736 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



asked me by those who are interested in bee cul- 

 ture. In this way I can, after a while, refer them 

 by postal card to back numbers for replies to most 

 of their questions. I shall always be glad to corres- 

 pond directly with any of the well-known bee-keep- 

 ers, or with others who write on business that I 

 have an interest in. 



My honey is going off quite rapidly in small lots to 

 parties keei)ing grocery stores, and to others who 

 retail from carts. W. S. Hart. 



New Smyrna, Fla. 



Friend II., we congratulate you on your 

 wonderful success again during 1884, and I 

 am sure tliere is not one of our number but 

 will acknowledge that you must have a la- 

 borious corrfspondtnce; and I believe, too, 

 we shall all be quite willing to liave our ques- 

 tions aslved and answered through Glean- 

 iNC4S,tliat we may have both questions and re- 

 plies benetit others as well as ourselves. We 

 will gladly give you the space, and hereby 

 give notice to the friends to send in ques- 

 tions. I presume your report will start a 

 stampede for Florida. Never mind if it does. 

 Florida is not exhausted yet ; and those who 

 Avant to work, and are no"t afraid of discour- 

 agements, Avill probably like the new south- 

 ern field for industry. Tliose who want to 

 enjoy all the good things of this life without 

 working very much for them if they can help 

 it, will probably be disgusted, ancl may be 

 say hard things about you. 



WHEN SHALL BEE-KEEPEBS CONGRE- 

 GATE AT NEW OBLEANS? 



AI.SO SOMETHING ABOUT AMERICANIZED ITALIAN 

 BEES. 



DESIRE to talk a little with you this evening, 

 and to make a few suggestions for your con- 

 l sideration and advice. The first thing I will 

 speak of is about our friend Cook's visit to the 

 exposition at New Orleans. I would suggest 

 that there be a call made for an informal interna- 

 tional bee-keepers' meeting at the time Cook's ex- 

 hibit is made, and that we, as bee-keepers of the 

 United States, extend an invitation through the 

 bee-journals, asking them to meet with us in con- 

 vention. What say you, friend Root? Could it not 

 be made an interesting time, besides instructive 

 and entertaining? I think that such a meeting 

 would bring many of us together. Have our dear 

 old father Langstroth come with you, if life and 

 health permit. It appears to me that we could have 

 a good social time, and cheer us all in our work. 

 Think over this, friend Root, and say what you 

 think of such a meeting; and if it seems good and 

 proper in your sight, lay it before your readei-s in a 

 proper manner, and solicit all of our prominent bee- 

 keepers to lend their presence and a helping hand 

 to friend Cook, so he can make a display of our 

 business, worthy the business. This suggestion 

 occurred to my mind only last evening in writing to 

 our friend Dr. N. P. Allen, ex-president A. B. S. of 

 Kentucky. I told him I thought it would be good 

 and proper. 



About bees here in Florida, I think they can be 

 made a profit and a pleasure. I have been here 

 over a year, looking around and prospecting for a 

 location, that I might go to queen-rearing, and I 

 think I have found an island o« an inland lake here 



where I shall have complete control of all bees on 

 the island, and can keep only such as I desire to 

 breed from. I can rear my drones only in such col- 

 onies as I desire, and can keep them in all their 

 purity. I have written to our friend Frank Benton 

 about obtaining for me some of the very best 

 queens he can possibly obtain. What I want them 

 for is to lay the foundation of a pure "American- 

 Italian bee." I see no reason why we can not have 

 and improve the Italian bee, if it is at all feasible to 

 make it better than it is. I see little if any improve- 

 ment on them since the first importations of Italian 

 queens, either in color, docility, or honey-producing; 

 but that there is an improvement made here in the 

 United States is beyond question, on our home-bred 

 queens. Now, friend Root, what do you think about 

 such a venture? I should have every facility and 

 advantage of having them purely mated, besides 

 having the advantage of a climate where I could 

 rear queens ten months in the year. It appears 

 that such an apiary, worked exclusively for fine 

 queens to breed from, and such queens sent out 

 among the best honey-producers, could not fail to 

 be equal to if not superior to imported queens; for 

 if the start made were good and pure it would be 

 easy to keep it so. I should like to talk an hour 

 longer; but this will do for a start as talk No. 1; and 

 if agreeable I should like to talk some other even- 

 ing about sevei-al other things that might be of use 

 to us, and you to give good and wholesome advice. 

 John Cbaycraft. 

 Altoona, Fla., Oct. IB, 18{-4. 



Friend C, it is certainly of very great im- 

 portance that the bee-keepers ot the world 

 decide upon a time as near as may be when 

 they can meet each other at New Orleans. 

 Thousands of bee-keepers will go, without 

 question, and it is of great importance that 

 they center about some particular date, as 

 near as may be. If one date won't answer, 

 perhaps two different dates may be decided 

 on. If Mr. Langstroth's health will permit 

 him to go, we shall by all means rejoice to 

 do all in our power to bring it about.— I am 

 heartily in favor of the Americanized Ital- 

 ians ; but at present we do not seem to be 

 making the progress in this direction that 

 stock-breeders do with their animals. It 

 should be borne in mind, that Italy has for 

 centuries, by her natural circumstances and 

 surroundings, developed a very hardy and 

 energetic race of honey-gatherers. 



EXTRACTING THICK HONEY. 



FRIEND DOOLITTLE'S VIEW ON THE VEXED QUES- 

 TION. 



@N page &58 of present volume of Gleanings, I 

 see that some have trouble getting thick hon- 

 ey out of the combs; and as I have had some 

 experience in this line I will give it for the 

 benefit of the many readers of Gleanings. 

 Were it not that a much better article can be pro- 

 duced by leaving the honey on the hives till fall, or 

 till all is thoroughly sealed, I should be greatly in 

 favor of extracting every third to fifth day during 

 the season; but after repeated trials of this kind, 

 with all kinds of artificial evaporation, I find I can 

 not produce nearly as good an article of honey out 

 of this thin nectar as can be produced by leaving it 

 in the hives for the bees to care for. Hence if we 



