1888 



GLEAN"INGS TN BEE CULTURE. 



23 



32 LBS. OF JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT FROM h^ LB. 

 OF SEED. 



I purchased ]4, lb. of Japanese buckwheat of you, 

 and I have 23 lbs. of nice clean buckwheat. The 

 bees worked well on it; and if all is well, T will sow 

 Six acres next year. J. M. Kinzie. 



Rochester, Oakland Co., Mich. 



11 BUSHELS OF JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT FROM 4 

 QUARTS OF SEED. 



I had 4 quarts of Japanese buckwheat, which I 

 sowed on poor ground. I got a big growth of straw, 

 and 11 bushels of buckwheat. It did a great deal 

 better here than silverhuU. Bees worked on it just 

 as well. Sixty pounds of Lester's celebrated ground 

 bone was used. Charles M. Underwood. 



Otego, Otsego Co., N. Y. 



EVERYBODY WANTS SEED OF THE JAPANESE. 



I want to tell you of that Japanese buckwheat. 

 From 3 lbs. purchased of you, with no extra care, 

 and on poor ground, I harvested 430 lbs. of reclean- 

 ed buckwheat. Everybody who sees it wants some 

 for seed. I do not think the hot weather hurts it 

 any. This was the poorest season for buckwheat 

 in many years in this vicinity. F. W. Dean. 



New Milford, Pa. 



JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT SUPERIOR TO THE 8IL- 

 VERHULL. 



I will say of the Japanese buckwheat purchased 

 of you, that, owing to the very dry weather, but 

 very little of it came up; but what did come, made 

 a good growth and yielded heavily, while the silver- 

 hull variety did not mature a single grain, and it 

 had as good a chance as the other. I can not say 

 as to its honey-producing qualities over any other, 

 as I was unable to find a bee working on either 

 kind. If it does yield nectar it will no doubt be 

 better than any other variety, owing to its bearing 

 such a profusion of blossoms. M. W. Shepherd. 



Rochester, O., Nov. 13, 1887. 



It is a little singular, friend S., that in so 

 many cases bees have neglected to work on 

 buckwheat during the past season. They 

 have paid but little attention to it with us, 

 and it was certainly not because they found 

 forage elsewhere. 



BEES BOOMED ON THE JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT. 



I noticed you want reports from those who have 

 tried Japanese buckwheat. I would state that, 

 from 3!4 lbs. I purchased of you last spring, I have 

 three seamless sacks full. I sowed the 3^ lbs. on 

 about J4 acre. I sowed it the first of June, and it 

 came up nicely; but a month without rain kept it 

 back, so when it was six inches high it began to 

 blossom. Just then it rained, and rained frequently 

 after that, so it grew over 3 ft. high, andmany stalks 

 were over half an inch through. It ripened uneven- 

 ly, some ripe and shelling off before I cut it, and 

 some yet immature when cut, and much carried off 

 and buried by gophers. Bees boomed on it every 

 day till eleven o'clock, except when raining. 

 Grain was as nice as that we sowed. I can not com- 

 pare it with other kinds, as this is all that has ever 

 been raised here. I shall sow twice (early and late) 

 next year. Andrew Craig. 



Empire, Butte Co., Dak. 



JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT AND RAPE. 



I sent to you for a sample of Japanese buckwheat 

 (4 oz.), Aug. 6th. I planted a spot 4 x 34 feet, and 

 gathered 1^4 lbs. from it. Was that a good yield? 



At the same time, I planted a little more land in 

 rape-seed (of friend J. H. Ellis, who got it of you). 

 The rape is still in full bloom, and the bees are 

 busy on it. I think my bees will be in good con- 

 dition for winter. J. M. Harris. 

 Cedartown, Ga., Oct. 23, 1887. 



We should be very glad indeed to get more 

 reports in regard to rape, both in regard to 

 the value of the seed, and for honey. 



]\[0¥Ef5 KU) QaERIEg. 



BEES KNOW COLORS. 



T HAVE had about the same experience as Mr. R. 

 (^ Robinson. I allow my chickens to run about 

 ^l among the bee-hives as they choose. Some- 

 '*' times one gets stung. Last summer, among the 

 six hens attacked by the bees were four black 

 ones and two dark-colored. We keep about 40 

 chickens, and most of them are light-colored, some 

 white. 



This has been a very poor season. I started last 

 spring with eight colonies, of which I divided four; 

 three of the rest did not make any surplus at all. I 

 bought six colonies. Colony No. 10, with a select 

 queen from A. I. Root, made 103 lbs. of extracted; 

 colony No. 4, 97 lbs. ; colony No. 14, 102 lbs. ; colony No. 

 15, 107 lbs. ; colony No. 9, 45 lbs. comb; colony No. 12, 

 36 lbs. of comb, etc. I have to report, 99 lbs. of 

 comb honey and 636 of extracted. I have 18 strong 

 colonies. Paul Peine. 



Martinsburg, W. Va., Dec. 21, 1887. 



THE EXTRA FRAMES AFTER CONTRACTION. 



When contracting to secure comb honey, what is 

 done with the extra space, or how are the bees kept 

 out of it? Henry Willson. 



Clinton, 111. 



[The extra frames are given to nuclei, or are 

 placed in the upper story of a strong colony. The 

 space left after contraction is filled with dummies, 

 or division-boards designed for that purpose. See 

 A B C of Bee Culture or any of the recent text- 

 books, for further particulars.] 



FOUL brood; MORE OF IT IN OHIO. 



I have been fighting foul brood for two seasons, 

 the worst way; but I will not cry " enough " until 

 I am whipped, and then I will tell you. I do not try 

 to save any thing but the bees; for if I do it keeps 

 breaking out. I have been spraying with a solution 

 of carbolic acid this season, with better results. 



Hudson, O., Sept. 9, 1887. E. B. Blackman. 



[Friend B., I am very sorry indeed to know that 

 you have foul brood so near us. I had hoped there 

 was comparatively little of it in the State of Ohio. 

 Do you mean the disease keeps breaking out when 

 the hives have been boiled or scalded?] 



THE SIMMINS non-swarming SYSTE.M. 



I should be glad to hear reports from those who 

 have tried Simmins' non-swarming system, or plan 

 of placing a story filled with empty frames or 

 starters below the brood-nest when running for ex- 

 tracted honey, with one or more stories of empty 

 combs above. Is it a success? H. P. Langdon. 



East Constable, N. Y., Nov. 31, 1887. 



[Friend L., there is very little difficulty in prevent- 

 ing bees from swarming where we are running for 

 extracted honey; but I think the empty space 

 would do more good above the brood-nest than be- 

 low it. I believe that storing below the brood-nest 

 has been but little practiced in America.] 



