74s 



GLEANINGS IN liEE CULTUUE. 



Nov 



I have been able to discover, is, that if sheets 

 are exposed to the air, the surface of the 

 wax becomes comparatively dry and hard. 

 Very likely the bees will not take hold of it 

 as well as that freshly made. If, however, 

 the fdn. is kept shut up in a box, or tied up 

 closely in a paper wrapper, 1 think it may 

 stand any number of vears, and be just as 

 good as when made. I'here are almost al- 

 ways some sheets of comb not entirely built 

 out when the season closes, and the bees 

 take hold of these and finish them just as 

 well as any, so far as I can see. Sheets of 

 fdn. should never be left scattered about 

 where the sun and wind may dry out the 

 oily portion of the wax ; but where it has 

 been so exposed, D. A. Jones suggests im- 

 mersing it in water as warm as the wax will 

 bear will restore it at once to its original 

 softness. I should by all means make up all 

 my fdn. during the w^inter— that is, provided 

 1 had leisure time at this season, as most 

 bee-keepers have_^ 



A GOOD REPORT FROM THE HOLY-LANDS. 



I should like to know why D. A. Jones has " decid- 

 ed to drop both Syrian and Holy-Land bees," as you 

 state on p. 660. 1 have one thing' against Holy-Laud 

 bees — the queens are too " awfully " prolific. We 

 live on a point on the shore of Lake Erie, where our 

 bees have only one way to go for honey. Ten years 

 ago our black bees averaged 20 or 30 lbs. of extract- 

 ed honey per colony. Then we got the Italians, and 

 they would average 50 lbs. per colony, of extracted 

 honey, in good seasons. Two years ago this summer 

 we got two choice Holy-Land queens from Mr. D. A. 

 Jones's island -bred queens. We have one of those 

 queens yet, from which our apiary is stocked, most- 

 ly crossed with Italians, and we have colonies that 

 gave us over 100 lbs. this summer. 



Low Banks, Ont., Oct. 18, \¥8L I la Michener. 



HONEY FROM THE POPLAR; A TEASPOONi'UL FROM 

 A SINGLE BLOSSOM. 



Bees wintered last winter very well. As far as I 

 can learn, about 10 per cent were lost. The first 

 pollen was gathered Feb. 19, from dandelion. The 

 oldest bee-men do not remember when pollen was 

 gathered so soon in this State. I never saw such a 

 crop of wild dandelion. Some of the fields were al- 

 most covered with the yellow bloom. The bees 

 gathered honey from it in April. The sugar-trees 

 furnished more honey this year than I ever knew 

 them to before. The honey from fruit-bloom was 

 light; but when the poplai-s opened, the first of May, 

 there was a boom for certain. Honey from that 

 source lasted eight days longer than I ever knew it 

 to before. I saw single blossoms that contained a 

 teaspoonful of honey, and in the evening at that. I 

 have read about poplar-blossoms containing a tea- 

 spoonful of honey, but I confess I thought it was 

 exaggerated. I think fully four-fifths of the poplar 

 honey was lost for want of more bees to gather it. 

 White clover and basswood were almost a total fail- 

 ure. 



GOOD HONEY FROM APHIDES. 



The honey pi-oduced by aphides was wonderful. 

 It was mainly found on pear-trees. In fact, I didn't 

 see any on any thing else, but some of my neigh- 

 bors saw it on the white-oak leaves. It was so abun- 

 dant on the pear-trees that it would drop off in such 

 quantities as to stand in little pools under the trees, 

 and continued so for three weeks or longer. ThR 



leaves of the trees were so exhausted by the aphi- 

 des that they turned black. Honey from this source 

 was not genei-al, but confined to localities. The 

 honej' was whiter than poplar honey, and equal to 

 it in flavor. I gave Rev. Mr. Kippey, our minister, 

 several pounds, and he thought it the best honey he 

 oversaw. My product was 60 lbs. per colony. My 

 best colony gave 100 lbs. ; my weakest one, 25 lbs. 

 Surplus honey, all comb honej'. The average yield 

 in this State, so far as I can learn, is about 2) lbs. to 

 the colony. I did not get any natui-al swarms. I 

 have heard of but four natural swarms in this coun- 

 ty. L. H. Wilcox. 

 Farming-ton, Marion Co., W. Va., Oct., 1884. 



Friend W., I am very glad to hear that 

 this statement regarding poplar is indeed so. 

 I, like yourself, feared it was an exaggera- 

 tion. 1 am glad to know, too, that some of 

 the honey from the aphides is fit to eat. Pro- 

 fessor Cook intimated as much, you know ; 

 but I am sorry to learn that there is a pros- 

 pect of aphides doing much injury to our 

 fruit-trees. Your report is pretty fair, but 

 you did not tell us how many colonies you 

 keep. 



FELON CURES— IS IT THE TURPENTINE OR TURNIP, 

 OR BOTH? 



I am young in bee culture, but old in the practice 

 of botanic medicine and hj'giene,— -using such medi- 

 cine, modes, and means, as will assist Nature in re- 

 moving disease and restoring natural action to any 

 part, or all parts of the human system. Having, 

 while young, learned the properties and use of most 

 roots, herbs, barks, water, vapor, fresh air, light, 

 and electricity, I have never had any use for the 

 " Regular" depleting and poisoning system of treat- 

 ment. 



Will Mr. K. (page 673, Oct. Gleanings), chew a 

 little of a green wild turnip, and then say "that no 

 turnip has any thing to do with the cure "? While 

 quite young I used to make a salve of equal p?.rts 

 of lard, fresh wild turnip, and swamp - hellebore 

 i-oots, that would stop the pain and cure the felon. 

 My mother used to keep and use spirits of turpen- 

 tine as a " cure all." I have used it for felons and 

 other forms of disease with success. I believe I 

 was the fli-st, many years ago, to stop the pain and 

 cure a felen with lobelia. In my next I may tell 

 you how it saved my life while in the army. Also 

 my experience with bees and honey on the march 

 through Geoi-gia. 



Surplus honey has been almost a failure with 

 many here this year. D. Tyrrell, M. D. 



Toulon, Stark Co., 111., Oct., 1884. 



Thank you, friend T. Since you speak of 

 it, I do remember that the Indian turnip has 

 energy enough to bring tears to the eyes of 

 any one who may be daring enough to taste 

 it, so no doubt iD helps. ^Ve all know that 

 many kinds of aches and pains are cured by 

 a liniment that will attack the skin witli suf- 

 ficient energy to make it smart briskly. 

 Toothaclie niay often be cured by holding 

 cayenne pepper on that side of the mouth. 

 Very likely two substances that are both 

 good might do still more good if used con- 

 jointly. So here is the secret of this felon 

 cure— two good remedies used together. 

 Perhaps it may be well to bear in mind that 

 this felon business is a little out of place in 

 a bee-journal. The proof-reader suggests, 



