1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



935 



California sage will do in the comb; bnt don't offer 

 it in the liquid form, if your object is to establish a 

 market for extracted honey. 



John A. IJuchanan. 

 TIolliday"s Cove, \V. Vn., Nov. Itj, ISSn. 



Eriend B., I should say you got a very fair 

 l)rice for your honey during the present sea- 

 son of low prices ; but it took some labor and 

 some energy to do it; and, in fact, there is 

 no chance to make progress anywhere, now- 

 adays, without talking pains and trouble. 

 You have given us one of the best illustra- 

 tions 1 ever saw, of the possibilities of build- 

 ing up a home market; and I do believe 

 that a convenient peddling-wagon, with a 

 smart man to manage it, is going to prove 

 the outlet for our great crops of honey. I 

 don't quite understand, however, how a "good 

 article of linden honey, or a good artide of 

 ('alifornia sage honey, has been the means 

 of injuring your trade. 



MRS. GLIDDElSr AND HEK BEES. 



WHAT A KEAL T.OVK FOR A CHOSKN PrifSlTlT MAY 

 ACCOMPLISH. 



@NE pleasant morning-, four years ago last 

 spring-, a lady came into my office, and, with- 

 out any particular introduction, said she 

 would like to talk with me a few moments 

 about bees, if I was not otherwise engaged. 

 She was about thirty-five years old, I should judge, 

 and spoke in a pleasant, rapid manner that was 

 quite captivating. I at once gave her attention, 

 and she began to ask questions about bees, hives, 

 etc.— knowing that I was much interested in bee- 

 keeping, and had a few colonies. Somehow, 1 did 

 not then find out how, she had got an idea that she 

 could keep bees, and she was determined to try. 

 She asked me several questions, and wished to 

 know my opinion about the hive advertised by a 

 Mrs. Cotton, of this State, and about her way of 

 managing bees. I said to her that I thought she 

 did not want the Cotton hive, book, or any thing 

 else from that source; but I advised her to corres- 

 pond with my good friend Mason, of Mechanic 

 Falls; and if she was fully determined to start an 

 apiary, to start right by getting a Laugstroth frame 

 hive, all fitted with sections, etc., and purchase her 

 bees of Brother Mason. She has since thanked me 

 for " starting her right," and giving her good ad- 

 vice. I may say here, before proceeding further, 

 that I had for some years known the lady by sight, 

 and knew her husband as for some time a resident 

 of this city, an estimable nuin, a carpenter and 

 builder by occupation, who owns two houses here, 

 and whose home is at the corner of Green and 

 Chapel Streets. Well, I loaned Mrs. (iliddeu some 

 books and bee-journals, and, after a pleasant chat 

 of half an hour, she left. 



Soon after this call I learned that Mrs. Glidden 

 had bought a colony of Italians of Brother Mason, 

 and had them safely located in one corner of her 

 little garden. Then she commenced a regular 

 course of reading in bee culture. She read every 

 thing; and as the public library contained no books 

 on the business of bee-keeping, I gladly loaned her 

 from my own collection. In a surprisingly short 

 space of time she had read and mastered Cook, 

 Langstrolh, the ABC book. King, Alley, and latel.\ 

 she has read Hcddon, and— just think of It I— the 



whole of Hubcr. Besides those she has regularly 

 read two or three bee-papers, and is now a sub- 

 scriber to Gi-KANiNGS, The American Bee Journal, 

 and other paiiers: and she also carries on quite a 

 correspondence with some of the leading bee-keep- 

 ers in different parts of the country. But, as mj' 

 good old father used to say, I am "getting ahead 

 of my story." On the 4th of July of that year, the 

 colouy purchased of Brother Mason sent out a 

 swarm, and this embraced her entire increase for 

 that season. The two colonies were wintered out 

 of doors, on their summer stands, being packed 

 with leaves, and a tight shingled roof placed over 

 each hive. 



The second year, IHH, Mrs. Glidden devoted con- 

 siderable time to dividing her colonies and rearing 

 (luecns. This last she undertook because it was 

 interesting, and she would rather rear them than 

 to purchase and pay away money for them. She 

 understood the business perfectly, and succeeded 

 admirably. This year she increased her two colo- 

 nics -which came through the winter strong— to 

 twelve, making ten new colonies, by dividing. 

 This work was carried on quite extensively, as will 

 be seen, and i)erhaps some mistakes were made. 

 It would not be strange if there were. She lost 

 two colonies in August or September of that year 

 from lack of stores, as she did not feed early 

 enough in the season. That fall she went into win- 

 ter quarters— on the summer stands, as before— 

 with ten colonies. Five of these came through the 

 winter, but in the spring of ]8i?5 they were very 

 weak. Mrs. Glidden understood feeding by this 

 time, and the.^ received attention, and built up 

 strong during that season. She did not feed any 

 in the fall; had little surplus honey; but the five 

 colonies of spring had increased to ten strong- 

 heavy colonies by fall, and they were, as before, 

 well packed for winter with a protection of leaves, 

 and tight shingled roofs over each hive. Mr. 

 Glidden, although a very busy man, had before 

 this become much interested in the bees himself; 

 and, being a carpenter, he had made all the hives 

 needed, tiie sections, etc., during odd days in the 

 winter season. 



So far in her experience as a bee-keeper, Mrs. 

 Glidden had received but little sui-plus honey. In- 

 deed, she had not planned for much. Instead, she 

 had been reading, studying, rearing queens, di- 

 viding, experimenting, and learning; all being done 

 in a quiet, earnest, determined way, with no 

 thought of being discouraged or giving up the busi- 

 ness, or getting tired. She was bound to succeed, 

 and she has. 



Last spring Mrs. (ilidden's ten colonies of bees 

 were found to be in excellent, strong condition. 

 This season they have just doubled, or increased to 

 twenty. She g-ave away one colony to a friend, 

 has sold four, and has an even lifteen colonies with 

 which to go into winter (luarters. They are a pretty 

 sight, as they stand in uniform rows in the little 

 garden at the corner of (ircen and Chapel Streets, 

 this city; and many are ihc visitors Mrs. Glidden 

 has had at her apiary during the past three years. 

 The honey-record from this apiary the present sea- 

 son has been a total of about 120() pounds. About 

 :100 pounds of this has been box honey, the remain- 

 der extracted honey. In .June, Mrs. Glidden pur- 

 chased an extractor, and lias used it freely. She 

 has put up her extracted honey in neat one-pound 

 glass jars, with licr iiann' on a label on each Jar. 



