1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



227 



A GOOD REPORT FROM THE WEST 

 INDIES. 



modern Ree-Keepiiig on tlic Ifiiland of St. 

 Domingo. 



FRIEND SOBOTKER GETTING HONEY OF A GOOD 

 QUALITY BY THE TON. 



SHAVE been very busy taking in the honey crop, 

 which opened here in Nov., and is still lasting, 

 principally from the bell-flower vine, called 

 " campanilla," or "aguinaldo," in Spanish; but in 

 Latin, Convolvulus monospermum. This is the best 

 and finest honey-plant in the Wf st Indies. It blooms 

 together with very many other plants producing 

 nectar; but the bees leave all others for it, and will 

 go very far away to get it. The honey produced 

 from it is very heavy, weighing with me as high as 

 12 lbs. to the gallon, and is clear as crystal, as good, 

 if not better, than basswood or linden and white 

 clover of the North. It generally commences to 

 bloom in November, and lasts up to the end of Feb., 

 or middle of March. It grows in a wild state in 

 hedges, pastures, and, in fact, on pretty barren land. 

 I have been extracting from brood-chamber and sec- 

 ond stories of CO hives, but much more from brood- 

 chamber, and have now on hand 500 gallons of the 

 flaest honey ever seen here in this island. Forty 

 hives have as yet not been touched, and 36 palm logs 

 still to be extracted, and I suppose the flow of nec- 

 tar will last this month out; then comes our swarm- 

 ing season, and again in June, July, and August, 

 another flow of nectar, if Providence permits it, and 

 every thing works on as favorably as at present. 



The public here are now seeing the good results of 

 the La Fc Apiary, although the hives in themselves 

 are not directly the cause of this; but they give 

 their share of ease in handing their inmates, the 

 bees. 



As soon as I find the bees lying out around the en- 

 trance, it is a sign for me to alter the ventilation ; in 

 fact, I very seldom give them the chance to notify 

 me; as practice tells me more or less when the 

 changes are required ; as surplus hives for the honey- 

 extractor, as a second story, or even as a brood-nest 

 for the first story, they can not be beat. I am now 

 trying a few of them for comb honey for home con- 

 sumption, and I think they will do well at that. 

 That is, using two division-boards, reducing the 

 brood-chamber to six frames. After all the ten 

 frames below are full of brood and honey, this must 

 not be touched on any account; but the surplus 2- 

 D). boxes- are put on immediately over the brood- 

 frames, leaving the full ten frames below. I find, 

 generally, two frames on either side of brood-cham- 

 ber, with honey alone perfectly capped over; this I 

 leave just so during the season; and by so doing I 

 get the bees very easily up into the surplus arrange- 

 ment. 



I have now taken, within the last two weeks, from 

 one trial hive, 30 3-B). boxes, and have the lower story, 

 or brood-chamber, filled with say the one-half of 6 

 combs or frames with brood, and the top half with 

 honey, besides i frames quite filled with honey, so I 

 do not consider this a bad yield. They do as well for 

 extracting, as I find the half of each frame in brood- 

 chamber with brood in all stages, and the other up- 

 per half with sealed honey; and the second story, 

 where I work with only 9 and 8 frames, I have taken 

 from many hives, during this season, combs (Given's 

 fouadation put into frames wired), drawn out to the 



thickness of 3 inches, and weighing, before put in the 

 extractor, 13 tts.; and after being emptied, frame 

 and comb weighed 2'/2 lbs. each, leaving a net result 

 of 9^2 lbs. of the nicest honey that can be produced 

 here. 



I have been very much troubled during this busy 

 time by visitors from our Capital here. Among the 

 notables, the President of this Republic and his cab- 

 inet of ministers, leading planters, merchants, and 

 ladies of our English-ppeaking part of the commu- 

 nity, all very much delighted to see the progress in 

 apiculture. Lorenzo J. de S6bi'>tker. 



St. Domingo City, West Indies, Feb. 10, 1884. 



Why, friend S., do you really mean to say 

 that visitors are a trouble to you, especially 

 notable ones, like those you have mentioned V 

 This thirst for knowledge is one of the grand 

 features of the present age, and I am sure 

 you will find your reward in ministering to 

 it, and treating all these fiiends with kind- 

 ness and conrtesy, which, of course, you do. 

 You need an assistant, I shonld say^ and it 

 seems to me you also need to sell bee-books 

 and bee-supplies. While you are talking 

 and explaining, show the books, and you 

 will, I think, almost invariably make sales 

 that will amply pay the wages of a compe- 

 tent assistant. 1 am greatly rejoiced to find 

 the industry so well started in the West In- 

 dies, and 1 look forward to a rapid growth of 

 the industry, and a corresponding develop- 

 ment of the trade in West-India honey, se- 

 cured by means of modern appliances, of a 

 quality equaling, perhaps, any we have in 

 the world. Go on ; and may God bless you 

 in your efforts. 



ERADICATION OF FOI L RROOD. 



STAMPING IT OUT OF EXISTENCE. 



E take the following from a printed 

 circular sent by the JS . E. B. K. A. 

 It seems to me it is the thing exact- 

 ly, and I earnestly hope every State in the 

 Union will fall in line, follow suit, and have 

 it carried ont. It would be a real kindness, 

 also, to slovenly and slipshod bee-keepers, 

 to oblige them by law to keep posted, and 

 take care of their stock. It seems to me to 

 be just in spirit with the progress of the 

 present age ; and may God help us all to do 

 our duty in all such works of reform ! 



A BlLIi TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF FOUL BROOD 

 AMONG BEES, AND TO EXTIRPATE THE SAME. 



Section 1. The people of the State of New York en- 

 act: That it shall be unlawful for any person to 

 keep in his apiary any colony of bees atTccted with 

 the contagious malady known as foul brood; and 

 it shall be the duty of every bee-keeper, as soon as 

 he becomes aware of the existence of said disease 

 among his bees, to destroy or cause to be destroy- 

 ed forthwith all colonies thus affected. 



Sec. :J. In any county in this State, in which foul 

 brood exists, or in which there are good reasons to 

 believe it exists, it shall be lawtul lor any five or 

 more actual bee-keepers of said county to set forth 

 such fact, belief, or apprehension, in a petition ad- 

 dressed to the judge of the county court, requiring 

 him to appoint a competent commissioner to pre- 

 vent the spread of said disease, and to eradicate 

 the same; which petition shall be filed wit hand be- 

 come a part of the records of the court where such 

 application is made. 



Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the County Judge, on 

 receipt of the petition specified in section two, of 

 this act, to appoint within ten days thereafter a 

 well-known and competent bee-keeper of said 



