from'theirjwedding- 

 tour."^Another'difficulty was, that the place became 

 unbearably; hot | when the : blnzjng I beams' ofJlthe 

 summer sun ' shone^remorselessly' down ;upon it. 

 J5ut these objections, as may bo readily perceived, 

 are by'no means insuperable ones. 



New reasons .having presented thcmselvesltormy 

 mind of late tor thinking it desirable that hives 



