1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



3^9 



wbite clovei-. This April is the driest one I remem- 

 ber. " What will the harvest be?" 

 Peoria, 111., April 'SO, 1888. Mks. L. Harrison. 



1 should like to know if the carriage on your 

 saw-table slides, or is it stationary? 



Birdsall, N. Y. O. E. Burden. 



[The carriage to our cross-cut saw-table slides, or, 

 rather, rides, upon wheels, the latter running upon 

 three tracks. On page i;!8 of the ABC book you 

 will find further particulars in regard to it. On our 

 combined saw-table, the figure 4 slides upon an iron 

 track.] 



PAINTING HIVES. 



Have you had any experience in painting bee- 

 hives with bees in themV Would there be any bad 

 results? W. H. McDougal. 



Sugar Grove, Pa., Apr. ~', 1888. 



[In fair weather you can paint your hives with 

 bees in them just as well as not. When our hives 

 need a fresh coat of paint we put it on in the fall or 

 during that timeofyeai- when the bee-keeper has 

 the most time, and the weather is suitable.] 



acid in sugar syrup. 



Will you please inform me what acid is used in 

 sugar syrup to hold in solution, or keep from be- 

 coming candied, for the purpose of bee-feeding? 



Abingdon, 111., March 20, 1888. J. W. Bays. 



[Tartaric acid is generally used in making syrup 

 for bees, when it is necessary to use acid. Vinegar 

 Is sometimes used. As for ourselves, we have not 

 found it necessary to add any thing to the syrup. 

 Many bee-keepers, however, recommend it— espe- 

 cially Dr. Miller.] 



granulated sugar and sap. 



How will sap from sugar-trees do to mix with 

 granulated sugar, to make syrup to feed to bees in 

 spring? William T. Lewis. 



Utica, 111., March 'M, 1888. 



[Friend L., the sap is all right, so far as it goes, 

 but it contains so little sweet that I do not think 

 you would be able to perceive the dilference— that 

 is, to any extent, between using sap and water. 

 Sap alone, given to bees, fresh from the tree, is 

 somewhat of a stimulant -that is, a littl<' better 

 than feeding them water, if you are interested in 

 this matter, you had better read our little book, 

 *■ Mr. Merrybanks and his Neighbor."] 



lifetime. There has been some speculation to the 

 effect that the queen does sometimes take a second 

 wedding-flight ; but no very positive proof has ever 

 been produced to substantiate it.] 



WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO START AN APIARY? 



How do bees do in Southeastern Virginia, on the 

 James Kiver? Also in Central Mississippi? I kept 

 bees in Wisconsin, but the winters were too hard 

 for success. I am going where I can put my time to 

 that industry. J. T. Kennedy. 



Alexandria, Hanson Co., Dak., March 38, 1888. 



[Friend K., it is very difHcult indeed for us to 

 give any intelligent answer to such questions as 

 yours. Your better way is to write to some bee- 

 man in the localities you mention; or by going 

 over the back numbers of G[>eanings you will tind 

 reports, more or less, from almost evei-y State. If 

 you will read the articles from Dr. O. M. Blanton, of 

 Greenville, Miss., you can form a good idea of his 

 locality.] 



bad SPACING. 



My bees tie the frames all together. What is the 

 cause, and what the prevention? How far apart 

 ought the frames to be? How often does a queen 

 mate? C. M. Farrar. 



Confidence, W. Va., Apr. 37, 1888. 



[Why, friend F., I should judge that your combs 

 were badly spaced. They should be 1?« inches from 

 center to center. If you can not get them together 

 as close as this, shave them down so that they will. 

 One-and one-half-inch spacing will do very well ; 

 but for general purposes, l-'„ is a little better ; and 

 this spacing is preferred by the majority of bee- 

 keepers.— A queen meets a drone only once in her 



Every boy or girl, under 15 years of age, who writes a let- 

 ter for this department, containing some valuable fact, not 



GENERALLY KNOWN, ON BEES OR OTHER MATTERS, will receive 

 one of David Cook's excellent Hve-cent Sunday-school books. 

 Many of these books contain the same matter that you tind in 

 Sunday-school hooks costing from 81.00 to 81.50. If you have 

 had one or more books, give us the names that we may not 

 send the same twice. We have now in stock six different 

 books, as follows; viz. : Sheer Off, Silver Keys, The Giant-Kill- 

 er; or, The Roby Family, Rescued from Egypt, Pilgrim's 

 Progress, and Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. We have also Our 

 Homes, Part I., and Our Homes, Part II. Besides the above 

 books, you may have a photograph of our old house apiary, 

 and a photograph of our own apiary, both taken a great many 

 years ago. In the former is a picture of Novice, Bine Eyes, 

 and Caddy, and a glimpse of Ernest. We have also some pret- 

 ty little colored pictures of birds, fruits, flowers, etc., suitable 

 for framing. You can have your choice of any one of the 

 above pictures or books for every letter that gives us some 

 valuable piece of information. 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



A LITTLE STORY FROM UNCLE AMOS, 

 WITH A PICTURE. 



TTp good many years ago there was a 

 ^1^ man who had loved himself better 

 j^ than he had loved God. You know, 

 ^^ my little friends, that the Bible says 

 that we should love God before every 

 thing else. I do not know whether this man 

 knew about that text then or not ; but if he 

 did, he was too fond of having his own way, 

 and going ahead with his plans, to care very 

 much about it. Yesterday we were plant- 

 iug some raspberries out in the garden. 

 After we got the plants set in tlie furrow all 

 nice, where they ought to be, we took old 

 Charlie (that is one of our big horses) with 

 the cultivator, to throw^ the dirt back into 

 the furrow, back up against the raspberries. 

 Now, in order to do this just right, we want- 

 ed Charlie to walk on top of the furrow, in- 

 stead of down in the furrow. Well, Cliaiiie 

 is a very intelligent horse. lie understands 

 how to do most work almost as well as some 

 boys do. But the ground was very soft, and 

 it bothered him tovvalk on top of tlie soft 

 ground, so he kept getting over into the 

 raspberries, or else getting over into the 

 furrow on the other side. He knew what 

 we wanletl. but was contrary, and he did 

 not like to work where we wanted liim to. 

 Every little while he would try to slej) down 

 wliere it was easier walking, and tlien lie 

 made mischief. If the man who had hold 

 of the cultivator would "holler" at him, 

 and say, ''Get up, there!" he would get 

 right up where we wanted him, but he stay- 

 ed there only a little while. Did you ever 

 see boys and girls who were contrary V They 

 knew what was wanted of them, and what 

 they ought to do, but they very much prefer- 

 red to do something they knew was forbid- 



