844 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



over the State of Ohio, without doubt. 

 Neighbor H. has a pond that was excavated 

 for watering cattle. Fish thrive in it, for he 

 has kept what we boys used to call "bull 

 heads "' in a similar pond for several years. 

 Our pond is just about the size of tlie one 

 friend E. mentions. Neighbor H.'s is about 

 twice as large. It seems to me, if I were 

 going to allow stock to drink from such a 

 pond, I should want some arrangement that 

 would keep them from wading in it and de- 

 positing tilth. Perhaps some of our friends 

 who have experience in this matter can tell 

 us how to manage it. Peacli-trees around a 

 carp-pond would be a (U'li^- lit ful featiu-e. 1 

 wonderif the carp would fat on ripe peaches. 

 providing they were kind enough to drop in 

 the water; and will planting peach-trees 

 along the margin of a Ijody of water protect 

 them from the frostV Perhaps we are 

 branching out pretty well for a bee-journal ; 

 but probably we shall get around to bees 

 eventually. I think they sometimes get 

 honey from ])each-trees, so you see we are 

 right in line after all. Never mind ; tish are 

 wholesome, and the culture of them is hon- 

 est and praisewortliy. ''Milk and honey" 

 has become proverbial. After Jesus' resur- 

 rection he came among his disciples and 

 asked them if they had any meat. In answer 

 they gave liim a piece of broiled tish, and 

 some honey in tlie comb. See Luke 24 : 41 , 42. 



^EP0i^¥p ENcea^^GiNG. 



50 i-bs. per colony, even during this poor 

 season; leaky honey-cans. 



@TTR report for season of 1884 is mucti tlic same 

 as many others". Locust-bloom yielded an 

 abundance ot honey; clover but very little, 

 basswood almost an entire failure. Tut al- 

 f though it Iwas very dry, our bees g-uthered 

 enough from buckwheat and other fall flowers to 

 winter on, besides giving us 180 lbs. surplus. Our 

 whole amount of surplus honey from 30 colonies, 

 run for extracted honey, was 1571 lbs., making an 

 average of 50 lbs. to the hive; last year's average 

 was 80 lbs. to the hive. Among the many sugges- 

 tions to the juveniles to make themselves useful, I 

 would suggest that at least one in each bee-keep- 

 er's family would learn the tinner's trade; so many 

 of the 2o-lb. cans we received trom you leak that it 

 would be quite an item to have them soldered at 

 home, as we are four miles from a tinner. 



Mus. Bell L. Duncan. 

 Klack Lick, Pa., Dec. 1, 1884. 

 Thank you for your good report, my friend, 

 and also for the kind way in which you take 

 us to task for our leaky tinware. By all 

 means, have a tinner hi 'every bee-keeper's 

 family, but, at the same time, buy your tin- 

 ware bf some one who does not make it so 

 bad as to always need tinkering. That is 

 the advice I shall stick to, even if it does 

 cut off our own bread and butter. More- 

 over, if you or anybody else will tell us where 

 they are out of pocket by getting tinware of 

 us that leaks, 1 will try" to pay it, even if it 

 takes a good deal of mopey. "We will look 

 up the 2o-lb. cans yop speak of, and sift the 

 matter to thp yf y bottom. Every article 



made in our establishment is now tested 

 with hot water, and the hands who test them 

 have been talked to so much I hardly be- 

 lieve they will miss another piece. And 

 while I am on this subject, I might mention 

 that a process of making tinware is just now 

 coming into use, whereby each article is put 

 together by machinery which locks it so se- 

 curely that it will hardly be likely to leak a 

 diop before it is soldered ; but for addition- 

 al security, and to make the article stronger, 

 every joint is soldered, or, better still, the 

 whole article is dipped in melted tin. Since 

 Aug. 1 we have sold 5000 of our nested hon- 

 ey-pails; and if any one of the 5000 leaks a 

 drop I should like to know^ it. Our tinware 

 will soon all be made on this plan. 



A (!()()D REPORT FROM THE PROVINCE OfyUEBEC, 

 AND MY REPORT FOR 1884. 



Tlie bee business in this province has wonderfully 

 progressed within the last three of four years. 

 Previous to that time little was known of movable- 

 frame hives; and no one, as far as 1 know, was ex- 

 tensively engaged in the business. Now there are 

 numbers in this part of the province wlio are quite 

 extensively engaged in bee-keeping, and are mak- 

 ing it a paying business. One man here last year 

 took 4830 lbs. from ,53 colonies, and increased to 93; 

 but this year, from 115 he has taken only about 3000. 

 This has been a very poor season for honey here. 

 Bees did well through May and June; but iu July 

 they did nothing, as it rained about every day. Bass- 

 wood blossomed about the 30th, but the bees gath- 

 ered honey from it only 4 or 5 days. I commenced 

 the season with 9 swarms, all in box hives, 4 weak 

 and 5 strong ones. I transferred them into the 

 Jones hives, and increased to 24, and took 400 lbs. of 

 honey; besides transferring my own, I have trans- 

 ferred 33 this summer, making 31 in all, for other 

 parties, and with good success ; and to the ABC 

 book am I indebted for instructions, as I have never 

 yet seen any one transfer bees but myself. I prac- 

 ticed the method advocated by Mr. Hoot, and also 

 the one by Mr. Doolittle; the latter's method I like 

 better. I bought and read, the past summer, 

 "Cooks Manual," and can truthfully say that the 

 A B C is by far the better book, D. A. Jones to the 

 contrary notwithstanding. J. Kaymond Bull. 



Knowlton, Quebec, Can. 



FROM 3 TO 4, AND 135 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



T send my report of bee culture for 1884. I start- 

 ed with 3 stands; increased to 4 by natural swarm- 

 ing, and got 135 lbs. of comb honey— white clover and 

 buckwheat. Bees are all in good condition for win- 

 ter. I winter on the summer stands, with no pro- 

 tection, e.\cept a mat filled with dry maple leaves 

 set over the frames. 



We are in the midst of a big revival; many souls 

 are Hocking home to Christ. Pray for us, that there 

 may not be one left to advocate the cause of the 

 wicked one. Wm. O. Heivly. 



Friend II., the last part of }^our report is 

 by all odds the most encouraging part of it. 

 Most gladly will I heed your request, and 

 may the good work go on. 



FROM 10 TO 13, AND 200 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



My report for 1884 is 10 hives, spring count; in- 

 crease, 3 hives; pounds of comb honey, 300 lbs 

 Season very poor, cold, and wet. Bees in good con- 

 dition to winter. Jas. H. Bosworth, 



Taunton, Mass., Npy. 17, 18S4. 



