244 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



x\PR. 



ALABAMA. 



W. V. W. Duke, Nettleborough. S. W. .-t^O. 



a. At least two-thirds are in fine condition; b. promising; c. 

 new honey has just commenced coming In. 



.J. M.Jenkins, Wetumpka. C. ;i-20. 



a. 90 per cent; b. good; c. new honey coming in for 10 days 

 past. Flow is moderate, not much in excess of quantity used 

 in brood-re.nring. etc. 



ARIZONA. 



J. L. Gregg. Tempe. C. 3-18. 



.1. 9.5 percent; V). magnificent ; eyes. I could today take 50 

 gallons from 100 hives. 



lALiroRNIA. 



Wm. Muth-Rasmussen, Independence. E. 3-21. 



a. Probably 100 per cent; b. very good; c. bees are working 

 on willow. 



COLORADO. 



Mark W. Moe, Denver. N. 3-22. 



a. I think fully nine-tenths, if not 95-100, have wintered well. 

 I have not had time to hunt around much ; b. good. 



CONNECTICUT. 



Daniel H. .Johnson. Danielsville. E. 3-20. 



a. I think ninc-teiitlis; b. can't sa.v at this date. 



L. C. Rot.t. Stamford. S. W. 3 19. 



The terrible storm which has just visited us has proven very 

 di.sastrons to bees in S. W. Conn., which must, of necessity, 

 greatly i-educe the honey crop. 



for brood-rearing. I returned from Lake Worth yesterday, lati- 

 tude 26 degrees A minutes north, visited all apiaries accessible 

 from the river. Bees are in excellent condition at all points. 

 Swaiming in some localities 80 miles south. Bees in this lo- 

 cality are further advanced at this season than for two years 

 previous. 



A. B. Dawson, Narrows. E. C. 3-22. 



a. All— no loss; b. good, so far as we can judge; c. new honey 

 is coming in; flow nonnal. 



ILLINOIS. 



Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria. C. 3-20. 



a. 90 per cent; b. fair. 



Dadant & Son, Hamilton. W. C. 3-16. 



a. No loss of Ijcfs to speak of, except by starvation. Perhaps 

 there is one-lifth of loss, if we include the careless apiarists' 

 bees, Carclul apiaiists have lost but few; b. prospect of 

 white-clover honey is rather slim, as plenty of clo\-er was 

 killed by drought in 1887. 



C. C. Miller. Marengo. N. 3-15. 



;i. 90 percent: b. fair. 



Frank Howard. Fairfield. S. 3-21. 



a. Seventy-five per cent, all wintered on summer stands; b. 

 too early; can't tell; c. pollen, and little honey from maple. 



INDIANA. 



J. A. Burton, Mitchell. S. C. :J-'22. 



a. Ninety per cent; b. white clover is all dead; further, I can't 

 say. 



I. R. Good, Nappanee. N. 3-15. 



». About two-thirds of the bees have wintei-ed; b. not good; 

 white clover is badly winter-killed. 



I.N'DIAN TERRITORY. 

 G. C. Stokely, Arnoldville. S. 3-19. 

 a. Too late to make up estimate; b. good; c. none. 



IOWA. 



.1. M. Shuck, Des Moines. C. 3-16. 



a. About 26 per cent out of doors, and about 95 per cent in 

 cellars; b. good. 



Oliver Foster, Mt. Vernon. E. 3^16. 



a. Seventy per cent; b. clover seems scarce. 



Z. T. Hawk. Audubon. W. 3-17. 



a. Probably 85 per cent; b. too early to predict. Bees are all 

 in winter quarters yet. 



.J. W. Bittenbender. Knoxville. S. E. 3-17. 



a. Loss is 60 per cent out of doors and 5 per cent in: b. fair; c. 

 no honey or pollen. 



Eugene Secor, B'orest City, N. 3-15. 



a. 'This question can not be answered in this latitude as early 

 as April 1. All colonies are or should be in cellar; and with- 

 out a complete overhauling (impossible) no one can tell what 

 will be the spring " round up;" b. same is true of this ques- 

 tion. 



KANSAS. 



J. B. Kline, Topeka. E. C. 3-25. 



a. The loss in wintering in 1887 and '8 will be a very small 

 percentage; b. our season is opening very early, and looks 

 very favorable for a good honey crop; c. no new honey to 

 speak of, although bees are very busy, and will soon start pol- 

 len and honey g:ithering, as the early flow will soon develop. 



B. F. I'hl, Holing. E. 3-20. 



a. Eighty per cent; b. good; c. no new honey. 



J. E. Stanley, Wichita. S. C. 3-15. 



a. From 90 to 95 per cent, all on summer stands; b. good; c. 

 a very little. 



KENTUCKY. 



.1. p. Moore, Morgan. N. 3-17. 



a. Bees have wintered well so far as I have been able to as- 

 certain— 95 per cent, perhaps; b. the season is not far enough 

 advanced to give an intelligent answer, but we expect a fair 

 season; c. no honey yet. 



Johns. Reese, Winchester. C. 3-20. 



a. About 95 per cent of bees that went into winter quarters 

 areO. K. now; b. prospects good as ever, at this season, for 

 crop; c. honey and pollen in very small quantities, from 

 water-maple. 



LOUISIANA. 



P. L. Viallon, Bayou Goula, S. W. 3-16. 



a. Prospects are ttne; b. so far the flow has been sufficient 

 only for brood-rearing— due, I have no doubt, to unusual cold 

 spells lately. 



J. W. K. Shaw, I^oreauville. S. C. 3-17. 



a. All, if not dead from starvQ,tioi) or wyrnjs. Tlje pAst suiji- 



mer and fall was very dry ; honey crop short; many colonies 

 starved in the winter; winter cold and wet; rain daily; b. 

 good. China is nearly in bloom, white clover very promising; 

 c. little. We have not noticed, so far, any honey, although 

 live oak, willow, and other trees are in full bloom. 



