1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



785 



DKUMMINO UEKS. 



I am an A 15 C scholar; and if you will allow ine 

 a little space in Gleanings I should like to ask 

 you to explain a point in reference to transferring 

 bees from boxes to tno\'ablc-franie hives, which I, 

 for one, do not understand. On page 300 (A B C 

 book) j-ou say (allow nio to quote it word for word, 

 so as to make no mistake) ; 



"A little before swarming: time, pry the top from 

 your box hive and set a singrle-story Simplicity 

 over it, making all the joints bee-tight. Now hang 

 frames tilled with fdn. in this new hi\'e, and the 

 bees will soon work up into it. After the queen 

 g-els to laying in these combs the bees will soon 

 all move up into it and .you can lift it otf and trans- 

 fer, or do what you please with the old hive and 

 combs. When you are hurried, this plan gets your 

 stock gradually into improve<i hives, without very 

 much trouble, and no mussing with dripping 

 honey." 



Mr. Doollttle, in his review of the book, advances 

 just my idea exactly (No. K!). He says: 



"Why don't you drum out those bees to start 

 with, and have them out of the way? " 



You answer, "Because 1 like the way I have 

 given, best." Now, Mr. Hoot, will you kindly give 

 3-our reason for not driimming thoi^e bees out at 

 once? 



I fear the honey-crop is not coming up to the 

 average, this year, in this locality. I tried sowing 

 buckwheat in front of the hives, but I have never 

 yet seen a bee at woik at it, although they go in 

 multitudes to a field of l.uck\\ lie.it from a quarter 

 to half a mile away. W. M. B.viiNU.M. 



Angelica, N. Y., Aug. 35, 1880. 



Friend B., I would not waste time in 

 drumaaing bees out, for I can transfer a 

 hive and have it all linished during the time 

 ordinarily occupied by tlie drumming pro- 

 cess. I have tliorouglily tried both ways. 

 Tlie passage you quote" was only a sugges- 

 tion to those who prefer to transfer in that 

 manner. Our regtUnr way of transferring 

 is given just before the above, as you may 

 recollect. I should think it probable that, 

 for some reason or other, tiiere was no hon- 

 ey secretion in your own iield of buckwheat. 



IIENDEUSON'S substitute FOIt GL..VSS S.iSHES. 



In Feb. No. of Gleanings, page 143, you quote 

 from Henderson's price list a substitute for glass 

 sashes for protecting and forwarding plants. Are 

 they safe to use all winter, or only in spring, after 

 glass has been kept over the plants during winter? 

 Did you try stout cotton cloth instead of cheese- 

 cloth, as you had intended? If you did, how did it 

 work? J. M. Keiires. 



Dornsife, Pa., Aug. 3."), 1886. 



Friend K., we did try the substitute for 

 glass a good deal. Stout cotton cloth, well 

 painted with lin.^eed oil, Avas a good deal 

 more protection than Henderson's thin 

 cloth ; but the great trouble with both of 

 them was, tliat tliey were blown about by 

 the wind so as to make them practically use- 

 less. If they were not blown clear otf, the 

 cloth would hop up and down, so as to act 

 like a bellows, expelling the warm air and 

 drawing in the cold air, until the tempera- 

 ture was about the same outside as inside. 

 Stretching it out on a frame, something as 

 we do a sasli. would doul)t!ess answer a good 

 deal better ; but even then we should have 

 the bellows motion about tlie same. I have 



about decided in favor of glass ; and early 

 in the fall, or toward spring, as the season 

 grows warmer I would alternate the glass 

 sash with shutters made of light pine. In 

 extremely cold weather these sash will an- 

 swer to cover the glass for an additional [)ro- 

 tection, the shutters being used, of course, 

 nights and during cloudy days. 



REPOKT FROM FLORIDA; O. O. POPI'LETON, AND 

 HIS CHANGE OF LOCATION. 



Bees are gathering more from the golden rod 

 this season than 1 have ever known them to do be- 

 fore. They are also working freely on the cow- 

 pea and some small white wild flowers, but are 

 breeding heavily for this time of year, and re- 

 ducing their store of honey as a rule. The man- 

 grove put on (]uitc a quantity of late bloom, but I 

 do not think the bees got much if any hocey from 

 it this year. 



Mr. O. O. I'oiipleton and family have sold out 

 their place in Iowa, and will remove to their 

 property here next month. He intends to bring- 

 about 100 colonies of bees with him from the North. 

 He and his wife have spent three winters in this 

 State, and, finding it agrees with their tastes, and 

 promises well for their chosen pursuit, besides 

 greatly improving their health, they now come to 

 remain permanently. W. S. Haiit. 



Hawks Park, Fla., S?pt. I'J, 1886. 



Friend 11., our best wishes go with our 

 good friend Poppleton and his family; and 

 we trust he will hold out as faithful and en- 

 ergetic in his work there as he has in the 

 Northern States. We shall perhaps miss 

 him to some extent from our conventions 

 here in the North ; but what is our loss, we 

 trust will prove to be your gain. 



ANOTHER BEE-KEEPER SUFFERS LOSS FRO.M 

 FIRE. 



This morning, just before daybreak, our little 

 village was aroused by cries of flre; and on looking 

 out we saw the large lumber-mill of C. W. Smith 

 completely involved in lli.nj. Nothing could be 

 done to save the mill— the efforts of the villagers 

 being directed to saving surrounding property. 

 Every thing in the mill was destroyed, including 

 the most of my hive-making machinery, a small 

 quantity of lumber, etc., on which there was no 

 insurance. I shall immediately replace the ma- 

 chinery; and as my storehouse was unharmed, I 

 think I shall be able to fill all orders from that 

 until 1 get to running again. C. W. Costellow. 



Waterboro, York Co., Me., Sept. 9, 1886. 



Friend C, I think I shall say again, as I 

 have said before, that, if I could not have 

 my business insured, I would not liave the 

 business, unless, indeed, it were a business 

 of such a nature tliat,wiiile insurance would 

 hi exceedingly high, the profits would be 

 very large, and the amount of capital invest- 

 ed comparatively small. 



CARNIOLANS NOT STORING MUCH SURPLUS. 



My experience with Carniolans is somewhat 

 similar to j-ours and friend Swinson's. I obtained 

 from Charles D. Duvall two fine queens in June, 

 raised from an imported queen from Frank Ben- 

 ton. One of them proved to be mated with an 

 Italian, and her progeny proved to bo very yellow; 

 the other was i)urely mated, her progeny being a 

 gj-ay ill color, sonicAyhfvt Jike our old uative gray 



