2cS0 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURU 



Apr. 1. 



white clover, etc. As it is iiientioned in Glean- 

 ings as a valuable hoiiev-lJlautiu Ensland. and 

 grown there for hay. I think it would be 

 valuable in tlie Eastern States, esp(!cially on 

 lands where other grasses do not succeed. Mr. 

 S. Simmins, of England, mentions the plant in 

 Gleanings, Vol. X.. page 4UU. It would take up 

 too much space here to mention all the good 

 things said about tliis plant. I hope to hear 

 from others in regard to its adaijtability to 

 heavy soils under irrigation. .1. B.' Colton. 

 Gaklen City, Kan., INIarch .">. 



rambler's outside winter cases: yel- 

 low OIL CLOTH instead ()F WOOD 

 FOR OLTTSIDE CASES. 



Herewith find photo of the hive winter cases 

 I described to you. 





In November I pi'epared two Heddon hives, 

 each hive with two cases and a thiv<'-inch rim 

 under the cases. I then covered all with sever- 

 al thicknesses of newspapers, and put over 

 them a hood of yellow oil cloth. This oil cloth 

 is of the same material that oil-cloth coats are 

 made from, and is called " lish brand,"' as it is 

 prepared with some kind of lish-oil. Coats 

 made from this material will turn water much 

 better than an ordinaiy rubber coat, and do 

 not crack in cold weather. These two colo- 

 nies are in splendid condition, though the 

 weather has been quite severe. I give them the 

 entire entrance. This oil cloth can be prepared 

 by the bee-keeper by getting the lish-oil from 

 the manufacturers. I tliink tills is not a new 

 idea, for it has bei'u in use in some apiaries for 

 some time, only upon a different packing. The 

 cost of the oil-cloth case, as I purchased it all 

 prepared, is about :i5 to 30 cts., or 20 cts. if made 

 by the bee-keeper. Rambler. 



[Won't those oil-cloth cases or sacks, after 

 several seasons, get rotten and torn? They are 

 cheap, I know.] E. R. 



PAINTED CLOTH INSTEAD OF TIN FOI{ HIVES. 



Friend Root: — You inquire in Gleanings, 

 " Who lias had lots of experience in cotton roofs 

 for hives? "' My experience is somewhat limit- 

 ed, as I i)urehas"e my hives and use the covers 

 as manufactured: but I have one chaff hive, 

 made as per A B C. on which, iiaving no new 

 cloth handy. I used an old piece of black calico 

 painted with two coats of white i)aint. It has 

 stood out six years: and although the i)aint is 

 all worn off it has never leaked a diop. and the 

 bees have occu])ied it the whole time, it being 

 the only colony I have not been obliged to feed 

 to keep alive. My experience justifies the as- 

 sertion that I would rather ha\e cotton cloth 

 painted than either tin or wood. It is lighter 

 and warmer than tin. and never shrinks or 

 swells, like wood. In Florida, the second floor 



of two-story verandas are frequently covered 

 with 8 or 10 oz. duck, and painted, giving much 

 better satisfaction than wood, as it keeps wat(M' 

 out of the joints, prevents decay, and wears 

 longer than flooring if kept painted. 

 Pecatonica, 111.. Jan. 20. (i. D. Rodgeks. 



[Thanks. These are just the facts we are 

 aftei'. Whom shall we liear from next?] 



A glimpse from FLORIDA: HONEY AND 



ORANGES FROM THE SAME TRI-iE 



AT THE SAME TIME. 



Mr. iJoot.-— Can you gather two crops off the 

 same tree at the same time? We are doing it 

 to-day. While we gathered the oranges, the 

 bees were much more busy gathering the honey 

 from the flowers. Two friends, one from Min- 

 nesota, the other fi'om New Hampshire, helped 

 us. just for the fun of it; and didn't they eat or- 

 anges I The trees are quite full of bloom, and; 

 the bees are just booming. They were so in- 

 tent in getting the sweets that they let us Ivuock 

 them around pretty roughly. Prospects for a 

 big crop are good. This time last year our bees 

 were starving, but now they have lots of full 

 honey, and ai'e storing now more honey than I 

 ever knew so early in the year. 



W. J. Drumwright. 



Sarasota, Fla., March 3. 



CASSAVA — A NEW SOURCE OF HONEY. 



send you a specimen pf cassava honey. As. 

 you are aware, cassava is grown as far north as 

 middle ^lississipjii foi' the root, which is an ex- 

 cellent fond for man and tieast. \\liich lattei' in- 

 cludes hogs, cow s.sheej). chickens, etc. From it 

 is made an excellentstarch, and tapioca is also a 

 pi'oduct. I had quite a patch, and ray bees 

 boomed on it almost like buckwheat. It is in 

 bloom from September till frost, or Jan. 1, at 

 least. I have never seen it mentioned as a hon- 

 ey-i)lant, and I think there can be no mistake 

 as to the source from which it was obtained. 



Irving Keck. 

 Bowling Gnnni. Fla., March 14. 



[Friend K.. I believe you have the credit of 

 being the fii'St one to mention honey from the 

 cassava, and we have no doubt that you are 

 right about it. If we can find plants that pro- 

 duce a regular ai'ticle of commerce, like tapioca, 

 we shall be getting ahead some. Will other 

 readersof Gleanings who live where this plant 

 is in cultivation, please give ns tlieir experi- 

 ence? Perhaps we had l^etter commence using 

 tapioca more largely, thatthere maybe a great- 

 er acreage of the plant grown. Tlie sample of 

 honey is very fair, though a little off in color, 

 and having a faint taste that would suggest 

 honey from the vicinity of the tropics. Alto- 

 gether, however. I think it would compare fa- 

 vorably with lioney from palmetto and other 

 similar sources.] 



boardman's solar wax-extractor: 

 A correction. 



In regard to the solar wax-extractoi- and hon- 

 ey-evaporator, described in Gleanings of Jan. 

 l.'>, make as many as you please. I do not pro- 

 pose to go into tlie supply-business, and shall at 

 most make but a few of the extractors, in an ex- 

 perimental way. 



I noticed in the description two rather mis- 

 leading ei'i'oi'S. On page 50, second column. (Uh 

 line from the top. the description reads, " The 

 lower end of the extractor is covered." It 

 should read, "cornercc?."' The corner is taken 

 off. Again, near the end of the description it 

 reads, "painted a drab color." It should read. 

 " a dark color." H. R. Boardman. 



East Townsend, ()., Feb. 2. 



