8U2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



It has been pretty well proven that there are 

 several in a hive. If such a colony be divid- 

 ed into three nuclei, each of the three vv^ill 

 continue to show evidences of laying work- 

 ers. If you wish to restrict the number of 

 drones in a hive, use nothing but worker 

 comb. You can cut out the drone-cell in 

 ^he combs and insert worker if you like, but 

 it would be rather expensive with a large 

 number, and perhaps unnecessary. 



ONE WHO HAS NOT MADE A FORTUNE AT BEE- 

 KEEPING; AVANTS TO SELT. OUT. 



T AM somewhat discourag-cd iu the bee-business. 

 flf 1 commenced three years ag-o with five colonies, 

 ^t which I bought foi- $~'0, thinking- 1 could malie 

 ^ a fortune in a few years. My stocli increased 

 double the first year, and I thought I was doing 

 first rate in that line. But I never got any honey. 

 I brought them through the winter and spring suc- 

 cessfully. Now, thought I, I shall malie it this year. 

 In time they commenced to swarm excessively. My 

 stock increased, and some took to the woods. The 

 spring passed off with no honey, and none in the 

 latter part of summer. They then commenced to 

 swarm again. My hopes were for fall honey; but 

 it was too dry and no honey, though my stock went 

 into winter quarters in good condition, and I 

 thought I should surely make it next year. The 

 spring of 1888 came, and they commenced to swarm 

 again, and have been swarming all the year. We 

 have still no honey of any consetjuence, yet I have 

 30 odd colonies in good condition, and am out nearly 

 iflOO for bees and supplies. If I had a family it 

 would break me up; but I am a batchelor, and I 

 suppose I can stand it. But I am getting discour- 

 aged, and want to sell out. The honey is what I am 

 after now, and not so many bees. S. A. Kiersey. 

 Fort Smith, Ark., Sept. 10, 1888. 



Friend K., from your own statement 1 

 feel pretty certain that our expert honey- 

 raisers would go into your locality and get a 

 big crop. Your bees would not swarm un- 

 less they gathered honey ; and most of our 

 veterans would, under such circumstances, 

 manage to repress swarming by some means 

 or other ; and I think you yourself will very 

 soon get the upper hand if you do not get 

 discouraged and sell out. I never knew the 

 time when bees swarmed excessively when 

 I could not get honey by good management. 



This has been the poorest season I ever knew for 

 honey and swarms. Lots of bees will die this winter 

 unless fed. What little honey we got was strong 

 and dark. Charles E. Hardesty. 



Connotton, O., Sept. 27, 1888. 



disgusted with bee-keeping. 



Please don't send Gleanings. I am disgusted 

 with the whole bee-business. I have spent four 

 times as much money as I ever made out of it, and 

 I can't aftord to spend any more. L. G. Yeager. 



La Fayette, Ind., Sept. 4, 1888. 



Very likely, friend Y., it may be best for 

 you to give up bee-keeping ; but please bear 

 in mind, that this life gives us many experi- 

 ences just like yours in almost every indus- 



try or undertaking. How many are there 

 who have gone into farming with just about 

 the same resultV Gardening, small-fruit 

 raising, ])oultiy-keeping, and, in fact, al- 

 most any industry dependent on the mar- 

 kets, the weather, etc., are liable to give 

 just such results; and this is why it be- 

 hooves us to commence lirst on a small 

 scale, enlarging as we acquire experience 

 and ability. 



A HE.WY HURRICANE IN CUBA, AND ITS EFFECTS. 



A heavy hurricane passed over this part of Cuba 

 the night of Sept. 4th. Four out of ten of our bee- 

 sheds were blown down. These aggregated about 

 200 feet in length and 13 feet wide, and were covered 

 with heavy tile. About 20 hives were so badly 

 splintered and broken that nothing could be saved 

 from them but kindling-wood and wax. About 30 

 others were overturned and more or less broken ; 

 and although they lay under the debris from 36 to 60 

 hours, fully exposed to robbers, yet the most of 

 them have been saved so far. Mr. Dussacj's direct 

 loss will be hundreds of dollars, and the entire 

 apiary more or less injured atacritical time of year. 



Havana, Cuba, Sept. 15, 1888. O. O. Poppleton. 



And so, friend P., even if you are exempt 

 from frost and snow you are subject to hur- 

 ricanes ; and even in Cuba, M^here flowers 

 bloom the year round, bees are sometimes 

 guilty of robbing, as well as with us. 



Kep@^w? ENcea^^6iN6. 



ANOTHER BASSWOOD BELT IN MINNESOTA, ETC. 



T HAVE noticed the difference there is in localities 

 (df in regard to the honey-flow— some encouraging 

 ^t and some discouraging reports, while here in 

 -*■ cold, frozen Northwest Minnesota we have had 

 a good fair yield of honey the past three years 

 that I have been keeping bees. It seems to me we 

 are blest with about as many different honey-plants 

 as any locality I know of. About the first that bees 

 work on is willow and soft maple. Early in May 

 the dandelions commence to bloom; pastures and 

 roadsides are covered with these yellow flowers. 

 Next, but not least, comes white clover, which usual- 

 ly commences to bloom about the first of June. 

 There is no place that I have seen that will equal it. 

 It usually lasts till basswood is over. This we have 

 here in abundance. It blooms from the Ist to the 

 10th of July, lasting from 7 to 10 days. Talk about 

 the great basswood region of Wisconsin ! I believe 

 the great basswood belt of Minnesota, known as the 

 " Big Woods," is equally good. It densely covers 

 nearly four counties. F. B. Jones. 



Howard, Min.. Sept. 7, 1888. 



honey from CUCUMBER. 



We have 500 lbs., mostly cucumber, capped honey, 

 that is fine; 300 lbs. of extracted. Sykes & Son. 

 Pinckney, Mich., Sept. 28, 1888. 



My bees are strong, and are making "lots" of 

 honey now. T. H. Kloer. 



Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 13, 1888. 



encouraging from ALEXANDER FIDDES, THE IN- 

 VENTOR OF THE ONE-PIECE SECTION. 



My bees are booming. I got over 2000 lbs. in 

 sections since the 30th of August, and still booming. 

 Centralia, 111., Sept. 20, 1888. A. Fiddes. 



