1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



523 



Mij. Andeeu, editor of our Spanish excliange, 

 Revista Apicola. speaks of Gi-eamxgs as " per- 

 haps the best apiciiltural journal that sees the 

 light.'" Thanks, friend A. Light is just what 

 we are after. By the way, some of our trans- 

 atlantic friends seem to beas much surprised at 

 the American way of doing things, especially 

 on the part of the "lady bee-keepers, as Colum- 

 bus was when he came here on a picnic in 1492. 

 E pnr si muove (and yet it does move), as Gali- 

 leo Insisted. 



Daksey Grimskaw. in the British Bee Jour- 

 nal, recommends apifuge as a protection from 

 stings, as an excellent substitute for gloves. It 

 did not work witli us. As much as we detest 

 gloves for working among bees ourselves, we 

 should object still more to besmearing our 

 hands all over with ajufuge. When our bees 

 sting, they do so without any preliminaries. 

 They do not wait to reconnoiter and see whether 

 the object wliich they are to sting smells right 

 or is repulsive. They take aim. and go straight 

 to the mark. 



We have just received "A Practical Hand- 

 book of Apiculture." written in the Russian 

 language by Mr. Andrieschiew.of Kiev, Russia. 

 It contains 240 pages, nicely printed on good 

 paper, and is thoroughly illustrated. The price 

 of the book is one rouble, or 77 cents; but the 

 postage on it from Russia was .S1..55. as that 

 country is not in the International Postal Un- 

 ion, or '■ Postal Combine." as some might call it. 

 From France or Germany the postage would 

 not have been over one-fifth of wiiat it was 

 from Russia. We hope our friends in Russia 

 will soon join hands with the rest of the world, 

 in postal affairs at least. 



One of our foreign exchanges, we notice, ad- 

 vises rejecting all combs over foui- or five years 

 old. Ave can not but consider this as unwise. 

 We have some combs that have been in use ten 

 years, and the bees that hatch from them are 

 as nice and large as any we have in the yard. 

 Old tough combs are good stock in trade with 

 us; and while the advice given would boom our 

 foundation trade, it would also at the same 

 time be a serious pull on the pocket-books of 

 the bee-keepers. Has not nature so provided 

 that these old combs shall not get their cells 

 reduced to a size detrimental to the fullest de- 

 velopment of the bees? Such advice, if found- 

 ed cfn an incorrect principle, is serious and 

 damaging. How is this, ye sages of apiculture ? 

 See what Dr. Miller says under Straws. 



We should be glad to have our readers tell 

 what features or departments of the journal 

 they like, in order that we may be guided as to 

 what portions we should give most prominence. 

 Do not be afraid to offer criticisms, providing 

 they are given in the right spirit. A few days 

 ago we received some criticisms flora a sub- 

 scriber, to the effect that the journal was dete- 

 riorating, and that we published communica- 

 tions that are worthless, etc. We were suspi- 

 cious, and finally looked back over some old 

 correspondence. The search revealed the fact 

 that we had rejected manuscripts from our 

 dissatisfi'ed critic. Such critics have but little 

 weight; but criticism from an honest well- 

 wisher goes a long way, and has weight; and 

 we desii-e, as far as possible, to keep in perfect 

 feeling and touch of our subscribers. 



Our new improved Bt^iton shipping and 

 mailing cage will deliver a queen to any part 

 of the United States for one cent postage, and 



the method of introducing has been so perfect- 

 ed tliat we think it will satisfy the most exact- 

 ing. This cage embodies some features of the 

 Dixie cage of J. M. Jenkins, as well as some 

 improvements of our own. dictated by long ex- 

 perience. The directions for introducing are 

 printed on the inside of the cover. These not 

 only tell how to introduce but under what con- 

 ditions. The outside of the cover has the card 

 of the producer, as well as the words printed in 

 big black type. "Queen-bee— deliver quick." 

 Under this is indicated by dotted lines the place 

 for the full address. The cage embodies the 

 results of the work of several minds, and is 

 very near the ne plus idtra of shipping and 

 mailing cages. The proof of the pudding is in 

 eating it. for we mail annually hundreds of 

 queens. 



MR. BALDENSPERGER, AND I). A. .IONES"S REC- 

 OLLECTIONS OF HISI. 



Thk Canrulian Bee Joitrnal co\)\es the arti- 

 cle from Mr. Ph. J. Baldensperger. which ap- 

 peared in our issue of May 1. page 3(5.1. The ed- 

 itor appends a foot-note which we consider to 

 be of such general interest that we coijy it en- 

 tire. To get the connection, please I'efer back 

 to Mr. B.'s article, and then read the following: 



Wlieii we visited Palestine In 1879 and '80. among- 

 the pleasant acquaintances we met at Jerusalem 

 was Mr. Baklenspergei'. We selected him as likely 

 to make the best and most tliorough bee-keeper In 

 that section. He assisted us in making movable- 

 comb hives in a little workshop bek)nging to tlie 

 English scliool. outside the walls of Jerusalem, at 

 the soutliwest corner, near the Tower of Da'\'id. In 

 the garden tliere, belonging to tliis scliool, was trans- 

 ferred from their ancient hives the first colonies of 

 bees. "We recollect when we commenced the opera- 

 tion liow doubtful many of the scliolais were, as 

 well as the teacliers, as to tlie success of oui' under- 

 taking. After we had transferred one or two colo- 

 nies, however, tliey took hold and assisted, exliibit- 

 ing gTeat interest. Mr. Baklensperger has had ad- 

 vantages tliat many have not liad, and lie can give 

 very valuable information in reference to Palestine, 

 or, in fact, about all of that section of country 

 around the Mediterranean Sea. It is pleasant to 

 know that the new mode of bee-keeping introduced 

 in Palestine ten ov twelve years ago is being made 

 good use of, and that, through the influence of Mr. 

 Baldensperger, many have become quite expert in 

 the business. 



OHIO'S BEE-INTERE.STS FOR THE AVORLD'S FAIR. 



The Ohio State Bee-keepers' Association at 

 Toledo appointed Dr. A. B. Mason, C. F. Muth. 

 and J. B. Hains, to look after the securing of 

 an appropriation by the State to provide foi- the 

 exjiense of Ohio's apiarian exhibit at the Chica- 

 go Exposition. A few weeks ago, with this 

 purpose in view, the doctor made a trip to Co- 

 lumbus and interviewed the commissioners of 

 the World's Fair. One of them wrote him a 

 letter saying that they would have another 

 meeting in Cleveland, on Thursday, June 4. and 

 suggested that then would be a good time for 

 representatives of the Ohio State Bee-keepers* 

 Association to be present and state their needs. 

 Accordingly, at the summons of Dr. Mason, Mr. 

 J. B. Haius. Miss Bennett, J. T. Calvert, and 

 E. R. R.. by appointment met at the HoUenden 

 Hotel, whither, also, the commissioners of the 

 World's Fair were to meet at 10 a. m. sharp. 

 Mr. C. F. Muth had written Dr. Mason that he 

 would be on hand, but did not put in an ap- 

 pearance; also other bee-keepers were invited, 

 but they did not appear. After holding a shoi't 

 preliminary consultation, we agreed that we 

 would not ask for any stated sum of money by 

 way of an appropiiation for the bev and honey 

 interests, and that we would request the com- 

 missioners to put the whole matter into the 

 hands of the Ohio State Bee-keepers' Associa- 



