532 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



effect, drying- up the white clover, and, when bass- 

 wood-blossoms opened, the atmospheric conditions 

 were as follows: Nig-hts vei-y cool; high wind from 

 the north and noi-th-east during the day. What 

 would you think of the honey prospects, with your 

 bees employing the gi-eater part of their time in 

 killing off drones, and trying to rob, right in the 

 midst of basswood-bloom? S. P. Yoder. 



East Lewistown, O., July 31, l»>'i. 



WHAT SHALL, WE PLANT FOR HONEY V 



- What plants are the best honey-producers, which 

 the best pollen? Do corn-tassels contain any honey? 

 Does any blossom contain both pollen and honey? 

 Eddyville, Iowa, July 24, 1884. F. W. Schafer. 



See Remindery in this number.— Sweet 

 corn seems to produce about as much pollen 

 as any plant we know of, and we are plant- 

 ing some now for that very purpose. If the 

 frost holds oft", we shall probably get some 

 roasting-ears. If it does not, we shall have 

 pollen for the bees, and fodder for the stock. 

 —Most plants that yield honey also yield 

 pollen. 



THE USE OF SLANO WOIiDS. 



I like your article on "slang" in your issue of 

 July 15. While none more thoroughly detest the 

 use of slang and questionable language than my- 

 self, there is no good in being "too utterly utter." 

 Many apt quotations become slangy when used too 

 frequently, or wrongly applied. " As a man think- 

 eth in his heart, so is he," and T conceive that purity 

 of language depends as much upon the listener as 

 upon the speaker. All language should be pure, 

 and would be, were it not used to express impure 

 thoughts. Sporting men and women, many of 

 whom pride themselves on the use of choice lan- 

 guage, are continually prostituting the very purest; 

 but are we all to be presumed to be up or down 

 with their times, when such may adopt oi/r modes 

 of expression? I trust not. J. H. W. 



Malvern, Ta., July, 1884. 



HOW TO GET BEES OUT OF THE BOXES. 



Probably the following plan will meet the wants 

 of W. D. Gause, on page 477 of Gleanings. The 

 plan usually practised by bee-men in this section, 

 who use nothing but boxes, holding 18 or 30 lbs. of 

 honey, on top of the gum or box hive, with 2 or 3 

 (usually) inch holes for bee entrances through top 

 of hive into the box, is to take oft' these boxes when 

 filled and carry them into a dark room and set 

 them in there, letting them remain until the bees 

 voluntarily come out and go back to the hive, which, 

 it appears, they always do during the day, if there 

 is a small light-hole to some part of the room 

 through which they can pass out. Generally, our 

 box-hive bee-keepers know nothing of bee-smokers. 



BEE-KEEPING ON THE OLD PLAN. 



There is a bee-keeper (a lady and her son) in Pan- 

 der Co., N. C, who has 300 stands of black bees, in 

 black gum and cypress gum hives— sections of the 

 hollow of these trees cleared out and head put on. 

 They usually bi-imstone from 50 to 125 gums each 

 year, and squeeze out the honey by hand, for which 

 they get from 60 c. to $1.00 a gallon. This family 

 has kept bees for the last 15 years in this manner, 

 at the same place; they are immediately on the edge 

 of Cape Fear River swamp, 20 miles N.W. of Wil- 

 mington, N. C. A. L. Savinson. 



Goldsboro, N, C, July 26, 1884. 



^EP0R3Fg ENC0n^^6iN6. 



AN ENCOURAGING REPORT FROM CALIFORNIA. 



UR apiaiy of 100 swarms has been increased to 

 170; doubled up the new swarms till 

 the hives were full of bees, consequently 

 we are getting some honey. They have 

 exti-acted over 3000 lbs., and expect as 

 much more at least. It is just lovely honey. It is 

 very white, and tastes like white sugar. 



Kind wishes to you and family, and a kiss for 

 that blessed baby, right-on his juicy little mouth. 

 God bless the babies ! Katie Hi lton. 



Los Alamos, Cal., July, 1884. 



the nORSE.MINT OF TEXAS FOR 1884. 



We have the llnest crop of horsemint I oversaw 

 before. Our bees are booming. I have put on the 

 third box on some of my stands. 



Arlington, Texas, June 30, 1884. J. P. Rose. 



Bees are booming. We have not had such a sea- 

 son since this branch of industry was developed in 

 this section of the country. I have about 200 stands 

 of bees, and have taken 8000 lbs. of the finest honey 

 J ever saw. P. R. Crist. 



Lompoc, Cal., June 12, 1884. 



1450 LBS. extracted AND 105 LBS. COMB IIOENV, 

 FROM — COLONIES. 



It has been a good season for honey this year. I 

 have taken 14.50 lbs. extracted, and 105 lbs. comb, all 

 white, since the 13th of last month, and still it 

 comes. I will give full report when season closes. 

 One swarm has given 100 lbs. C. W. Phelps. 



Tioga Center, N. Y., July 23, 1SS4. 



And you don't tell us how many swarms 

 you had either. 



AN ENCOURAOIN(J REPORT FltOM A SMALL BEE- 

 KEEPER. 



I son fl you my report for this summer: I com- 

 menced with 3 stands— one of Italians and 2 blacks. 

 There was not more than 1 lb. of them all together. 

 Now I have 5 strong stands, all Italians. I raised 

 queens myself, except one that a friend gave me. 

 The honey-flow was cut short here by the dry 

 weather. There were the greatest honey-dews here 

 that have been known for years. I am going to 

 build my bees up, and have them strongfor another 

 season. F. P. S.mith. 



Greenwood, W. Va., July 24, 1884. 



REPORT GOOD AND BAD. 



Bees are doing very well so far this season. I had 

 eight strong swarms in the fall ; lost four of them ; 

 all had plenty of honey, so they were not starved to 

 death. 1 fed those that pulled through, and have 

 been amply repaid for the trouble. First swarm 

 came out on the 3d of June, and on the 30th they 

 had built 8 frames of brood and 30 lbs. of beautiful 

 white-clover honey in the upper story. Two others 

 are doing equally well. Rejiort now stands just like 

 this: 8— 4— 11, and one swarm went oft' to make a 

 call somewhere, and forgot to come back. 



George R. Humberstone. 



East Toledo, Ohio^ 



cheap honey in CALIFORNIA. 



We have plenty of honey, but small demand, and 

 offers of only from 4 to 6 cts. per lb. The cans and 

 cases and hired help take money down so we are 

 short just now. We had 100 swarms, spring count, 



