502 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Junk 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS, 



THE RESURRECTION PLANT; DOES IT COME TO 



LIFE IN REALITY, OK DOES IT ONLY MAKE 



BELIEVE SO? 



T SEND you by this mail one resurrection plant. 

 |lf I am not acquainted with its history. I only 

 ^i know it comes in large quantities from Mexico, 

 '*' principally Yucatan. Lay the plant in a saucer 

 of water; take it out, and it will curl up and 

 remain so. It is said to keep for ages, apparently 

 without life. It is said, if sore eyes arc washed with 

 the water from the saucer, that it will heal them. 

 By allowing- It to remain in the water it will put 

 forth branches, which, when separated, will put 

 forth roots, and make new plants. I could, if nec- 

 essary, get a full history of the plant. 



J. J. FiTSGERRELL. 



Las Vegas, N. M., May 24, 1886. 



HOW SHALL I GET RID OF THE ANTS? WILL STONE 



BOTTOM-BOARDS ANSWER AS WELL AS THE 



WOODEN? 



I am having some trouble this spring with the 

 ants. They burrow around and get into the hives, 

 and, at times, I see tbcm with bees that are not 

 dead; i. e., they have them pulled into their holes. 

 Will they do any harm? I have put powdered bo- 

 rax around where they run, but it doesn't seem to 

 stop them as yet. Would j'ou let them alone till 

 they get ready to leave? 



I have just moved my bees to a new place, and 

 put them down as directed in the ABC, but I put 

 them on stone bottoms instead of wood. I dress 

 the flagstone and make the entrance just like the 

 entrance of the Simplicity alighting-board. Will 

 bees do as well on ^tone bottoms as thej' will on 

 wooden ones? As yet I have the common bees, but 

 intend to try the Italian bees in the near future. 



Marion, Williamson Co., III. W. W. Grant. 



There is only one objection to stone bot- 

 tom-boards, friend G., and 1 am not sure 

 that this is much of an objection ; it is, that 

 they might be cold for bees in cold weather. 

 The fact tiiat such bottom-boards neither 

 warp, split, nor decay, by being placed (m 

 the ground, would be a heavy argument in 

 their favor. It is true, they would be very 

 cold in cold weather ; but bees do not, as a 

 rule, touch the bottom-board, I believe, in 

 cold weather. , 



salt not a NECESSARY ELEMENT FOR BEES. 



In Gleanings of May 1st, 1886, I find an article 

 headed, "More Pacts to Show that Bees Need Salt," 

 signed A. W. Osburn. He refers to another article 

 on page 178, from W. H. Greer, entitled, "Salt a 

 Necessary Element for Bees." He then says: "His 

 experience relates only what is an almtlute. fact, 

 that salt is one thing necessary in making up the 

 food of the bees." 



1 have read over both articles carefully, and find 

 no "absolute facts" given in either that show 

 salt to be a necessary part of the food of bees. My 

 apiary is located a few rods from the bank of a tide- 

 water stream, fed by the Gulf of Mexico. Along 

 its banks fresh water trickles down to meet the 

 salt water. The bees resort to the mud, wet by this 

 fresh water, in great numbers, but never go down 

 to that wet by the salt water. Now here is an " ab- 

 solute fact" to show that they do not need salt- So 



with the "absolute facts" to show that salt is nec- 

 essary for other land animals, man Included. 



Many "absolute facts" might be cited to show 

 that it is no more necessary than whisky, tobacco, 

 coffee, or tea, none of them being food, but, on the 

 contrary, like salt, they possess deleterious proper- 

 ties, and should never be used by any one desirous 

 of enjoying good health and trjflismltting the same 

 to posterity, for it is written, "The sins of the 

 fathers shall be visited on the children." That deer 

 visit salt-licks is no evidence that it is healthful for 

 them, because their appetites may become vitiated 

 by indulgence as well as that of man. 



D. C. Undehhill. 



Manatee, Florida, May 10, 18S6. 



Friend U., I know ther3 are people who 

 contend that salt is not necessary for either 

 m:in or animals; but all must admit, tliat 

 domestic animals are, most of them, fond of 

 it ; and as it seems to add to tlieir comfort 

 and enjoyment, I for one am in favor of let- 

 ting them have it. Tobacco and whisky are 

 stimulating; but I do not think it can be 

 shown that salt has any such property. I 

 can hardly see it as you do, that your exper- 

 iment proved that bees do not need salt. 

 May be they had obtained salt already from 

 some other source, and did not need to go to 

 thes:ilt waters of the ocenn ; besides, the 

 salt of the sea-water is by no means pure 

 salt. Now, is it not possible that these same 

 bees would take up common table salt, prop- 

 erly diluted, eagerly? 



IS IT MUD OR SALT THAT THE BEES ARE AFTER? 



On page 178, in March number, in W.H.Greer's 

 communication in regai-d to salt for bees, I do not 

 think he has demonstrated the assertion that the 

 bees were after salt, only ho is satisfied that such is 

 the case, and probably were, as far as the meat- 

 house is concerned, for bees like salt. In ray 

 opinion, bees work in barnyards, hog-pens, and 

 other places where the soil is properly decayed, or 

 in the right condition for the bees to gather mate- 

 rial for capping their brood. I have watched them 

 closely, and have seen them in mud holes, barn- 

 yards, hog-pens, and on old decayed wood; but I 

 never saw them pick up a chunk of mud or a piece 

 of rail, nor shoulder a lump of salt. I never follow- 

 ed them into their homes to see whether they un- 

 loaded salt, wood, or mud, but supposed that what- 

 ever they gathered from such places was material 

 for capping or sealing their brood. I am a beginner 

 in bee-keeping, but am interested in the little fel- 

 lows. I should like to know what you think of mud 

 balls for beecappings. H. A. Wedge. 



Friend, Neb. 



Friend VV., you have raised an interesting 

 question. I am not aware that anybody has 

 ever found out for sure where the bees get 

 the material for making the cappings for 

 brood-combs ; but after what you say, I 

 think it very likely they get it from a sort 

 of slime that rests on the mud after the wa- 

 ter has evaporated or sunk into the ground. 

 I should think they would pack the material 

 on their legs, as they do pollen and propolis ; 

 and I thinlc some of our careful observers 

 could trace it into the hives, and see how it 

 is manipulated. An examination of the 

 cappings, under the microscope, and of the 

 substance they pick off from the muddy 

 gi'ouud, would probably show their identity. 



