520 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



dilticiilt matter of itself, unless we have 

 tlu'in in nuclei, and used as needed, lint, 

 if we are (■orreci, no (jueen can demonstrate 

 what she is s^od for without a big colony 

 of bees to help lier. On this account some 

 have maintained that, if we would put the 

 poor (lueen into a large colony, she would 

 become a good one, and vice versa. After a 

 queen has been tested, liowever, for several 

 months, we can tell pretty nearly whether 

 she is up to the average or not. Our queens 

 do not, cis a rule, lay much beyond the sec- 

 ond season. 



AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM OUR 

 JAMAICA CORRESPONDENT. 



THK OOSl'HI. MINISTUY AND IJKK-KKEPING A SUC- 

 CESSFUL COM lU NATION. 



fill END ROOT:— My littlo apiary has furnished 

 im; some iionpy and a great deal of pleasure 

 during- the past few months. The bloom of 

 the oransj-e. Cliff te, and mang-o has prodnecd 

 most of the hoii(\v to date. A severe drouth 

 cut oH' the honey-flow for a time, but the bees are 

 bejjinning- to work again. The honey season will 

 close here about .luly 1st, I am told. 



The gospel ministry and bee culture combine 

 well. The prudent minister will have his sermons 

 for Sunday ready by Friday night. Saturday is not 

 a good day to make calls, and the minister needs 

 menial rest and bodily recreation preparatory to 

 his important work on the Lord's day. All this he 

 can get in the apiary. In my absence ray wife cares 

 for the bees; and when wc are both absent the 

 good neighbors look after " minister's" bees. 



AltE BBES MOKF, PAIITIAL TO A BLACK MAN? 



Do bees attack black more readily than white ob- 

 jects? My servant William is black. He aids me in 

 e.\tracting, and gets about as he pleases. When the 

 bees buzz about his face he rolls up the whites of 

 his eyes, and grins until he displays two rows of 

 ivory, reaching almost from ear to ear. He escapes 

 without a sting. I get several, and I am not black 

 either. My observations lead me to the opinion 

 that bees, when disturbed, attack the first moving 

 or strange object they see, without regard to color. 



THE STINOLESS BEES Oi' THE ISLAND. 



Not long since, when on the south side of the isl- 

 and, 1 found a stingless bee. If memory serves me 

 rightly, Gosse, an English naturalist, classifies 

 them as -Ipfs Trigona. They generally build their 

 nests in hollow trees, but sometimes they can be 

 seen hanging from the branch of a tree in the form 

 of a jug. They have yellow bands of fur, but are 

 uot as large nor as graceful in form as the Italian. 

 When on the wing their hum is quite distinct from 

 the black or Italian bee; and when sipping nectar 

 they make a buzzing noise as if thrilled with joy. 



I immediately began to search for a swarm, and, 

 to my joy, I soon found one in a hollow tree. As I 

 had no cutlass, and had but little time to spare, I 

 could not investigate as I desired. I learned, how- 

 ever, that their nests are made of a substance re- 

 sembling brown paper; their comb is irregular, and 

 their honey is quite inferior to the honey of the 

 black bee. The Spaniards call them " angelitos " 

 (little angels) because they have no sting. 



THE RED ANT A BEE-ENEMY. 



We have a red ant here which is very destructive 

 to bees. When full grown it is five-eighths of an 



inch long, has long legs, its movements are quick, 

 and it is armed with a pair of powerful mandibles, 

 and jaws containing si.x teeth on a side, three above 

 and three below. They are shrewd in warfare; and 

 when the enemy is the stronger, they delay an at- 

 tack until reinforcements arrive, sometimes from 

 a distance of forty rods. They are very fond of 

 honey, and will flght like Spartans. When suffi- 

 ciently strong to make an attack they will kill an 

 ordinary swarm of bees in a single night. They 

 live mostly in dry bamboo joints, but will live in 

 old buildings, splits in trees, or any jilace where 

 they are kept dry and are sufficiently secluded. 



I read your article on small sections with interest. 

 I have not the means at hand for experimenting, 

 but why not press them from pasteboard? They 

 make small boxes and pails very cheap, and why 

 not make section boxes? .T. W. Jenkins. 



Providence, Jamaica, W. Indies. 



Friend J., we are very glad indeed to get 

 your report, and especially what you say in 

 regard to the stingless bee! We have before 

 lieen told that the stingless l)ee would be of 

 no account, even if it could stand our win- 

 ters, and your report seems to further cor- 

 roborate it. — This mattei' of making sec- 

 tion boxes of pasteboard has been often 

 talked about ; but at present, thin wood is 

 so very much cheaper that we can not very 

 well consider pasteboard. Another thing, 

 I believe the bees would be more apt to in- 

 jure the appearance of pasteboard. 



FARM MACHINERY. 



DISC HARROWS, TtlEAD-POWERS, SILO-CUTTERS, 

 AW HAY-LOADERS. 



fUIEND ROOT:— Do you remember, a year ago 

 you walked across my boggy low plowed 

 ground, and remarked, " You ought to have 

 the Disc harrow for this"? Well, that led to 

 the purchase of the harrow, and I believe it 

 paid for itself in the one year. This year I got the 

 " Clark Cut-away," and find that better than the 

 Clark Disc. Here the discs are cut into, or broken, 

 so the Cut-away harrow does most excellent work. 

 I think it indispensable on any farm where sod is 

 ever plowed. What a pleasure to work on plowed 

 sod, and not tear any up! and what a pleasure to 

 work on very tough sod, and fit it very quickly for 

 the seed ! I also bought a Morton tread-power last 

 year. This works admirably, does all my grinding 

 of feed and cutting of material for the silo; and, as 

 I always have horses to use, it is very inexpensive. 

 I have wondered why this tread-power would not be 

 just the thing for bee-keepers. It can be put under 

 shelter, and furnishes double the power that we 

 can get from one or two horses, as the case may be, 

 by sweep power. Now, these are so governed that 

 they are entirely safe, and they are not hard for 

 horses. I use colts on mine. 



Since writing on the silo I have been asked by 

 several what cutter to buy. I can only say that I 

 have tried five, and have purchased the Smallcy. 

 This works admirably. My tread-power runs it 

 easily. It cuts very fast, and has a carrier that will 

 carry straight ahead, or to the right or left. Of 

 the five that I have tried this is decidedly the best. 



While upon this subject I wish to speak of the 

 Keystone loader. I purchased one last year, and it 



