514 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



our heavenly Father has blessed all our under- 

 takings. Now, dear sisters in the ladies' de- 

 partment, let us be liberal, and give to the 

 cause of Christ as well as to spend for our own 

 good. Mi{s. Eaa Hole. 



Riplevville. O.. Mav 20. 



Heads of Grain 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



PROSPECTS NEVER HETTER THAN NOW: HOW 



THE ITAEIAXS CA.MK OX'T AHEAD 



IX THE RACE. 



The prospects for a honey crop were never 

 better than now. The season has been a little 

 backward, with considerable chilly weather. 

 We had no pollen until April (5. ajid our colonies 

 were very weak — mere nuclei. I lost 30 from 

 starvation. 'We had no swai'ms last year. The 

 Italians fared much better than the blacks, and 

 nearly every one of those which perished were 

 blacks and hybrids. 



GLEANINGS OF 8 YEARS AGO AND GLEANINGS 

 OF TO-DAY. 



While looking to-day at a section I bought of 

 you eight years ago, I took it out of a wide 

 frame. I thought to myself. " What a change I"' 

 for it looked rough and dark compared with 

 what you make ncnv. And while looking at 

 Gleanings to-day I see your subscription list 

 is about three times as large as when I first 

 subscribed, or more, and still increasing. When 

 Ernest got married you stated that you had a 

 '■ sicarm in winter." I had a notion "right then 

 to ask you if you had given it foundation. I 

 see you did, for Ernest keeps right with the 

 bee-business, and I think a good bee-man is 

 awake to every invention. I am pleased that 

 you are so mindful as to illustrate those things, 

 for the most illiterate can read pictures. I 

 would say. that the prospects for fruit, hay. 

 and cereals, are excellent. E. B. Morgan.' 



Lucas. la., May 27. 



H.\TCHING OUT QVEEN-CELLS IN THE POCKET. 



It is doubtless no novelty to you. but it may 

 possibly be interesting to some of the readers of 

 Gleanings, that I succeeded in hatching sev- 

 eral tine Italian queens by cutting out the cells 

 and keeping them in a small box in my pocket. 

 The cells were, of course, capped over "before I 

 took them out. I do not know any thing about 

 handling bees, excepting what I learn from 

 your ABC. and the little experience of this 

 spring; but I am trying to save my Italian 

 queens, and know of no other way practicable 

 for me. "H. G. Otis. 



Clifton, Va., June 1. 



[Friend O., the same thing has been done be- 

 fore, and is described in our back volumes. A 

 shallow tin box— a tobacco-box for instance- 

 seems to be what is needed. Put in a little^ soft 

 cotton, to keep the cell or cells from tumbling 

 about. Then put the box in your inside vest 

 pocket, keeping it so close to your body that it 

 will remain just about the temperature of your 

 body. Such a queen-nuisery will do very well. 

 It is always at hand for examination: and 

 when you Hnd a liive that needs a queen, the 

 queen is right with you without running after 

 ner. lam inclined to think the idea ought to 

 be in use more than it is.] 



ly through the following winter. The next 

 year they grew strong, but did not swarm. The 

 second year they cast one good swarm. Last 

 year, while located at Fredonia. Kan., the two 

 colonies both swarmed in Api-il. In the IoIIdw- 

 ing months both the original colonies and their 

 April swarms cast swarms, so that, in the fall. 

 I had nine colonies of beautiful Italian bees, all 

 from the one queen and one pound of bees. 

 Last year I sold nearly ?.50.(X) worth of bees and 

 honey, and retained two colonies with which to 

 begiii business here in a new home. My two 

 colonies seem to be rapidly increasing, but have 

 not yet cast a swarm. I fear this locality is not 

 favorable to bee culture. N. V. Mooke. 



Yates Centei'. Kan., ]\Iay 25. 



and bore a hole 

 bottom. Then 



A neat wire staple instead of a heavy 



STONE TO hold THE COA'ER DOWN. 



For some years I have used heavy stones to 

 hold my covers down to keep the winds from 

 blowing them off until I got sick of that. I now 

 tise a wire i^ent as shown, tlu- width being % 

 in., and the liMigth lii in. | But the lengtli 

 may be varii'd. Take an awl 

 a little slanting from the _ 

 stick in tlie wire on each side of the hive. They 

 work all right, and do away with lifting a stone 

 every time I want to examine a hive. 



Ben. Franklin. 



Franklinton. N. Y., May 22. 



[Very good, friend F.; but isn't it a big nui- 

 sance to be i)ulling those staples out and put- 

 ting them back in again? The first Simplicity 

 liives were hinged, and a little hook fastened to 

 the cover like a box or chest.] 



HAS TO STOP BEE-KEEPING BECAL'SE BEES 

 DESTROY FRUIT. 



I have been tliinking I must stop Gleanings 

 because I can't ke(^p bees here, they destroy so 

 much fruit. I kept one stand ovei'. They have 

 swarmed five times, and are now all bringing 

 in honey from the sage. But before the ripen- 

 ing of fruit I have to kill them. They are my 

 pets, and I hate to kill them. I will inclose a 

 dollar for Gleanings. I must have it a little 

 longer. 



TANGLE -FOOT CLOVER. 



I inclose a slip of what they call "tangle-foot 

 clover." It is in blossom five or six months, 

 and tlie bees work on it from morning till night. 

 The mountains in this part of the country are 

 covered with it. It you ever come to California 

 again while I live. I want to see you. When 

 you were at El Cajon you were only ten miles 

 from me. I am now 73 years old, and preach 

 twice every Sunday. A. Bixby. 



Dehesa, Cal., May 1. 



sitting down to work THE HUBBARD 

 SECTION-PRESS. 



I note what you say about having to stand up 

 to work my section-press. Please set the ma- 

 chine on the floor, and, after ari-anging a seat 

 the right lieight. sit down and go to work, and 

 see how you like it. I fully appreciate the com- 

 plimentary notices you have given the press. 

 G. K. Hubbard. 



Fort Wayne, Ind., May 20. 



AN APIARY FROM A SMALL BEGINNING. 



Four years since, in July. I bought of you a 

 queen and one pound of bees. They lived "nice- 



LOOFT's HOME-MADE SECTION-FORMER: AN 

 EXCELLENT MACHINE. 



I want to bear my testimony to the excellence 

 of the section -press described in Gleanings, 

 May 15. invented by C. G. Looft. I made one, 

 and it is a daisy. Ithink it amply pays me for 

 one year's subscription to Gleanings. 



Fulton, INIo., May 27. H. S. Huggett. 



