480 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



past at the rate of 90 miles an hour, the change in 

 the pitch of his buzz would be about two and one- 

 half tones. In a swift rivei-, eddies are formed be- 

 hind every curve or projection ; and in like manner, 

 where a train of cars is rushing- through the air, 

 eddies are formed at the rear of each car, and be- 

 hind every projection. An insect in one of these 

 eddies would find it very easy to keep up with the 

 car, no matter how fast it might be going. 



Again, when a l^ody is moving quickly past us, it 

 seems to leave a trail behind it, because the impres- 

 sion which the image produces in the eye lasts for 

 about one-eighth of a second. To find how fast a 

 body is moving past, multiply the length of its ap- 

 parent trail by 8, and it will give the number of feet 

 per second. One correspondent in Gleanings states 

 that a bee makes an apparent trail of three feet; 

 this would indicate a speed of 24 feet a second, or 

 about I6I3 miles an hour. Now, all this agrees pretty 

 well with the statement of another correspondent, 

 who says that bees, when carefully timed, are 

 found to tiy about 13 miles an hour. I don't under- 

 stand just how this timing by a watch can be man- 

 aged; but I presume our friend has found a way to 

 do so; and if so, his figures must be taken as the 

 most accurate and reliable of all. J. E. Walker. 



Foochow, China, May 23, 1884. 



Friend W., I am very glad indeed to know 

 that even away off where you are, this mat- 

 ter of reform in stimulants is gaining 

 ground. It does seem as you say, as if some 

 great changes were coming over the world. 

 May God help us to hasten the work ! 



so MANY QUEENS IN THE HIVE. 



HOW DID IT COME? 



Tlf^. S I was passing neighbor Charles Prattsman's 

 ^l>s this morning he told me something was 

 jPr wrong with his bees, as they had swarmed 

 "•^^ out every day for a week or more, and then 

 would go back. I suggested that we take a 

 look at them. The hive has 8 frames, with 8 boxes 

 on top, each holding 6 lbs. when full. On opening 

 we soon found a queen-cell which, on being opened, 

 let a beautiful queen escape among the bees. Next 

 frame we found the "old lady" as we supposed. 

 We caged her. Continuing the search we found 

 and caged three other queens. While at work, a 

 large swarm settled on a cedar-tree near by, which 

 certainly contained one queen. Mr. P. took the 

 swarm down and put it at the front of the hive, 

 when they again settled on the cedar. He then put 

 them in a box and left them, when they got quiet. 



I will say, that we have had a great deal of rain in 

 the last two weeks; was that the cause of so many 

 queens? We cut out 7 or 8 cclls,.sealed and nearly 

 ready to hatch. 



Sourwood is in bloom, as also chestnut, from both 

 of which we would get a great deal of honey and 

 pollen, if there were not so much rain. Mr. P. gave 

 me two of the queens, and I have just placed them 

 in nuclei, it being my first attempt at such division. 

 I will let you know the result. Please let us know 

 your opinion of so many queens together. * 



J. D. Holt, M. D. 



Tullahoma, Tenn., July 1, 1884. 



Friend H., yoiu" case is nothing very un- 

 usual. The bees were gettingready to swarm, 

 and perhaps were delayed by bad weather, 



Why the swarm came back that went out is 

 not very easy to tell, but very likely the old 

 queen was unable to go with tliem. During 

 the swarming senson wc often tind several 

 young queens in the lave together; in order 

 to save them I should divide up such a hive, 

 giving each queen a frame of brood and some 

 bees. These queens often make some of our 

 very best. 



SOME HINTS IN REGARD TO SHIPPING 

 HONEY TO A CITY MARKET. 



FUIEND TWICHELL GIVES US SOME VALUABLE 

 SUGGESTIONS. 



AVING inquiries as to my reason for discour- 

 ^J' aging the use of dovetailed section boxes as 

 reported in my address before the Western 

 B. K. A., I will briefly explain as follows: 

 The best section box for all uses is the 

 strongest, stitfest, and lightest. Strength is re- 

 quired, that they may hold together well; stiffness, 

 that they may not give at the corners, and get out 

 of shape ; and lightness, that there may be no more 

 wood than necessary, sold for honey. My experi- 

 ence in having comb honey overhauled on its ar- 

 rival is, that the best-conditioned crates are always 

 those containing the strongest and stiftost section 

 boxes, which have protected the combs against the 

 jarring of the crates in handling. I don't wish to be 

 understood as deprecating the use of dovetailed 

 boxes more than any other kind that haven't good 

 stiff corners. 



As an additional means of stiffness and security 

 to the combs, I would strongly urge the use of glass, 

 firmly fastened on each side of the section, and fit- 

 ting as closely as possible to the inside of the box. 

 It is better that the insidfe corners of the pieces 

 forming the box be rabbeted so as to make a shoul- 

 der for the glass to fit in. This forms at oi?ce a stiff, 

 solid, and tight box in which the honey will stand 

 any ordinary handling, and carry safely by freight 

 any distance. This is absolutely necessary for the 

 shipping trade, and I have almost made up my mind 

 to decline shipments of honey put up in any other 

 way. If some of my shippers could see the amount 

 of work and worrj% and mixed-up messes that they 

 have occasioned me, not to mention the loss to 

 themselves, they would certainly institute a general 

 reform in the manner of preparing and packing 

 their honey. Out of nearly 1000 packages of honey 

 prepared in the manner suggested above, and pack- 

 ed in crates of not over 35 lbs., with good hand- 

 holds cut in the ends, there has not been 100 lbs. loss 

 to the shippers; while on the contrary, out of 

 the samt! quantity received in other shapes, I ven- 

 ture to say that, after having done all I possibly 

 could to save it, there was still an average loss of 

 not less than 10 per cent. For the immediate home 

 trade it does not make so much difference; but for 

 shipping it must be made secure against the rough 

 handling in transit. 



While on this subject there is one other sugges- 

 tion I would make; that with regard to color. No 

 comb honey that is dark, no matter what the quality 

 or flavor or condition, will sell as well as the white, 

 and it will always hang as a drug on the market, 

 and finally be forced off at a sacrifice, or thrown in 

 to make a bargain. This honey, though, if extract- 

 ed, would sell very vpadily at f to 8 cents, and the 

 wax at 33 to 30, and really net nioi'e, in a shorter 



