1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



rsti 



-36 -Pages 7x10 

 °S P£BY£APj 



Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 

 the soul: bur rather (ear him which is able to destroy both 



body and soul in hell. . . . Fear ye not Ye are of 



more value than many sparrows.— M-\tt. 1(1: 28. 31. 



Eight extra pages this issue. 



The weather in our vicinity has been vei'y 

 warm for the last week or ten days, the ther- 

 mometer in the shade ranging 80 and above. 

 One day we noticed that it registered 87. 



A SUBSCKIBER has sent us a copy of the 

 Americdu A<ji icuUurist for August, 1881. A 

 glance through it shows a ladder terminating 

 in a single prong, the same as shown on page 

 69.5. Dr. Miller explained at the time that it 

 was an old idea: but it is interesting to know 

 how long ago it was illustrated and desci'ibed. 

 As shown in the Agricultiirist. it was designed 

 for fruit-picking: such ladders, therefore, have 

 more uses than oiie^ 



On page 707 J. P. Meyers wants to know 

 what has beconn; of A. E. Manum. We have 

 been officially notified by friend M. himself 

 that, on the "l6th of Sept., he was married in 

 Bangor. N. Y., to Miss Hattie C. Barnum. This, 

 we think, will justify the temporary break in 

 his interesting articles. A footnote on the wed- 

 ding-card informs us that the "out-apiary" 

 which friend M. has found in New York will 

 be the " home " apiai'v after Oct. 1, 1891. 



Here is an item that was sent in by Dr. Mil- 

 ler for Stray Straws, but it came too late for 

 insertion in that department: 



The Bee-keeper, Winona, Minn., is the latest. A 

 name that does not apply to all bee-j\)urnals would 

 be better. 



We would add, that the Americdn Bee Jour- 

 ndl is very often called "'The Bee Journal." for 

 short. The name of our new cotemporary is 

 unfortunate, and we trust that our new candi- 

 date for the field will reconsider and give us 

 some other name. 



The Australian colonies are about to be ad- 

 mitted to the Postal Union. W^hen they are we 

 shall expect the postage on queens to that coun- 

 try to be reduced from 9(5 cts., the present 

 amount, to about 4o cts. Now that the mailing 

 of queens across the oceans is a possibility, it 

 will be a great boon to our friends on the other 

 side of the globe. By the way. we are noiified 

 of the successful mailing of an unti^stcd queen 

 to. I. Stormonth, Kirkbi'ide. England, with only 

 two dead bees. The queen has now been lay- 

 ing in the hive for some weeks. 



Mr. a. DETWEiLEii. of North Middleton, Ky.. 

 says, '■ Your introducing Benton cage is quite a 

 success. I have not lost a queen this year. 

 With the Peet I lost .50 per cent last year.'" We 

 have jtist received a similar letter from our 

 large queen-breeder. Mr. J. D. Fooshe, of Catch- 

 all. S. C, adding that he has had wonderful 

 success in sending queens to distant parts of the 

 United States. We had supposed that there 

 was nothing better than the Peet for introduc- 

 ing: but from reports like the above, that are 

 coming in. it looks as if the Benton were the 

 better. All we have to do is to pull the cork, 

 and " we (the bees) do the rest," a la Kodak. 



Our bees have been working some on golden - 

 rod, but for the most part are inclined to rob. 



After examining the colony, the robbers would 

 pounce down in full force at the entrance, and 

 before the guards or sentinels would become 

 aware of what was up, many of them would 

 get into the hive. After closing the hive, to 

 give the inmates timely warning we have tried 

 striking or stamping on the cover. This in 

 many cases brought the guards out for investi- 

 gation, and the result is that they fairly snapped 

 up their inti'uders while on the wing. It is not 

 always possible to arouse a colony in this way, 

 especially if they have been smoked very much. 



We do not believe much in finding fault with 

 the railroads and their methods; but here is a 

 case in point where they rather get the " bulge" 

 on us. They will carry a carload of boxed 

 sqiiare tin cans from St. Louis to San Diego. 

 Cal., for .?213.0(): but for an inland point 74 miles 

 this side, on the .sn(»?c road, they will charge 

 .?44.00 extra. In other words, they will charge 

 .^44.00 more for carrying it to a point 74 miles 

 this side of San Diego, and simply dropping the 

 car off at that point, than they svould for haul- 

 ing it clear to San Diego, so much further. 

 There is a little inconsistency here that the In- 

 terstate Commerce Commission should rectify. 



We have just learned a new way to light the 

 Clark smoker, that is ahead of all. We cram it 

 with our excelsior sawdust, then close the door 

 tight. We next strike a match on the sand- 

 paper, work the bellows, and then hold the 

 blaze directly against the perforations under 

 the smoker just back of the front legs. The 

 flame will shoot in. ignite the fuel, and the 

 smoker so lighted is almost sure to stay so. 

 Very often when the Clark is lighted at the 

 rear end it will go out in a minute or two: but 

 when lighted at the front end there is no dan- 

 ger. Now, please do not understand us to say 

 that the Clark is in the habit of going out. 

 When once lighted it is quite sure to hold fire 

 as long as there is any fuel to burn. 



To illustrate how a business properly carried 

 on will advertise itself, we give the following 

 instance: Some time ago we received a request 

 for an estimate on 30 untested queens. We 

 quoted the price, and the estimate was immedi- 

 ately accepted and returned. They went out 

 by next mail, to a point in northern Ontario. 

 Canada. All went through alive. The parties 

 were so much pleased that they clubbed togeth- 

 er again and sent for more. Then again they 

 clubbed together and sent for more. The se- 

 cret of the success was in prompt mailing, and 

 getting the queens through alive and in good 

 order. We are frequently getting orders now 

 to '■ send us another lot "just like the one you 

 sent us last. Be sure to send in Benton cages." 



We have just enjoyed a visit from a bee- 

 keeper. Mr. J. E. Snider, and friend, of Salt 

 Lake City. Among other interesting things he 

 told ns about that part of the country was, that 

 Simplicity-hive covers, 16 inches wide, supposed 

 to have been dry. iiave been known by him to 

 shrink half an inch. That would make ^g^ in a 

 foot. We here in the East have no idea of the 

 dryness of some of these climates. Another 

 thing, it is very difficult, on account of the 

 scorching sun, to make white paint stick. 

 Venetian red is about the only thing that will 

 hold. He further added, that the dovetailed or 

 lock joint on our hives is the only joint that 

 can stand their climate. All other joints, by 

 the action of the weather, will gap. 



We have received a good many photographs 

 of apiaries, the senders giving us the privilege 

 of using the same in Gleanings if we should 

 see fit. Most of them are too poor and indis- 



