5.56 



GLEAmNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



ofl of 16 years. For instance, in 1871 and '73 I had a 

 certain strain that gave many swarms each year; 

 and as I was anxious at that time for increase, 1 

 was pleased with this strain of bees, and bred large- 

 ly from them; but during the next two years this 

 strain of bees swarmed but very little, and my in- 

 crease was solely from my hybrid colonies, as 1873 

 and "li were good honey yeai-s compared with '71 

 and '72. 



- Again in 187t) I was nearly disgusted with swarm- 

 ing, having nearly :j.50 swarms from 67 or 68 colonies 

 in the spring. Every thing swarmed and re- 

 swarmed, till 1 was glad to have the season come to 

 a close. Prime swarms sent out three or more 

 young swarms; second swarms divided up, three- 

 frame nuclei swarmed, and some nuclei swarmed 

 without a queen, so that from .5 to 10 swarms all in 

 one batch, was no uncommon thing, while one day 

 only 11 clustered in a hedge fence all together, 

 much to my annoyance. But with 1877, with the 

 same bcM, and nearly the same number of colonies, 

 I had/cit' swarms, and secured the large yield of 

 upward of 11,000 lbs. of honey, nearly all of which 

 was comb honey. Since 1876 1 have not had exces- 

 sive swarming in my apiary, yet I still retain the 

 same strain of bees to a large extent, which I then 

 had. If Mr. Dupuy is right, and if we should " call 

 it an inherited maMa," can you tell us why this ex- 

 cessive swarming has not been kept up in my api- 

 ary'? 



Once more: Last year I had one queen which led 

 out three prime swarms, completely filling her hive 

 with bees and brood each time before they swarmed 

 (a thing which never happened with me before); 

 and from the reasoning of Mr. Dupuy they should 

 have swarmed excessively this year, yet not a sin- 

 gle swarm has issued from either of the five hives 

 containing this queen, or the four young ones 

 reared from hei\ The success or failure of all 

 things pertaining to bee culture depends largely up- 

 on the season and surrounding influences; and the 

 sooner we realize this fact, the sooner we shall have 

 greater charity for those who do not agree with us, 

 and have a broader view of the possibilities of 

 apiculture. 



Again, to form a correct conclusion we need an 

 experience covering a term of years, for no two 

 years are alike. What will work well one year, and 

 in one locality, will not hold good in another; and I 

 find more and more, each year, that I need a broad- 

 er charity, so that I shall do no injustice to others 

 who differ with me. The only remedy I know of for 

 swarming, excessive or otherwise, is the free use of 

 the extractor, and they who expect to work for 

 comb honey, and not have swarms, will sooner or 

 later be disappointed. In swarming, the bees but 

 carry out the instinct implanted in them by Him 

 who said, " Multiply and replenish the earth," and I 

 firmly believe that a judicious increase by natui-al 

 swarming will secure to us the best i-esults in comb 

 honey. In the above I simply give my opinions, 

 based upon practical experience, according to all 

 the same rights wjjich I enjoy. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y., July 31, 1884. 



Friend D., there is one satisfaction, even 

 if we do seem to jump a little hastily at a 

 conclusion, and that is, that you will proba- 

 bly pull us back to about tlie right spot by 

 taking up the facts that are against us. As 

 you put it, I confess it Jo.oks a little that 

 ^\i\]/', but I haj^'diy believe pur trJ^o^^ wilj 



bear you out in your strong assertion, that 

 one race of bees swarms about as much as 

 another. 1 know, at first the Italians were 

 objected to on account of their excessive 

 swarming ; but pretty soon we settled down 

 to the idea that they swarmed more because 

 they gatliered more honey ; and 1 believe 

 some have objected to the Holy-Lands and 

 Cyprians because they swarm so much more 

 tlian the Italians. Now, 1 hope it is true 

 they do not, and I should be glad if it were 

 not a fact that some strains of bees swarm 

 more thaif others. I suppose you would de- 

 cide that, when friend Dupuy thought he 

 had succeeded in getting a strain that 

 wouldn't swarm, it was because the seasons 

 after that one where they swarmed so much 

 were unfavorable to excessive swarming. 

 Well, friends, the matter is now before you. 

 Who is right about itV 



HOW BRO. ANSELM WAS CUBED OF 

 SMOKING. 



IS SMOKING A GENTLEMANLY ACT? 



tFEW days ago I met neighbor Bathgate, when 

 he told me he had seen a man do a remarka- 

 ble thing the day before; he saw a man make 

 an artificial swarm of bees. I remarked to 

 him, if he subscribed to Gleanings, or pro- 

 cured the A B C, he would soon be able to perform 

 this remarkable feat himself. He at once handed 

 me the dollar for the latter. I met the same gen- 

 tleman with a stump of a cigar. I inquired, "Do 

 you smokeV" He acknowledged he did, sometimes, 

 and wanted to know if I did. I told him I smoked a 

 few times when I was between 14 and 15 years of 

 age, and I also told him what cured me of it. It 

 was something like this: I happened to go to a 

 picnic on the 4th of July, in a train. After the train 

 had started, nearly all the gentlemen CO left their 

 seats and went into another car. I followed, and 

 came into the smoking-car. There was such a 

 smoke you could hardly tell one man from another, 

 and so crowded there was hardly standing room. I 

 looked on for a moment, quite bewildered; there 

 were lawyers, doctors, Congi'essmen, drunkards, 

 and clergymen, all pell-mell, huddled together. Loud 

 talk, and cursing and swearing were almost the only 

 things that could be heard. I commenced to reason 

 with myself, why these gentlemen went to this car. 

 I had not to wait long; they all commenced to 

 smoke. I c?.me to the conclusion they were not 

 gentlemen, only when in their society. A true gen- 

 tleman is a gentleman everywhere. These men 

 loved smoking, more than their children and wives, 

 whom they left and went to such company. Gen- 

 tlemen don't smoke. 



Mr. Bathgate said I might fine him one dollar 

 every time I saw him smoke after that. 



I have read Gleanings for several years, and am 

 delighted to see you take such a stand against the 

 use of tobacco. Bro. Anselm. 



Ilehester, Md., July 7, 18S4. 



Brother A., if I understand you correctly, 

 it was a great many vears ago that the inci^ 

 dent you narrate happened. Well, nowa- 

 days I do not think you would find many 

 ministers in the smoking-car; or, at least, if 

 yQU did, they would be in there fpr the p4iN 

 pose, of reproving profanity, • 



