t82 



GLEANiKGS iN B£E CUtTUtlE. 



Oct. 



aud I should like to know how much droiiecoinl) in 

 the flvcframc brood-chamber it taltcs to bother 

 friend Hutchinson. I believe lie has never been 

 explicit in stating this matter. Some of mitie built 

 two lr.ai.es cacli, half full of drone-comb; others 

 one frame half full. HoAvever, I thiuli the plan a 

 good one; and perhaps another year, if bees do not 

 g'et the swarming' fever, it may worli to our satis- 

 faction— anyhow, I shall try it (about 'alf and 'alf). 



PEKFOIIATED ZINC, liNOLISIi AND AMEUICAN MAKE. 



I used your zinc honey-boards. Ten of thcni were 

 American perforated, and ten I cut from a sheet of 

 the English, I suppose, which you sent me. No 

 queens went above either; but I had a queen to 

 pass through the English when I used it as a guard 

 at the entrance. I noticed where I put wide frames 

 with sections and fdn. below, and sections with fdu. 

 above with honey-board between, that they worked 

 best in the wide frames below; but in one instance, 

 where I forgot to put fdn. and sections in the wide 

 frames below, they worked best in sections con- 

 taining fdn. above the honey-board. Again, one 

 hive was arranged with strips of perforated metal 

 between the brood-chamber and wide frames at the 

 side containing sections with fdn.; also a honey- 

 board sepai-ating the brood-cliamber from sections 

 above. In this case the bees worked best above. I 

 am well aware, that not much valuable infei-cnce 

 can be drawn from experiments with a few hives; 

 but T thought it well to let this be taken for what it 

 is worth. 



BliOOD-FRAMES II4 INCHES APAUT, FROM CENTER 

 TO CENTER. 



I made use of some of the " cream " given us by 

 Mr. Hutchinson from the Detroit Convention last 

 winter by spacing brood-frames only \U inches 

 from center to center. I see Mr. Pond is an ex- 

 treme advocate of this theory. It worked well with 

 me; it forced the bees out of the brood-chamber; 

 and although honey yielded scantily, I saw no dis- 

 position not to work in sections, and I watched 

 closely. 



CARE OF COMB HONEY IN FLORIDA. 



Nice 1-lb. sections i-etail at 20 cents. I peddled 

 mine for awhile at 3.5 cents, but it was slow sale at 

 this price. In this warm climate, in the rainy sea- 

 son the best way I know to keep comb honey is to 

 leave it on the hive above the honey-board, with 

 only five frames below, until you want it. If you 

 take it off and attempt to keep it in a " warm dry 

 room " to keep it from sweating or oozing out, 1 

 think you will fail to have a salable article. This is 

 why I have just taken otf my last section, although 

 our honey-yi^ld was almost over before it began 

 with a good many. I am now feeding a little to be 

 in good shape for the October and November honey- 

 flow. 



Mr. Hart has made a valuable discovery concern- 

 ing cabbage jialmetto, which he refers to on page 

 Ct6. Any one thinking of locating an apiary in 

 Florida should consider this piece of news he gives 

 us. Luther W. Guav. 



Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 1880. 



We are always glad of facts, friend G., 

 even though from the experience of a few 

 hives. If I am correct, your experiments 

 with side and top storing would seem to in- 

 dicate that tlie bees prefer to store in sec- 

 tions placed above tlie brood (but I suppose 

 this, of coiuse, would depend much on the 

 size and shape of the frame). But where 



perforated zinc is used above, and not at the 

 sides, they prefer side storing. It would 

 follow, then, that, if tlie queen were kupt 

 with perforated zinc from sections at the 

 side and above the brood, the bees would 

 give the preference to that placed above, the 

 same as with no zinc ; therefore if our 

 frames are made shallow, we may safely 

 conclude that top storing is sufficient; that 

 is, that very little more honey will be stored 

 by having sections at the side of the brood 

 as well as above it. 



ITALIANS VERSUS BLACKS. 



SELLING BEES BV THE POUND. 



T WANT to say a few words to day about some of 

 Ml til" different kinds of bees— which are the most 

 ^l profitable to keep. My husband has kept 



'*' black, Italian, and hybrid bees. 



The Italians will fly swifter to gather honey 

 than either one of the others; but if tliere is plenty 

 of honey near by, or so they will not have to go a 

 great distance after it, wc think the black bees will 

 gather the most honey. 



The hybrids come next. Some years the Italians 

 do the best. Last year we were living in Vermont, 

 and we kept but a few swarms. The Italians seem- 

 ed to do better there than cither of the others 

 —black or hybrid. This summer my liusband work- 

 ed in a large apiarj-, where there were liept both 

 blacks and Italians. The black bees have gone far 

 ahead of the other bees, and liave made much more 

 honey. I think very likelj' it would depend much 

 on the locality, and what kind of a season it was for 

 bees. 



HOW SHALL WE ESTIMATE THE HONEY WHEN 

 SELLINO BEES BY THE POUND? 



I want to ask a qucstioiL Is it right to sell bees 

 by the pound, and kcll part honey with them? Sup- 

 pose Mr. C wants to buy a few pounds of bees. He 

 sends to A or U, who live at quite a distance. Mr. 

 A gets the order, aud that daj', or perhaps the next, 

 goes to his apiary. Those bees must be got ready 

 to send off; but he doesn't think of that smoker be- 

 ing left behind. No, he docs not wish to get stung, 

 if he can avoid it. He gives the bees a good smok- 

 irg, then waits a minute or so, and nearly if not all 

 of those bees will fill themselves with honey. Mr. 

 A then proceeds to take out the frames, shakes the 

 bees from them into a box; then v/hen thej' are 

 nicely packed and weighed they are sent off". Mr. 

 C is charged so much for so many pounds of bees, 

 honei' and all. What I wish to know is, how many 

 more bees should be put in to make up for the 

 honey? Perhaps this would be called a small thing 

 in the sight of some peoiilo in this world, but not in 

 the sight of God, who knows and sees all things. 

 God looks at the little things we do, let them be 

 good or bad, as well as the great. 



Mrs. Jennie M. Johnson. 



Ur.vCord Flats, N. Y., Sept. 20, 18SC. 



hike a gieat many other thitigs in bee- 

 keeping, no definite rule can be laid down. 

 Bees will gorge themselves very much in 

 proportion as you smoke them. It is a great 

 mistake — in fact, an act of cruelty — to smoke 

 gentle bees like Italians until they all gorge 

 themselves with honey. In the majority of 

 cases a couple of puffs over the top of the 

 frames will be found amply sufficient. Sliake 



