838 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1.-). 



learned that he leaves the bottom-bars out of 

 those deep and close-titting frames. There Is 

 the secret, and we agree with him when the 

 frames are made thus. To what we had refer- 

 ence was a d(iep and close-titting frame, with 

 both top and bottom bars. Thei'(% don't you see 

 when we get our heads together we pretty 

 nearly agree after all ? 



COMMENCING MY TRAVELS. 



Just a week ago, Oct. 7, I commenced by 

 making a small trip first; and I enjoyed the 

 rare pleasure of looking over the farms of 

 friends Chamberlain and Terry. I tell you it 

 was a pleasure, and I learned lots of things that 

 I i)ropose telling yon about in our next issue. 

 What a lot of interesting things and interesting 

 people there are in this world, to be sure! I am 

 just aching to tell you some of the things now; 

 but the forms are almost full, and I shall have 

 to put it in the Garden Department for Nov. 1. 



HIGH PRICES. 



Somebody said this morning that eggs were 

 worth 35 cents a dozen; and I not only said I 

 was glad, but I /cJt glad. The usual price for 

 eggs in our locality is about a cent apiece. 

 When they are scarce they sell for 15 cents, 

 rarely 18. I always feel glad when pi'ices ad- 

 vance on rural products, and it does not make 

 any difference whether I am buyer or producer 

 — at least I hope it does not. My wife remark- 

 ed that, at 2n cents a dozen, she was sure she 

 could make a living raising eggs: and I replied 

 that, as poultry-keeping was the hobby of my 

 childhood, I thought that " we two " might go 

 into the chicken business in our old age. One 

 reason why I rejoice in good prices for those 

 who work in the open air is because the ten- 

 dency is, at the present time, so great for every- 

 body to push into the towns and cities. A 

 young man told me yesterday that I had men 

 in my employ who own good farms. They had 

 left their farms and come to town to work for 

 14 cents mi hour. Dear me I what a state of 

 affaii's! By the way, did it ever occur to you 

 that there are but few lines of business in the 

 world where you get cash returns not only eve- 

 ry Saturday night, but every mghf? The ex- 

 pert egg-producer can have something that will 

 sell for cash the first day he commences busi- 

 ness: and if he is faithful, and knows how, he 

 will have something to sell at the close of every 

 day. winter and summer; and this something 

 just now brings 3.5 cts. a dozen. 



THE PUNIC BEES. 



Since I am able to be around and look after 

 business, my attention has been called to the 

 Funic bees; and Ernest greatly astonished me 

 by the information that we had two queens in 

 the apiary, and young bees hatched out. I 

 have just been to look at them. The oldest are 

 only about a week old. If nobody had told me 

 that they were Funics I should have unhesitat- 

 ingly declared that they were ordinary black 

 bees. Very likely they are a little smaller than 

 most strains of blacks, but in no respect can I 

 discover at present writing that they are any 

 different. I suppose that most of our readers 

 have heard the wonderful things claimed for 

 these bees. First, they won't sting; but our 

 bees, a week old, put out their stings when 

 picked up by the wings, just like any bees, 

 rather more than the Italians; and they cer- 

 tainly run about on the combs, and act fright- 

 ened, much more than the Italians. Of course, 

 we can not yet say in regard to thcur flying 

 when it is too'cold for other bees to be outdoors. 

 The queens are certainly very prolific. No 

 doubt they shake off' readily, as has been claim- 



ed. And now a word of caution: Many of our 

 older readers— perhaps most of them — have had 

 some experience with Cypi'ians, Holy-Lands, 

 Carniolans, etc. When oui' friend Jones told us 

 of the peculiar traits of these , new bees the 

 whole bee-world became enthusiastic. Some 

 of the traits were so wonderful that it seem- 

 ed to me an utter impossibility that time would 

 demonstrate that they were no better than the 

 Italians. At present writing, how(wer, they 

 have, in most cases, been dropped: and, with 

 ^me of our veterans, the Italians have been 

 dropped also — or at least partially dropped. 



THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 



During my convalescence I took hold of a 

 gi'eat heap of agricultural papers that had been 

 accumulating foi' months — some of them for 

 years. I had been telling my wife that she 

 must not sell them for paper-rags, because 

 some time I was going to overhaul them tlior- 

 oughly. Before long I selected three or four 

 periodicals from among our many agricultural 

 exchanges; and since reading them thoroughly 

 I have felt as though I must say a word in their 

 praise. Frominently among these select ones 

 is the i?»rrrf New-Yorker. 1. The fact shines 

 from every page that the paper " loves right- 

 eousness and hates iniquity." 3. Its editors 

 seem to be leaving no stone unturned in their 

 efforts to get out the latest developments in 

 ""liigh-pressure farming." 3. They are equally 

 in dead earnest in striving to educate the farm- 

 er so that he may know his real friends from 

 his enemies. They are constantly interviewing 

 the best and wisest men of the present day on 

 all these great social topics that come up be- 

 fore us. 4. They are expending an amount of 

 money in fully illustrating and describing 

 every thing pertaining to rural industries, that 

 has before been almost unheard of. 5. Every 

 new thing that comes out in our seed catalogues 

 or anywhere else is at once promptly tested and 

 tried by some of their people. 6. And this fol- 

 lows as a natural sequence of the last: They 

 are exposing, without fear or favor, every thing 

 approaching the character of a fraud. 1 might 

 say more, but I guess the above is enough. I 

 believe they deserve it, any way. Th6 price of 

 the Rural is $3.00. It can not very well be less, 

 with the amount of money and hard work they 

 expend on it, especially as it is a weekly paper. 

 When you are subscribing for Gleanings, if 

 you will send us ¥1.35 more, making $3.35 in all, 

 we will send you both joui'uals one year. The 

 above includes their free seed distribution. I 

 hardly need tell you that the seeds sent out by 

 the Rural are none of the old and discarded 

 novelties. 



a PROSPPX'TIVE raid among THE BEE-KEEP- 

 ERS OF THE GREAT WEST AND THE 

 PACIFIC STATES. 



Among the other pleasant surprises that 

 have come to me lately was an invitation from 

 Frof. Cook, his wife and family, to join them in 

 a trip to the Facific States, where they expect 

 to spend the winter. Our boys have told you 

 that tbe doctor has prescribed three months' 

 traveling, among his other bad doses. Yon 

 may wonder why I say ■" bad doses." Well, the 

 prospect of such a trip with such comijanions 

 has rertainly nothing NJiinviting about it: but 

 when I think of leaving things here, and the 

 good friends, to get along the best way they 

 can in bearing the burdens and cares of the 

 business while I go off' on a '" playsj)ell," it 

 makes me feel guilty. As they urge it, how- 

 ever, and as I am frequently reminded that I 

 am hardly well on my feet yet, I have decided 

 to go, Frovidence permitting. Just think of it, 

 friends — going through these wonderful scenes 



