678 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUBE. 



Sept. 



of section also helps me in deciding- what queens to 

 supersede during the next season, for on it I keep 

 QUite a record of when the colony swarmed, how 

 much honey it made, etc. After having the bees 

 prepared as above as to honey for winter, they are 

 to be snugly tucked up in their chaff and sawdust 

 cushions at any time before the first of November, 

 when most convenient, where they are left undis- 

 turbed till spring, unless a chance to tiy is given 

 by the appearance of a warm day in mid-winter, 

 or my curiosity so overcomes me that I must peep 

 in and see them. In this way my loss in winter is 

 much less than it formerly was. 

 Borodino, N. Y. G. M. Doolitti^e. 



Friend D., our method of determining 

 the amount of stores needed for winter is 

 exactly like the one you give, although I do 

 not know that we nave ever mentioned it 

 before. I have known some enthusiastic 

 ABC scholars, however, who made pretty 

 bad work at guessing that their colonies had 

 sufficient. I am inclined to think that they 

 omitted to use the scales first, until they 

 knew pretty well by the looks and ])y the 

 handling how much a frame of honey 

 would weigh ; and this is one reason why 1 

 like metal corners— we can go through the 

 hives very rapidly, and guess at the num- 

 ber of pounds in a frame, without lifting 

 each comb more than a quarter of an inch 

 from its metal bearings. That is, there is 

 no prying loose of the end-bars. But in re- 

 gard to the amount of honey or sugar syr- 

 up required, we have never yet had the 

 colony, that 1 know of, that needed 25 

 pounds, and rarely one that needed 20 

 pounds. Perhaps our warmer climate iu 

 Ohio has something to do with it; but I 

 should say that 20 pounds is ample (that is, 

 20 pounds of stores sealed up) for a very 

 heavy colony ; and for a great many of the 

 colonies we" winter safely outdoors in our 

 chafE hives, we allow only about 15 pounds 

 of sealed stores. Please bear in miud, that 

 15 pounds of sealed stores will ordinarily go 

 further than 20 pounds of feed just put in 

 the combs.— Your plan of making syrup for 

 winter suits us exactly ; but as we have had 

 excellent success without putting any hon- 

 ey in at all, nor any thing else to prevent 

 granulation, I can not believe it is necessa- 

 ry after alL If we use sugar syrup and 

 nothing else, we are absolutely sure there 

 are no germs of foul brood in it. Where we 

 use honey, unless we know just where it 

 comes from, we may be in danger of getting 

 into a fearful trouble.— I like your record 

 that is to remain right iu the hive, much 

 better than any system of book-keeping ; 

 but I think I would use a little slate in- 

 stead of a piece of section. The writing 

 may be plainer, however, on the piece of 

 section, and it -eaves the trouble of rubbing 

 out marks on the slate. A nice piece of 

 wood, white and smooth, has a tidy, pleas- 

 ant look ; and when it is not wanted any 

 more, you can burn it up and get a new 

 fresh-looking one in its place. Friend D., 

 we are just a little bit anxious, a good many 

 of us, to know whether you have got a crop 

 of honey this year or not, as you have al- 

 ways managed to have, no matter what may 

 have been the fate of the rest of us. 



PROP. A. J. COOK. 



A BRIEF SKETCH BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



8EFORE you read this, read the picture. If it is 

 at all like the print here before me, no one 

 who has seen the man need be told that it is 

 Prof. Cook; and those who have never seen 

 him will be able to recognize him anywhere 

 after seeing the picture. Wives are apt to be 

 critical about such things, and Mrs. Cook pro- 

 nounces this picture good. After all, it has not 

 the usual expression seen on Prof. Cook's face. I 

 suppose a photographer couldn't get that. This 

 picture looks as he does when carefully explaining 

 some fact; for at such times, if deeply interested, 

 he has an earnest, and at times almost stern look. 

 The usual expression, however, even when talking 

 on scientific subjects, is of a more joyous order, 

 as of one overflowing with good will toward all 

 men, and bubbling over with good nature. The 



PUDF. A. .1. COOK, OF THE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL 

 COLLEGE. 



old saying is, " Laugh and grow fat; " and in spite 

 of being overworked. Prof. Cook has the appear- 

 ance of being very well fed. He is of medium 

 height, with dark hair and beard, and erect figure. 



The well-known initials, A. .1. C, stand for Al- 

 bert J. Cook. He is a native of the State in which 

 he resides, having been born at Owosso, Mich., 

 Aug. 30, 1843. That makes him 46, but he hardly 

 looks it. His parents were Christians to the core; 

 and the daily reading of the Scripture to which 

 young Albert listened, with comments by his fa- 

 ther,was reinforced by a daily e.vample which tallied 

 well with the teachings he heard. He was by no 

 means rugged in health as a child, and his poor 

 health caused him one of the sharpest disappoint- 

 ments of his life, when he was obliged to lay his 

 studies aside for a year during his college course. 