MAINE. 

 C. W. Costello, Waterboro. S. W. :{-20. 

 a. Seven-eighths; b. good. 

 John Reynolds, Clinton. S. W. 3-20. 

 a. About 95 per cent, in 6 apiaries: b. good us usual, perhaps. 



MARYLAND. 



S. Valentine. Hagei'stown. N. W. 3-15. 



a. Bees have wintered well so far. 1 suppose 90 to 95 per cent 

 are still living; b. the prospect is good. Bees have not been 

 carving any pollen yet; too cold. 



JUSSAI HUSETTS. 



J. E. Pond, No. Attleboro. S. E. 3-15. 



a. Nearly if not quite two-thirds; b. it is early yet to state 

 with any degree of accuracy; but judging from "precedents, 

 shown by the appearance, the prospect of a honey crop during 

 the coming season is good, 



E, W. Lund, Baldwinville. N. C. 3-19. 

 a. Would say one-half; b. very good. 

 A. A. Sanborn, Westfleld. S. W. 3-22. 

 a. Nine-tenths ; b. fair. 



MICHIGAN. 



George E. Hilton, Fremont. W. 3-15. 



a. About 90 per cent; b. good. 



A. J. Cook, Lansing. S. C. 3-13. 



a. I think 90 per cent have wintered thus fai-. Bees are now 

 generally kept in Michigan by those who read and study, and 

 so winter with less loss; b. we can onl.y guess at prospects for 

 next year. Poor last ; good next. 



James Heddon, Dowagiac. S. W. 3-14. 



a. One-half of bees are dead; b. poor i)rospect for 1888 crop. 



R. L. Taylor. Lapeer. W. 3-15. 



a. Eighty per cent; b. below the average. 



H. D. Cutting, Clinton. S. W. 3-17. 



a. About 80 per cent; b. prospects are always good at this 

 time. It is the dry seasons that fail. No pollen as yet. 



T. F. Bingham, Abronia. S. W. 3-15. 



a. Nearly all, 90 per cent— unusually well ; off year for ba.s.s- 

 wood; and clover we are not sure was not injured by last sea- 

 son's drought. We expect an average honey-yield. Open 

 freezing weather now may injure clover some. 

 MINNESOTA. 



Bright Bros., M.izeppa. E. 3-19. 



a. About 95 per cent; b. good. The loss on bees up to date is 

 very light ; but if you were to ask this question six weeks later 

 the answer would be altogether different. 



W. Urle, Minneapolis. E.G. 3-20. 



a. As far as my information extends, the bees are in good 

 condition; not niany losses up to date; prospects are good for 

 a hone.v crop. Clover is yet covered two feet deep with snow, 

 which keeps the clover all right. No bees taken out of winter 

 quarters so far as heard from. 



jllssissiPPl. 



Oscar F. Bledsoe, Grenada. N. 3-17. 



a. About 90 per cent; b. no indication that it will not be as 

 good as usual; c. a small quantity from peach, plum, and 

 other early bloom, 



MIS.SOURI. 



Jno. Nebel & Son, High Hill. E. C. 3-20. 



a. Nearly one-half; b. for ,i clover crop, good, though bees 

 are very weak to build up in time to be ready for the flow. 



S, E. Miller. Bluffton. C. 3-19. 



a. About 96 per cent, to the best of my knowledge; b. fair; 

 c. bees arc gathering pollen,. nnd rcrliaps a little honey, from 

 soft maple, March 17. Thi> ahuve refers only to our own apiary; 

 will try to send . iiinm;u izcd statcitient of reports from various 

 important .apiaries in my section next time. 



E. M. Hayhurst. Kansas City. W. 3-17. 



a. Two-thirds; b. one-half per colony; c. no new honey yet. 



NEBRASKA. 



Jerome Wiltse, Fall City. S. E. 3-17. 



a. About 80 per cent; b. the prospects arc favorable; c. noth- 

 ing is yet in bloom. 



J. M. Young, Rock Bluffs. E. 3-20. 



a. Not far from 65 per cent, caused by starvation; b. very 

 favorable ; c. no honey to come in until apple-blossom. 



NEVADA. 



E. A. Moore, Reno. C. 3-19. 



a. Over two-thirds; b. good; c. very little at present. 



NEW HAMPSHIRK. 

 J. A. Bachelder, Keene. S. 3-20. 



a. Too early to estimate; been very cold ; no chance to ex- 

 amine bees; b. can not tell; snow is three feet deep. 



NEW JERSEY. 



Watson Allen, Bernardsville, N, C. 3-20. 



a. From 85 to 88 per cent; b. fair for white clover, which is 

 the main crop in summer. 



NEW ME.MCO. 



Wm. H. Newcomb. Silver City. S. W. 3-19. 



a. I do not know of any bees in this locality; think there 

 are some at Las Cruces and La Mesilla. about 100 miles distant, 

 in Dona Ana County. I should think bees might do well here 

 if handled intelligently. 



NEW YORK. 



P. H. Elwood, Starkville. C 3-17. 



a. Bees will be out of cellars just about in time for next re 

 port; 1 expect average wintering; b. ground is well covered 

 with snow, and clover ought to winter well. Full blow of 

 basswood last year, and can hardly expect as much this year; 

 expect average crop. 



F. Boomhower, Gallupville. E. C. 3-20. 



a. About 90 per cent; b. good ; c. no honey yet. 



G. M. Doolittle, Horoiiino. C. 3-15. 



^. iVbout nin^teeu-tweutjeths; b. good for clover; oft" year 



