1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



397 



brood - chamber I have the only other principle 

 which will produce the desirable result sought by 

 inversion, and much more perfectly. 



James Heddon. 

 Well, friends, the al)Ove replies are a little 

 singular — especially when we recollect that, 

 not very long ago. "this matter of reversing 

 frames was talked about, not only all over 

 our own country, but in the journals across 

 the ocean, and many imagined it was going 

 to make quite a revolution in our industry : 

 and now it transpires that a great many of 

 our prominent honey-raisers have tried it a 

 little, and some not at all ; and most of the 

 others have dropped it as of no particular 

 account. It reminds me of our old friend 

 Benedict, at the Olao State Fair. lie was ex- 

 hibiting a hive that permitted the frames to 

 be used one side up as well as the other. In 

 fact, any one of the four sides could be placed 

 uppermost, without any difficulty. When I 

 suggested this as a valuable feature in the 

 hive, he said he had never tried reversing 

 them at all— didn't want them reversed, and 

 wouldn't have them leversed. Now, another 

 peculiarity of humanity comes in here. A 

 great many people will finally slip back into 

 the old track, even when a new process or 

 new method is a good deal better— perhaps 

 I should say considerably better, especially 

 if the new way recpiires a little forethought 

 and preparation. When combs get broken 

 loose in the frames, I very much like the 

 idea of placing them upside down, to enable 

 the bees to fasten them securely ; but where 

 the combs are properly wired, I presume we 

 shall seldom have occasion for this. 



Question No. 53. —In localities where white clover 

 has been entirely liilled out by the drought the past 

 summer, and there have heen no fall rains to start the 

 plant from the seed . ii'hat is the prospect for a crop of 

 clover honey next season! 



Bad. 

 Very poor. 



Unfavorable. 



I should say, very poor. 



Dadant & Son. 

 Dr. a. B. Mason. 

 h. r. boardman. 



O. O. POPPIiETON. 



Very poor indeed, I should say. 



James Heddon. 



Very poor; with a dry spring, none. 



Mrs. L. Harrison. 

 As you state it, I should say very poor. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Quite slim, unless there is basswood or fall flow- 

 ers. W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Poor, as far as clover honey is concerned. I don't 

 think white clover will blossom much the first year. 



E. France. 



Pretty poor prospects under those conditions; 

 but you will find that the drought did not entirely 

 kill it. Geo. Grimm. 



My locality is one of those unfortunate ones, and 

 my prospects for the coming season are rather 

 slim. But a favorable spring may help us out con- 

 siderably. Chas. F. Muth. 



If the following sertson should be favoralile, I 

 have no do\ibt but a new crop will appear. I have 

 never known white clover to fail to start when the 

 season was favorable. L. C. Root. 



I much fear for the crop, so far as the white 

 clover is to furnish the nectar in such cases. In 

 the autumn of 1886 we had a great drought here. 

 Last season we had almost no white clover. 



A. J. Cook. 



I never knew the clover to fail to come up every 

 year, though I have seen it so dry that nearly every 

 thing was parched; but I have seen it fail to se- 

 crete honey when the ground was a complete mass 

 of clover-bloom. Paul L. Viai.,lon. 



Prepare for a large crop of clover honey. It is 

 probably not entirely killed out; and if the winter 

 and spring are favorable for both clover and bees, 

 a smaller numlier of flowers well filled with honey 

 may give you a crop. P. H. Elwood. 



Bee-keepers are somewhat akin to farmers— their 

 crops are fre(iuently " all killed out," and yet come 

 in heavy enough to glut the market. If last year's 

 clover was actually all dead, it is not likely that 

 spring seedlings would bloom enough to give a 

 crop of surplus honey. B. E. Hasty. 



If killed early enough, no seed was formed, and 

 the only hope is from seed of previous yeai-s that 

 has lain dormant. 1 should think that would be 

 limited in amount, and I don't know whether it 

 blooms well the first year it comes from seed. I'd 

 give more for the opinion of one good agricultural- 

 college botanist than for the opinions of the whole 

 batch of us. C. C. Miller. 



The sum and substance of the above seems 

 to be that good yields of honey sometimes 

 occur when we do not expect them ; and. 

 on the other hand, they often fail when we 

 do expect them, so many causes affect the 

 matter, both favorably and unfavorably. I 

 do not think the white-clover bloom will be 

 verymitch less in our locality than it usually 

 is. 



Question No. 54.— Is it profitable to the bee-keeper 

 in furnitth buckwheat seed free of charge to all fanners 

 who promise to sow it within a radins of a mile and a 

 half of tfie apiary'/ 



I never thought that it was. Chas. F. Muth. 



Yes, and I much prefer the Japanese variety. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 

 Yes, to a limitc<l extent; probably to the amount 

 of three bushels. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Not in this vicinity, as I never saw the bees get 

 any honey from it here. Paul L. Viallon. 



I should say yes. I would do it to the extent of 

 35 acres for each apiary of Y5 colonies. 



E. France. 



Not in this locality. Not a ]iound of sur])lns from 

 buckwheat have T received for the past ten years. 

 G. M. Doolittle. 



Not on soil like this where buckwheat has no 

 honey at all. Where buckwheat has honey it pays 

 well. Geo. Grimm. 



In many localities it would not. I know of no 

 way but for each bee-keeper to test his own loca- 

 tion. L. C. Root. 



It would not be, in my locality, as buckwheat 

 gives a good yield of honey onl3' two or three years 

 out of ten. E.E. Hasty. 



In some localities it might be profitable, but I 

 abandoned the plan as unprofitable, after trying it 

 several years. H. R. Boardman. 



