751 



GLEAN 1:NGS I^ ilEE CULTURE. 



Oct 



surprise that it was possible to convert 

 starch into sugar, and cane sugar into grape 

 sugar, but that no power of the chemist had 

 at that time enabled liim to convert grape 

 sugar back again into cane sugar. If I am 

 correct, we stand just here still, and it is 

 therefore at present impossible to convert 

 honey into sugar. I have a great many times 

 been "inclined to believe that the operation 

 of candying really changed the honey in 

 some respect. When one gets tired of liquid 

 honey lie can sometimes eat candied honey 

 M'ith relish ; and a great many people say 

 they do not like candied honey at all, when, 

 if you give them the same honey after it has 

 been melted, they pronounce it beautiful and 

 delicious. Even spreading candied honey 

 on hot cakes, if the cakes are hot enough, 

 seems to give it quite a different taste. 

 Now, is it not true that there is at least some 

 sort of a change made when honey is chang- 

 ed to the solid state and vice versa V 



KEMOVING SECTIONS. 



SHALL, WE DO IT EN MASSE OR INDIVIDUALLY ? 



T HAVE just made and tried a small instrument 

 M for removing sections from the T super, and 

 ^l wish to submit a drawing of it for your in- 

 -*■ spection and comments. It is not a very great 

 invention, as you will see. It can be made 

 easily by any one, with a three-cornered file. 



PEUING'S IMPLEMENT FOK REMOVING SECTIONS. 



It is made of steel spring wire, about the size of a 

 common bucket-bail. The coil A is to cause the 

 ends B B to spring outward when not in use, and 

 will easily let go of a section. C C C represent 

 three 4^4X4 14 sections in the T super. D D, T tins. 

 I use the T tins on top also, and when they are re- 

 moved I push the instrument into the spaces made 

 by the T tins, and, pressing the points B B, which 

 are very sharp, into the section C, and by pulling 

 upward, the points B B get a firm hold, and the 

 section is easily and quickly removed. The coil 

 spring A causes it to let loose easily. After the 

 first four sections are removed it is easy enough to 

 remove the rest. But it is a very ditficult job to 

 remove the first four; and one in this locality can 

 not leave the super on the hive until all the sec- 

 tions are sealed, as it is spoiled by the bees running 

 over it too much. With this instrument I can re- 

 move the honey without removing the super at 

 all, but simply apply the instrument, remove four 

 sections, cither in the middle or at the side of the 

 super; shake the bees off, and the remaining sec- 

 tions are more quickly removed and cleared of 

 bees than if the bees are drummed and smoked 



out, and then a "follower" be used. .After the 

 first row of sections is out, the rest are about as 

 easily taken out and crated as to part and crate 

 them after they are taken out en maxgc. 



A. H. Peiun<!, Jr. 

 Clear Creek, Ind., Aug. 6, 1888. 



Your implement in some cases may prove 

 to be very handy. It is true, it is difficult 

 to get every section in tlie crate tilled out; 

 and, if left "upon the hive long enough to ac- 

 complish this purpose, the honey will be- 

 come travel-stained. We should very much 

 prefer to remove all the sections en masse, 

 when the majority of them are capped over. 

 Those not completed can be returned. At 

 the close of the honey-tlow it might be ad- 

 visable to use your implement, to shift those 

 partly finished to the center of the super. 



EXTRACTING HONEY AND FEEDING 

 SUGAR SYRUP IN ITS STEAD. 



WILL IT PAV TO DO THIS WITH HONEY AT 15 CTS. A 

 POUND, AND SUGAR AT 8 CTS.? 



R. ROOT:— I have a notion to extract all the 

 honey from my SO colonies, and feed sugar 

 syrup for winter. I can sell the honey for 

 from 12'2 to 15 cts. Do you think it advis- 

 able ? I could have all extracted and fed 

 up by the 15th of October. Do you think they 

 would " cure " and cap the syrup that late ? Where 

 30 lbs. of sugar makes 28 lbs. of syrup, can we 

 count, in feeding It, the full 28 lbs. as that much 

 stores for winter, or will the bees evaporate it down 

 any ? 1 don't like to trouble you this way, but I 

 want your advice. Wm. M. Young. 



Nevada, O., Sept. 24, 1888. 



Friend Young, I presume there will be 

 some difference of opinion in regard to this 

 matter. But my decision would be, from 

 what I have expeiimented (and from what I 

 have read about the experiments of others,) 

 against it, provided, of course, the honey 

 was sealed up in the combs, or mostly sealed 

 up. In extracting at this time of year it 

 will be impossible to throw the honey all 

 out of the combs. Of course, the bees will 

 clean it up, but this will set them to secret- 

 ing wax, especially in connection with the 

 feeding; and many little bits of comb will 

 be built throughout the hive, causing them 

 to consume enough honey or sugar syrup to 

 secrete wax scales for the cappings, and 

 these bits of comb mentioned. Now, my 

 opinion is that you can not extract all the 

 honey in tlie hive, and feed it back again to 

 the same bees during the month of October, 

 without losing at least a half of it. May be I 

 am putting it too strongly ; if so, I should 

 like to have the Qaestion-Box folks straight- 

 en me up. Twenty pounds of sugar will 

 make 28 pounds of syrup, almost if not 

 quite as thick as honey ; but before the 

 bees get it into the cells, and get it capped, 

 there will be a loss of from one-fouith to 

 one-third tlie whole amount. 1 do not ex- 

 actly know where it goes, unless it be that 

 it takes several pouncls of feed to rouse the 

 bees from their comparatively inactive state 

 during the fall, and get them tilled with 

 honey, ready to secrete wax about as they 



