1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



853 



went into that scheme. Here in Ohio the 

 weather changes almost every two hours, 

 especially in the spring ; but as it is, we have 

 had very much better success where the en- 

 trances were left all winter, open full width, 

 than where they were nearly closed up, as 

 was for a time so strongly recommended. 



CLOVER FOR STOCK, ETC. 



I know of no other person whose information I 

 would rely upon in preference to yours on the fol- 

 lowing questions: 



Is there such a thing as white-clover seed in the 

 market? if so, where can it be found? What does 

 it cost per lb.? Will clover grow in pasture lands 

 where there is some shade, in Ohio? Will clover 

 produce honey if it grows in Ihe shade? Is it not 

 good for stock to graze upon? How much buck- 

 wheat do you put on one acre of good land? I 

 should like to try the white clover and buckwheat 

 here in Texas. J. H. Roderick. 



Dodd City, Tex., April 7, 1888. 



Yes, sir, you will see white-clover seed 

 advertised in every issue of our price list, 

 which see. Clover is sometimes raised in 

 an orchard, especially where the trees are 

 small. Where the trees are large, it doesn't 

 amount to much, for the trees take the 

 strength from the ground, and the shade is 

 also a detriment. The smaller the trees, 

 the more honey the clover will produce ; but 

 with very large trees you would get very lit- 

 tle clover and very little honey. White 

 clover is proverbial for its goodness for 

 stock, and it has been said that the honey 

 contained in the blossoms helps to make 

 sweet milk. No doubt this is true. You 

 will see by our price list we usually sow 

 about three pecks of buckwheat per acre. 

 Half a bushel is a great plenty, however, of 

 the new Japanese, as it branches out so 

 much. 



CARRYING OUT BROOD AND YOUNG BEES. 



My bees yesterday were engaged in throwing out 

 brood and young bees. Some of these were dead, 

 but many were still alive at dark, but were helpless. 



J. T. Gaines. 



Crescent Hill, Ky., March :i7, 1888. 



The brood which you say your bees were 

 carrying out was evidently that which 

 was chilled during the snap of cold weatlier. 

 It not unfrequently happens early in the 

 spring, when brood-rearing has progressed 

 to any extent in the hive, that a spell of cold 

 weather will come, causing the l)ees to con- 

 tract to their winter-quarter's nest, leaving 

 the l)rood high and dry, as it were. This 

 brood, of course, dies; and as soon as warm 

 weather comes again, the bees carry it out 

 and deposit it at the entrances, as you saw. 

 If you had examined closely the young bees 

 you would doubtless have found them de- 

 fective in wings or something else. 



THE OPEN-SIUE SECTIONS. 



Much is being said about four-side openings in 

 sections. Theoretically there is much to support 

 it. There is no question about the free intercom- 

 munication between all parts of the super being an 

 advantage if it can be secured without too much 

 cost. As the size of sections has been diminished, 

 it has been a mooted question whether it did not 

 impair the production of honey. That it did do 



this is manifested by the efforts made to dispense 

 with separators and to invent separators which by 

 perforation or by open meshes secured free inter- 

 communication. The claims of those opposed to 

 the non-use of separators are largely based upon 

 this idea. 



The four-side openings for sections have not been 

 generally tried, nor can they be, by those who use 

 separators, without special provision in the con- 

 struction of the latter, simply because the open- 

 ings in each section are but half bee-space, and 

 the separator comes Hush to the section. 



Charlottesville, Va., Mar. 3, 1888. J. W. Porter. 



The points you make are good ones, friend 

 P. Those who have been working without 

 separators can try the open-side sections, 

 without any trouble. But very likely the 

 greatest Ijeiiefit from the open-side sections 

 will be where separators are used. During 

 the present season we presume we shall 

 have plenty of carefully conducted experi- 

 ments in reference to this matter. 



SPRING DWINDLING, AND WHAT CAN BE DONE 

 FOR IT. 



I put up 11 colonies last fall— 7 in chaff hives, 4 in 

 American — all on summer stands. I have lost 

 several in American hives, but never in a chaff hive 

 until this winter. The bees were Hying during 

 warm days the same as the rest, and as strong, until 

 Friday last, when I noticed they were not flying. I 

 thought immediately there was something wrong, 

 as it was one of my strongest colonies. To my sur- 

 prise I found the bottom of the hive so thickly 

 covered with dead bees that it was impossible for 

 them to get out. They were moist, so I cleaned 

 them away. I found the colony strong, yet about 

 one-half of them I should judge were dead. They 

 had plenty of natural stores, both capped and un- 

 capped. I did not find the queen with the dead 

 bees. Saturday I noticed the rest were flying, and 

 in the hive a dozen or so of the weak and sickly- 

 looking bees were crawling about the entrance. 

 What is wrong with this colony? and what is the 

 remedy? I noticed last fall that the cappings were 

 all of a very blue color, but still the rest in the same 

 apiary are all right. 



I lost one colony last winter entirely with exactly 

 the same symptoms as this, but in an American 

 hive, so I should like to prevent this in the future 

 if I can. Would it not be a good plan to have a per- 

 forated tin slide at the entrance to prevent spring 

 dwindling? S. R. BrinEk. 



North Springfield, ()., Mar. 13, 1888. 



Friend B., your bees seem to have the real 

 genuine ortliodox spring dwindling ; but I 

 do not believe the honey with blue cappings 

 has any thing to do with it. This is very 

 often the case with stores that winter out- 

 side of the cluster of bees. Some years ago 

 myself and others felt a good deal troubled 

 aliout the result ; but by careful observation 

 we are satisfied the honey is just as good 

 as any. The blue color seems to be occasion- 

 ed by" a sort of mold that covers the capping 

 when the hive contains moisture, or is ex- 

 posed to dampness, or to a long spell of 

 damp weather. Fastening your bees in 

 the liives at such times will only aggra- 

 vate matters. A warm sunshiny day that 

 permits them to fly is the only remedy. 

 Years ago, in our back volumes a cold- 



