1888 



GLEANIKGS m BEE CULTUKE. 



UU-! 



her. You see, slie will raise queen-cells 

 rifiht along, and at the same time keep her 

 colony populous ; and these queens will 

 stand a very good chance of perpetuating 

 this same valuable trait. The matter has 

 been written about several times, but I have 

 never heard of anybody succeeding in per- 

 petuating a strain of queens possessing this 

 peculiarity. If she was the best laying 

 queen in your yard, this is an additional 

 reason why you should have set a high value 

 upon her. Now, please notice carefully and 

 see if some of her queens do not do this very 

 same thing. I believe I would give more to- 

 day for such a queen as you describe than 1 

 paid for that half-pound of Grand Rapids 

 lettuce-seed. 



I^EP0^¥g ENC©a^^6iN6. 



rJOO LBS. TO THE COLONY. 



0UK bees have doue well this fall. There are 

 stands ill my home apiary that have made 

 200 lbs. of honey. Wc had two years of 

 drought in Texas before last fall set in, and I 

 never was so surprised to find them doing- so 

 well. I will give you a rei)ort when I get through. 



B. Cbudginoton. 

 Breckenridge, Tex., Dec. 7, 1887. 



POLLEN IN .FANUAIIV. 



The Tar-Heel bees are bringing in pollen plcnti- 

 fiilly to-day from the lag-aldcr, and one of your 

 thei-momeiers registers .''G" in the house, in a room 

 where no fire has been biiice morning. It is now 

 ■,'.;?0 I*. M. How's that I'or .ratuiaryV 



Abdot'I' L. Swi.NSON. 



Goldsboro, N. C, Jan. 7, 1888. 



•fl.OO PEK HIVE, BESIDES IIONEV KiiU TAP.I-E. AND 

 WINTER STOKES FOK HEES. 



Bees gave (besides honey for the table) about $1.00 

 per hive, surplus honey sold, with enough for win- 

 ter. We feel thankful, in view of so many who 

 fared worse. About a third of our colonies swarm- 

 ed and were returned, as we did not want increase. 

 E. H. McClvmonds. 



Templetou, Pa., Dec. 27, 1887. 



Pi'Sti FROM BEES IN 1886, AND ONLY 80 GTS. FROM 

 THEM THIS YEAR. 



My bees will surely bring me something next 

 year. I have 40 hives in good shape for winter, and 

 doing well so far. Last year I got *230 from my 

 apiary; this year I sold 80 cts. worth of honey. 



W. H. RiTTER. 



North Springfield, Mo., Dec. 26, 1887. 



100 LBS. PER COLONY. 



1 think my report of bee culture will have to go 

 into Reports Encouraging. I have wintered in the 

 cellar for three winters, as the snow drifts so hard 

 here that we can not keep them on summer stands. 

 I set out 4 colonies last spring, all strong. I in- 

 creased to 12 by both natural and artificial swarms. 

 and took 1.50 lbs. of extracted and 2.')0 lbs. of comb 

 honey, making 100 lbs. per colony. 



All of my supplies came from your house, and 



have given general satisfaction. The queens and 



pounds of bees ordered fi-om you have done well. 



J. RorsE. 

 Camden, Lyon Co., Minn., Dec. 31, 1887. 



NOT A CANninATE FOR BLASTED HOPES. 



I had good success in moving 48 colonies eighteen 

 miles on wagons. Only one comb broken down 

 from the whole lot. Mut they are in bad shai>e for 

 winter. If I bring ten through the winter ;i shall 

 do well. But I am not going into Blasted Hopes. 

 Oh, no 1 I am a clear grit. If they all die I will buy 

 again. D. N. Cummer. 



Florence, Ont., Can., Dec. 28, 1887. 



1450 LBS. OF HONEY FROM 20 COLONIES. 



In Dec, 1886, I shipped 22 colonies from Alabama 

 to Texas, and lost two in transit. One more did no 

 good. I had seven swarms. They all ran away. 

 This was in .Tune. The first of July the honey-har- 

 vest conuuenced, and lasted six weeks, in which 

 time I took 14.50 lbs. of honey; 200 lbs. of this was 

 comb honey. T. J . Gross. 



Unitia, Tex., Dec. 24, 1887. 



has sold 25,000 LBS. OF HONEY. 



I am a bee-keeper, not the poorest and not the 

 best. I have 60 colonies now, which is the increase 

 of 22 which I had in the spring. I have sold 2.5,000 

 lbs., and have some on hand yet. I intend to make 

 bee-keeping my business, if I succeed in wintering 

 my bees. M. J. Kistler. 



Collingwood, Ind., Jan. 9, 1888. 



I presume, friend K., you mean that the 

 25,000 lbs. of honey is the total amount you 

 have secured while you have been keeping 

 bees, for you surely did not get it from the 

 22 colonies which you say you had in the 

 spring ; or perhaps you buy and sell honey 

 as we do. 



ONE-HALF BARREL OF HONEY FROM 22 COLONIES, 

 AND INCREASED TO 40. 



The year 1887 has passed, and one more year we 

 must put down as our " bad year." I started with 

 22 hives, spring count. Here is what I made: Half 

 a barrel of rather good honey; 24 one-pound sec- 

 tions, and increased to 40. The year opened up 

 with the very best of prospects. Spring came a 

 month earlier than usual, and every thing looked 

 bright and cheerful for Louisiana, and I must add 

 here that every thing turned out well except hon- 

 ey. C. K. SCHWING. 



Plaquemine, I-a. 



4000 LBS. OF HONEY FROM 98 COLONIES. 



The past winter and summer has not been a very 

 good year here for bees and honey— only about half 

 a crop, and a loss of one-half to three-fourths of 

 the bees, with some a loss of all their bees. I started 

 in last winter with 100 colonies. I lost but two coto- 

 nies in the chaff hive through the winter, and the>' 

 were each second swarms, and should have been 

 doubled up: but as they made me just the one 

 hundredth colony, I would not double them up; so 

 I lost them. If I had doubled them up. probably 

 I should have wintered without a loss of a single 

 colony. I have to-day 119 colonies, ami took S!{00 

 lbs. of comb and 700 lbs. of extracted honey. I 

 got no surplus from young swarms. My honey is 

 all sold but about 2.50 lbs. of extracted. 1 had one 

 of the largest bee-keepers to see me a short time 

 ago. He and his sons had 500 colonies last winter, 

 and lost, by spring, 200. Another neighbor lost 80 

 colonies. T feel proud of my apiary, and can truly 

 say it is the nicest and best lot of hives in our 

 county, and so say every one who sees them. 



Honesdale, Pa., Jan. ;i, 1888. F. Britenbaker, 



