100 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Feb. 



last order, just because of the want of that 

 dinner-horn, it really makes me feel sad and 

 melancholy. But then, Avhy didn't you sign 

 your name to that letter V 



|^/ior% §n^cum^mg. 



FROM 80 TO 140, AND 



LBS. HONEY. 



h 



AST spring I soldofT nearly hnlf of my colonies; 

 and after one of the most backward and wet 

 springs ever known here, I commenced the 

 season with 80 colonies, above half of them fair stocks, 

 the remainder indifferent, with but small amount of 

 brood on the 1st of June. I made from the above, 

 ■5000 lbs. of white-clover honey in 1-lb. sections, and 

 1000 lbs. of extracted: all sold at 16 to 18 cts. for sec- 

 tions, and 1314 for extracted; but about -tOO lbs. still 

 on hand, at A. V. Bishop's, Milwaukee. Increased 

 to 140 colonies, of which there are 120 in cellar, and 

 20 chaff packed on summer stands. I did not accept 

 any after-swarms. W. Addenbrooke. 



North Prairie, Wis., Jan. 1, 1884. 



MY REPORT. 



I had six colonies of bees in the spring. 1 now 

 have l.j in good condition for winter. I have them 

 well tucked in on their summer stands. I got 534 

 lbs. extracted, and 54 lbs. box honey. Extracted is 

 lOc, and comb nViC; dull sale. W. J. Woods. 



Villisca, Iowa, Dec. 20, 188.3. 



I commenced last spring with 4 good ones and 2 

 poor ones, and have 24 now. I sold 10 last summer, 

 and got 221 fts. honey, besides what we used in the 

 family, and I made my own hives, and did my house- 

 work, and had all the care of the bees. I think a 

 woman can keep bees, if she is not lazy. 



Jennie C. March. 



Tecumseh, Neb., Jan. 3, 1884. 



A MAGNIFICENT REPORT FROM LOUISIANA. 



Extracted 11,500 fts. of honey; a young daughter 

 and myself attended to the work about the apiary 

 and extracting, which took about one month. Com- 

 menced with 70 colonies in the spring; increased to 

 112 colonies, averaging about 165 lbs. honey to the 

 colony. B. Marionneaux. 



Plaquemine. Iberville Parish, La., Jan. 18, 1884. 



FROM 3 TO 10, AND 338 LBS. HONEY. 



As I am one of your ABC scholars, I thought I 

 would give my experience with bees. I commenced 

 the spring of 1883 with 3 colonies; increased to 10. I 

 got 336 lbs. of extracted honey. My bees are all in 

 cellar, in good condition. I give your ABC book 

 and Gleanings all the credit for what I know about 

 bees. S. Frankhinser. 



Bettsville, Ohio, Jan. 21, 1884. 



I have now 70 colonies of bees— Italians. I had 30 

 last spring. I have taken 6000 lbs. of honey from 

 them, mostly extracted. I have sold it mostly all in 

 this vicinity. I put it up mostly in 5gallon kegs, 

 and sold whole packages at 10 cts. per lb. I had an 

 extra quality of honey, it all being clover and bass, 

 wood. I Jjad no full honey. I am wintering my bees 

 in a cellar, outside, made on purpose. I have some 

 pipes put in to give them fresh air. I think bees 

 want a good letting-alone in the winter; disturbing 

 them hurts them, I think. A. C. S-^nford. 



Dno, Pierce Co., Wis., Jan. 8, 1884. 



MY report for 1883. 

 I went into winter quarters with 4 colonies; lost 

 one; commenced the season of If 83 with 3 good ones. 

 My crop of honey was 300 lbs. extracted, and 40 lbs. 

 comb, mostly white-clover honey. I go into winter 

 quarters with 13 good colonies, mostly Italians. My 

 increase was by natural swarming. 



E. M. Thompson. 

 La Fontaine, Wabash Co , Tnd., Dec. 31. 1883. 



FROM 9 TO 17. AND 38 LBS. OF HONEY TO THE HIVE. 



1 began the season with stands, all in fHir condi- 

 tion; increased to 17 by natural andartificial swarm- 

 ing; got 38 lbs. extracted honey to the hive, spring 

 count. My bees are all blacks, and are in good con- 

 dition lor winter. The past season has been a 

 very poor one for bees. Mesquite and horsemint 

 bloomed profusely, but secreted but little honey. I 

 have not made bee culture a great success this year, 

 but I look forward to better luck next year. 



Hubbard City, Tex., Dec. 23, '83. S. F. Dellis. 



FROM ONE TO EIGHT, AND 300 LBS- OF HONEY. 



I came here in 1882, and concluded to go into the 

 bee business at this place. I find it a good locality 

 for the business. I bought me one stock of bees for 

 $5.00 in 1883; I now have 8 stocks on hand, and I have 

 taken about 300 lbs. of honey, worth 20 cents per lb., 

 and my bees are worth $7.50 per stock. I think this 

 is not bad for a small investment. I have a mova- 

 ble-frame hive, which is a good one. I will give to 

 any one a $5 gold-piece who will come and And a cell 

 full of bee-bread in the stock of honey that I made 

 last season. I only wish I had 100 stocks to work 

 with this season. There are plenty of wild bees here 

 in the timber. One man found 84 bee-trees the past 

 season. Wm. Montgomery. 



Nob'e, Richland Co., 111., Jan. 4, 1884. 



FROM 33 to 58, AND 2600 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



This has not been a very good honey year here. 

 But as I little more than paid expenses, I do not 

 know that I ought to complain. I started in the 

 spring of 1883 with 33 colonies; increased to 58, and 

 took about 3600 fts. of comb honey, all in 1-ft. section 

 boxes. Have sold 23.34 lbs., and have on hand yet 

 between 350 and 400 lbs. What I have sold brought 

 me $299.61; had to sell it for 12'/4 and 15 cents per lb. 

 My expenses were $83.77. Five of my earliest 

 swarms went off— took to the woods— last spring. 

 J. A. Kennedy, 75. 



Fdrmingdale, III., Jan. 16, 1884. Per Louisa. 



WHAT A WOMAN C.VN DO IN THE AVAY OF ASSISTING 

 TO KEEP BEES. 



During this last season I wired 308 frames; put the 

 foundation in, put together most of the section box- 

 es we used; helped take off all the honey, and clean- 

 ed off most of the sections of honey, ready for mar- 

 ket. It is no small job to clean off so many sections, 

 besides holding the smoker. So you see I have had 

 something to do to occupy my idle moments. 



L. C. K. 



You see, friend Louisa, I do not know 

 whether to consider you a juvenile, or our 

 good friend Kennedy's " helpmeet."' But at 

 any rate, 1 am glad to know he has somebody 

 who can help him about his bees, and write 

 his letters in so good a hand as you do. In 

 regard to those sections, I think a great 

 many of the bee-friends seem to almost ig- 

 nore the fact that we may so protect the sec- 

 tions when put on the hives, that the bees 



