1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



7H8 



sides having a heavy express bill to pay. 

 Mr. Hitchcock did write a letter, with an 

 apology, to the effect that his pigs got the 

 " blacK-tooth,"' or something, and all died. 

 When we tried to hunt him up, the post- 

 master informed us tliat Mr. H. hadn't call- 

 ed for his mail for a long time, and nobody 

 knew what had become of him. And now 

 it transpires that another friend, Mr. S. 

 Whann, of Raymilton, Pa., had a similar 

 correspondence, and sent him some bees, 

 which he took from the oftice, but that was 

 the last that was heard of hini. If any of 

 the readers of Gleanings can tell us any 

 thing more about Mr. Hitchcock, we shall 

 be very much obliged to them. We have 

 settled with our friend in Texas ; and if our 

 good friend Mr. Whann will tell us how 

 much we owe him for once more making a 

 blunder in accepting advertisements, we 

 will try to make good his loss. 



1 am not sure, dear friends, but we shall 

 have to give notice at the head of our Ex- 

 change Department that we can not be re- 

 sponsible for misunderstandings, disagree- 

 ments, or disappointment resulting from 

 any transaction that may grow out of offers 

 made in this department ; and we are going 

 to take more pains than we have been doing 

 to see that none but good men get their 

 names into this department. If our friend 

 Hitchcock meant to do right, but has been 

 unfortunate in other ways than with pigs, 

 we should be glad to give him a liearing and 

 a helping hand. We think, however, he 

 should either answer letters himself or get 

 some other friend to do it for him. If he 

 has become bankrupt, let him come out 

 squarely like a man, and own up. Any 

 thing gives people a better impression than 

 neglecting to reply to those he has wronged. 



HONEY FHOM GALLS. 



WHITE AS BASSWOOD, AND FLAVOR EXCELLENT. 



'HEN I wrote of g-alls a few days since, 1 did 

 not know that I was treating a subject of 

 special interest to bee-keepers. To-day I 

 received a very interesting letter from 

 Franklin Wilcox, Mauston, Juneau Co., 

 Wis. He sends me a twig of the scarlet oak (Qwer- 

 cim Coccinea). On the end of several of the buds 

 are dai-k-brown seed-like bodies, which, when ex- 

 amined, prove to be galls. Each gall is hollow, 

 and within is the little larval gall. Like all gall 

 larviT? of the cynip family, it is white with a brown 

 head. Now hear what Mr. Wilcox says: 



"I take the libert>" of sending you some samples 

 of oak buds that are yielding fine clear nectar in 

 considerable quantities. When stored in combs, it 

 is as white as basswood honey. It dries up in the 

 middle of the day, but in the morning it oozes 

 from the end of the buds (really the end of the 

 galls) in such quantities that it hangs in drops ns 

 large as can be dropped from a bottle. When the 

 twig is jarred by wind or other cause, the drops 

 fall. It is most abundant on thrifty trees." 



This is a very interesting matter. I hoi)e to rear 

 the gall-producing fly, that we may know to what 

 insect we are thus indebted. I can taste the honey 

 pr nectar plainly on the twig, and it seems excel- 



lent. I do not know why Mr. Wilcox may not have 

 it again, though he thinks he will not. The galls 

 are not going to die this year, surely. I shall try to 

 get more galls and a specimen of the honey for 

 analysis. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



THE HONEY SEASON IN ILLINOIS. 



THE VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF HEART'SEASE 

 AS A HONEY-PLANT. 



HEN I read that foot-note in Gleanin(3S for 

 Aug. 15th, to the effect that "the season is 

 now entirely over for honey," 1 felt like 

 sitting right down and giving you a piece 

 of my mind, as well as some information 

 in regard to the honey-yield we were expecting in 

 this part of Illinois. On reflection, though, I decid- 

 ed that it was a mistake which would be corrected 

 soon enough without any aid from me. Besides, I 

 thought that peihaps I had better not announce 

 the coming of the honey before it was here. It had 

 begun to look as though flowers had forgotten how 

 to yield honey. They had deceived me so often 

 that 1 scarcely dared trust any of their promises 

 until I saw the fulfillment, and looked with a half- 

 doubtful though hopeful eye on the banners of 

 promise raised everywhere by the hosts of heart's- 

 ease. 



Rightly were you named, O heart'sease! You 

 have brought ease and comfort to the heart of 

 many a poor bee-keeper, almost despairing under 

 the burden of successive seasons of disappointment 

 and failure, for the honey is here. Once more the 

 perfume of nectar fills the air of the apiary, and 

 the hum of the heavy laden bee sounds as sweetest 

 music in the ear of the honey-producer. Let us but 

 have favorable weather, and we shall yet gather a 

 good crop of honey. 



From all reports, I should judge that the early 

 yield was better here than in some other places, 

 though it was little enough here. White clover 

 yielded almost nothing, though in some places it 

 was quite abundant. Basswood yielded well for 

 four or five days, l)ut there is so little basswood in 

 my neighborhood now that it did not amount to 

 much. Still, it was the first time I have ever been 

 able to secure any considerable quantity of bass- 

 wood honey unmixed with that from other sources. 



Sweet clover yielded more than any other plant 

 up to the middle of August, but the honey was not 

 of as good quality as usual, as it was mixed with 

 that from various other plants. 



All summer I had been expecting a good fall yield 

 from heart'sease, and in this I was not disappoint- 

 ed. The bees began to work on it Aug. 30th, though 

 it had been in bloom for some time. In four or five 

 days the hives were rapidly filling with honey; and 

 though the weather has been unfavorable since, as 

 it is getting very dry, with some days almost too 

 cool for the bees to work, some strong colonies 

 have stored over 50 lbs. of honey. The honey is of 

 excellent quality— not comparing, of course, with 

 the best white clover, but thick, light-colered, and 

 of good flavor. 



This modest and unassuming plant has thuscomo 

 again to our rescue, and given us a very good share 

 of a honey crop afler cvei-ji thino else harl failed. It 

 we should have a good rain, followed by a couple of 

 weejis of hot or even reasonably warm weather, we 



