504 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



piled on top of each other, the air could circu- 

 late clear through under each tier of hives. 



The wire cloth and strips of wood were fas- 

 tened on the bottom of each one of the half- 

 story hives during the winter; and lugs made 

 of sheet iron were screwed to the sides of each 

 one. and left so that a single screw on two sides 

 would fasten them to the hives when ready to 

 ship. 



The bees were taken from the cave, or cellar, 

 the last of February, and placed on summer 

 stands for a cleansing flight: but the weather 

 not being quite warm enough, only a few of 

 them flew, although they were out over two 

 weeks. March 11th the half stories were all 

 placed under the hives, and fastened, except 

 six colonies that began to fly before we could 

 get around to them: and the afternoon of that 

 dav coming oft' vei-y warm, those six colonies 

 had a very thorough cleansing flight. I then 

 thought those were in the best condition of any 

 for the long trip, and I felt that, had I delayed 

 my trip one dav longer, it would have been very 

 ranch better for all of the bees: but now every 

 one of those six colonies is dead, and they were 

 among the very best I had. This has been a 

 verv great surprise to me. as I believed with 

 others, that a cleansing flight just before start- 

 ing them would be very beneficial to them. 



On the 13th they were hauled to the depot, Ifi 

 miles, over one ofthe ronghest roads one could 

 imagine, and loaded in the car. At S a. m. of 

 the 13th they were started, and reached here at 

 5 p. M. on the 21st. and wove all unloaded before 

 daylight of the next day. so that they had a 

 flight on the 22d. and seemed stronger than 

 when I started with them. There were but a 

 very few dead bees in each hive, and I fondly 

 hoped I should be able to save very nearly all 

 of them; but they very soon began to die off in 

 large numbers, and the result has been as above 

 stated. It will be some weeks or months yet 

 before I can demonstrate whether or not it will 

 pay me for the very great expense of the under- 

 taking in removing my apiary to this place, 

 while I have so many interests and cares that 

 need my attention in Windham, N. Y., a little 

 of which Ernest and wife saw while with us 

 last season a few davs. O. R. Coe. 



Fort Collins, Col.. May 26. 



NON-SWARMING BEES 



FOR DOMESTIC ATIOX, AND ITS KESULT. 



In Gleanings, A])ril 1, Mr. Geo. F. Robbins 

 has an article on '• Prevention of Swarming," 

 in which I believe he makes some erroneous 

 deductions. He says: "Mr. F. S. Wallace, of 

 Clayton. 111., like the Dadants, is troubled very 

 little with swarming. I had several of his 

 queens in my apiary last summer, and not one 

 of them exhibited any disposition to swarm, 

 although two of them were run for comb honey. 

 and one of them never saw more than six 

 frames. Such bees ai'e appai'cntlv of more con- 

 tented disposition, less aggressive and enter- 

 piising. and therefore, perhaps, if the truth 

 must be told, of less account than the bees of 

 the opposite klndy 



I believe such bees are of moi'e account. The 

 reason they are more contented is that they 

 have become domesticatefJ and tamed, which 

 renders them more valuable. In time, all of 

 the bees that are being cared for by man will 

 exhibit a quieter disposition, and become more 

 tractable. A wild animal of any kind will ex- 

 pend much of its energy in fretting and rebel- 

 ling against authority. Any one who has ever 

 worked or tried to work a bi'oncho horse will 

 realize how much less valuable he is than a 



gentle domesticated brute. The latter is cer- 

 tainly not less valuable because he does not 

 kick, and show a disposition to run away. Bees 

 that have their hives provided for them gen- 

 eration after generation will in time cease to 

 hunt up new localities, and will quit swarming 

 if they have a fair chance at home. But they 

 will be just as valuable, and more so, for honey- 

 making than their worrying discontented cous- 

 ins. Another change may be looked for. It is 

 one of the facts of domestication, that it follows 

 the law of evolution and carries its subjects 

 from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous. 

 Under its influence, modifications take place 

 and new varieties spring up. Wild turkeys, 

 like wild bees, are homogeneous in color, size, 

 and character. When tamed they undergo 

 variation in all these respects. So it will not 

 be»long — and there are indications of it now — 

 that we shall have red. white, brown, or yellow 

 bees, some strains of which will be much larger- 

 bodied than any at present in existence, just as 

 the bronze turkey is greatly superior in size to 

 his wild progenitors. C. H. Murray. 



Clay City. 111.. Apr. 10. 



BEE-KEEPING AND GARDENING DURING A 

 SEVERE DROUTH. 



a glimpse of a WISCONSIN DROUTH. 



Friend Root:— J received your postal a short 

 time ago, about celery-plants. As much as I 

 need them, I can not get them until we have 

 rain. It is now June 1. We have had no rain 

 this spring yet. Every thing is completely 

 di'ied up — not a gai'den or flower seed growing. 

 Potatoes and corn are not sprouted: grass is all 

 dried up, with every prospect of grain crops be- 

 ing a failure. The ground is dry two feet deep; 

 no water in the river to run mills, and appar- 

 ently the end is not yet. If we get a rain I will 

 send for plants. 



In consequence of the excessive drouth there 

 is no feed for bees. Thei-e have been a few 

 dandelions, but they are about all gone. Frost 

 cut fruit-bloom, and there is not a bit of alsike 

 or white clover growing. I am feeding sugar 

 syrup every other day, to keep them brooding. 

 At present the outlook for honey for the sea.^on 

 is very unsatisfactory. I am not discouraged, 

 as I am able to feed them; but I think many in 

 this part of the counti'y will give it up in dis- 

 gust. Quite a number last winter lost all — 

 others lost heavily. My neighbor lost 20 out of 

 40; I lost none; and if feed and care will do 

 any thing to help it. I shall lose none this year. 



Clintonville, Wis.. June 1. Daniel Noble. 



[The above gives so vivid an idea of what it 

 is to be destitute of I'ain. and without water for 

 irrigation, that I have decided to give it a place. 

 We had a little glimpse of such a state of af- 

 fairs here in Medina. Our plant-beds that con- 

 taini'd lettuce that was just ready to head, and 

 cauliflower almost I'eady to make heads also, 

 with lots of other vegetable crops that cost lots 

 of money (for we spent a good deal of labor in 

 moving sash during these recent frosts), would 

 have gone to naught had not the windmill 

 come to their aid. With hard drying winds 

 and a fierce sun. it seemed as if a tremendous 

 drenching were needed almost every 24 hours. 

 Vie managed to make them grow, however, by 

 a good watering once every other day. It seems 

 to me as if I' never before i-ealized how much 

 water is really needed to" make a crop. Why! 

 with the exception of a shower on the 30th of 

 April we had no rain here from the 11th of 

 April till the 20th of May— a time of all the 

 year when we need it most. On this last date 



