GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



tendency toward yellow in their bees, yet it 

 seems to us lliat, if Mr. Alley's theory were 

 correct, tliere would be no such thing as black 

 Cai'uiolans at present, because the yellow ten- 

 dency would, yeai's and perhaps centuries ago, 

 have obtained entire predominance and there 

 would be no such thing as black Carniolans. 

 As it is. most of the Carniolans we have ever 

 seen or read about have been black. 



Our last importation of queens from Italy is 

 entirely exhausted, except one breeding queen, 

 which we must keep. Next lot of queens will 

 not arrive until about the middle of September. 

 We say this for the benefit of any who contem- 

 plate ordering of us. We shall b(^ glad to fill 

 orders next month when they arrive. 



On page 669 friend Cook starts a question 

 which has often come up in my mind. He says 

 the worm is about three days in spinning its 

 cocoon, and that the thread of silk is one con- 

 tinuous fiber. About how long is this fiber, and 

 how in the world does this feeble, shiggish 

 worm manage to spin a fiber of such length in 

 only three days f May be this thing is fully 

 described in some of our books; but I confess 

 I have never been able to find it. I think it has 

 been said, that the worm rolls around, and this 

 winds the silk about its body from head to foot. 

 If this is true, in order to make this prodigious 

 number of turns every 34 hours I should think 

 it would need a crank and pulley so as to make 

 it spin like a buzz-saw. Now, you knowing 

 ones need not laugh, for I suspect thei'e are 

 otliers just as ignorant as myself. A. I. R. 



Dr. Miller proposes, or, rather, advises, the 

 expediency of another name for the "nameless 

 bee disease." It is a shame that this misnomer 

 has gained all but universal acceptance on this 

 side of the Atlantic, for designating a peculiar 

 malady that affects bees. Perhaps we are re- 

 sponsiiale in a great measure for it. At any 

 rate, with the concurrence and agreement of 

 the editors of other bee-jounals, we propose to 

 accept, as a better name, "' bee paralysis " 

 (BaclUus (Icinlis). This is the name that is in 

 use in England, I believe. By Cheshire it is 

 called Bacillus Gaytonl. The termination 

 depllis is descriptive, while Gaytonl is derived 

 from a name— a Miss Ga-vton who called Che- 

 shire's attention to it. We like depiUs better, 

 because it means loUhout hair or fuzz, and this 

 just exactly describes bees afflicted with Bacil- 

 lus depiUs. 



Again we are successful in mailing queens to 

 the islands of the sea. In June we sent two 

 mitested Italian queens in our large export 

 Benton cages to the Sandwich Islands. After 

 a journey of about 4000 miles, ov(M-land and on 

 the Pacific Ocean, a customer wi'ites us that 

 the queens were received in excellent condition. 

 But, oh dear ! he lost them in inti'oducing. We 

 suggest to all those who receive queens from 

 such distances, that they introduce them by 

 giving them frames of hatching brood. This 

 method is perfectly sure. It is a little risky to 

 hazard ordinary methods of introducing when 

 queens have been received from such great dis- 

 tances. We have not yet heard from the queens 

 sent to Australia; but for the present we say, 

 '• Score another one for the Benton cage." By 

 the way, the ])OStage on these two queens was 

 only t?irec cents each: and th(> postage on the 

 same cages to our nearest postoffice, four miles 

 from Medina, would have been five cents each. 

 Here is a little inconsistency in rates that our 

 l)0Stal authorities should equalize. In the name 

 of common sense, wliy can't we be permitted to 

 send a queen by mail to a point /oj(,r miles dis- 

 tant as cheaply as we can send it to a point 



four thousand miles distant? If the rates 

 were reversed, tliere might be some reason; but 

 as they stand, they ai'e an anomaly. 



Yesterday afternoon (the 13th), just as we 

 had finished our work at the Shane yard, we 

 saw a hive lying partly on its side. There had 

 been a heavy wind and rain storm two days 

 before, and we concluded that it liad been 

 blown over at that time. The hive contained 

 Hoffman frames, fortiuiately; and wln'u we 

 came to examine it, wliat was the result? 

 Why, nothing at all! The frames were inclined 

 at an angle of about 4.5 degrees, but every thing 

 was well, just as though nothing had happen- 

 ed. Now, suppose tliis hive had contained 

 loose frames, what would liave lieen the result? 

 They would all have been jarred in together; 

 brood would have been desti'oyed in conse- 

 quence of the fi'ames lying togetiier in contact; 

 combs would have been mutilated and disfig- 

 ured, and many bees destroyed. Score another 

 one for fixed frames. Although the storm had 

 been terrific, there were no covers blown off. 

 As we are not bothered with burr-combs, we 

 use no enamel sheets. The consequence is, the 

 covers are fastened down with propolis, and a 

 light twist witli a screwdriver easily removes 

 them. Right here is where propolis serves a 

 good purpose. It is far ahead of other sorts of 

 clamps and castings for holding covers down. 

 After replacing the cover you do not have to 

 fasten it. The bees do it afterward for you. 



DOCTORING WITHOUT MEDICINE. 



I DO not see but I shall have a new chapter 

 in this matter. And if the grip that I have 

 been having for the last two weeks is going to 

 help me in studying up appliances whereby 

 drugs and medicines may be dispensed with, I 

 do not know but I rather (in one sense) rejoice 

 in having the grip. After Iliad had it for three 

 or four days I consulted one of the oldest and 

 best physicians in Medina. I told him that I 

 found it necessary to wear an overcoat and fur 

 cap, even during August days, when the tlier- 

 mometej- registered 8.5 in the shade. He asked 

 me just one question: " Do you find that you 

 are unusually sensitive to any sort of draft or 

 chilly wind ?'■ 



" Well, I should think I am sensitive to 

 drafts and chilly winds, doctor, especially if the 

 wind happens to be in the north. Why, with 

 more than my winter's clothing, as soon as a 

 Isreeze starts up I involuntarily get behind the 

 barn-door, or into some corner, before I attempt 

 to even direct business." 



He declared it was "' grip " sure, and. after 

 some more conversation he laughingly told me 

 that he guessed I did not need any advice— that 

 all I needed to do was to keej) up the tempera- 

 ture by winter clothing, and to be sure tliat I 

 did not get chilly. He suggested that quinine 

 might Itelp to kee]) up the circulation; but 

 when I told him that I I'ather preferred over- 

 coats to quinine, if it would do just as well, he 

 said, " All right, go ahead with the overcoat." 



Now, here is the result. Just as long as I 

 keep warm enough to perspire sufficiently to 

 keep my under-clothing a little damp, I feel 

 pretty well. At night I keep bundled up in 

 just the same way; but if I attempt to leave off 

 my wrai)S. and my flesh gets dry, chills com- 

 mence, and gi'ip pains and something between 

 neuralgia and pleurisy comes streaking along. 

 Very likely different individuals are differently 

 affected; but. my friend, just you try my plan 

 of doctoring the grip without "jrtecZicine. And, 

 by the way, there are quite a few ailments 

 along this line that yield quickly to bundling 

 u]) until you perspire freely. There are some 

 peculiarities of the treatment that I rather en- 



