GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Fkb. 1. 



Facts are stubborn things, and I don't under- 

 stand now why my tlieories haven't worked 

 better. I don't understand why. last year. I 

 didn't get as much from two colonies united at 

 the beginning of the harvest as I had i-eason to 

 expect from the same iwo colonies if they had 

 been kept separate. I know that, in ail my 

 attempts at contraction, however varied. I have 

 not done as well as when I allowed each colony 

 to have ten frames all the year round. I may 

 as well say here, by way of pai-enthesis. that I 

 don't believe I want larger than eight-fi'ame 

 hives, but I can't take time just now to explain. 

 The difference in seasons is so great that it may 

 account for all. but I doubt it. 



Then there are those two miserable French- 

 men down at Hamilton, allowing their queens 

 to lay all over creation, and yet getting big 

 crops. True, they woik for extracted honey, 

 but they have it stored in supers, and don't dis- 

 turb the brood -nest. I read also of the big 

 crops harvested in France, in the Layens hive 

 with its 20 or more frames, and nothing like 

 the labor given to the contraction system. 



To sum it up. contraction makes more work. 

 and I can't feel sure that it makes more honey. 

 I am an expa-iisionist. and it's only fair to say 

 that all true contractionists are: but when it 

 comes to contracting down to any less space 

 than will allow the queen to lay all she will, 

 then I feel, to say the least, that I am in doubt- 

 ful company. C. C. Mili.kr. 



Marengo. 111. 



EXTRACTING FROM SUPERS 'WITHOUT RE- 

 MOVING FRAMES, 



J. A. GREEN CONSIDERS THE MATTER POSSIBLE, 

 AND SUGGESTS HOW. 



I see that, at the Albany convention, there 

 was some talk, though ])erhaps only in a joking 

 way. of putting a whole supei- into the extractor 

 at once, without removing a frame. Somewhere 

 back in Gleanings I mentioned this idea, 

 which at that time had shaped itself in my 

 mind. You do not seem to have thought of the 

 practical way -to do it. I consider it entirely 

 possible, and I have considerable faith that it 

 will prove practicable to extract honey in this 

 way. If it should prove so it will lead to an 

 entire revolution in the methods of ijroducing 

 extracted honey. 



In th(! first place, the ordinary method of 

 ])lacing the frames in the extractoi' would prob- 

 ably have to be given up for tlie radial method. 

 That is. the combs should be placed at right 

 angles to the usual position, so that the sides of 

 the combs are on lines drawn from center to 

 circumference. Iik(> the spok<'S of a \\ heel. This 

 plan has been i)roposed before. I am not sure 

 whether it has been tested in actual practice, 

 but I am cei'tain tliat it could be nuide to work. 

 The extractor I have in my mind's eye is a 

 large one, in which eight or more supers could 

 be placed at one time. By steam or other pow- 

 er the whole would then be revolved so rapidly 

 that all th(^ honey would be thrown out atone 

 operation, no reveisiug or sheets of tin between 

 the combs Ix-ing necessary. An uncai)|)ing-ma- 

 chine couUl be nuide to run between the combs. 

 Uncapping-nuichines have been illustrated in 

 the foi'eign bee-journals, though I can not say 

 as to w hetlier any one uses them. 



My plan, though, does not contemplate hav- 

 ing any uncapping to do. I would take the 

 honey from the lii\'es before any of it was cap- 

 ped. This thin unsealed honey could l)e ex- 

 tracted in the manner I have outlined, witiiont 

 any doubt. 



iiy the use of the bee-escape and plenty of 



empty combs it would be entirely practicable to 

 extract all the honey in a large apiary every 

 day if necessary, leaving the bees free to do 

 their utmost in the way of gathering nectar. 

 Swarming would be entirely done away with, 

 the amount of labor required reduced to a min- 

 imum, and. in short, the business of producing 

 extracted honey reduced to a sound business 

 basis. 



•'What would you do with that raw unripen- 

 ed nectar?" 



Well, •• there's the rub." Show me how to 

 change this nectar into good, well-ripened hon- 

 ey in a simple, inexpensive way. and I will pro- 

 duce extracted honey at a profit at half the or- 

 dinary prices. 



I have said but little about this before, be- 

 cause I wanted to experiment for myself before 

 saying much about it. But experiments, to be 

 conclusive, would cost nutre time and money 

 than I can at present devote to them, so I will 

 ask others to help me in them. Perhaps Mr. 

 Larrabee can take hold of the matter. 



Two methods of disposing of the nectar occur 

 tome. One is. to evaporate it by natural or 

 artificial heat into a salable article of honey. 

 The other is to feed it liack to the bees for the 

 I)roduction of comb honey. It might be kept 

 without fermentation until the honey-flow was 

 over, and then fed back to selected colonies. 



I know that, to many, this will look wild and 

 visional y. To such I can only say, " Wait and 

 see." 



CANDY FOR FEEDtNG. 



The experience of ^fr. A. N. Draper, on page 

 1(), is a common one with those who attempt to 

 make bee-candy for the first time. Tf the direc- 

 tions in the A 1} C book are cai-efully followed, 

 the beginner should have no trouble in making 

 good candy, though he is apt to get it a little 

 too hard. It is wonderful what an amount of 

 water can he stirred up into dry candy. In 

 making candy I woiihl use a kettle large enough 

 to hold a con'siderabl<> quantity. Dissolve the 

 sugar in as little water as possible — about four 

 ptirts of sugar, by weight, to one of water. 

 When you think it is almost done, let it boil 

 very slowly while you are testing it. Do this 

 by putting a little into a saucer and stiiring it 

 vigorously until cold. .lust as soon as you can 

 get it to become hard by stiiTing it is done, and 

 should not be allowed to boil any more, though 

 it may beset on the back of the stove to keep 

 warm. Take a convenient quantity of this, and 

 stir it until it is just beginning to harden, then 

 pour it into your dishes or other receptacles. 

 Von will find thatyou can make dry solid candy 

 of what would have be(>n only syrup if allowed 

 1o cool without StiiTing. If you want a candy 

 that will- not readily dry oiit. boil it a little 

 longer and add a little iioney after removing it 

 from the fire. 



It is some time since I made any candy, and I 

 am not sure about the |)roportions: but I think 

 I have stirred in as much as one-eighth honey, 

 making a nice, soft-grained candy that will 

 keep moist a long time. This nuikes delicious 

 confectionery. Try it. 



The candy made of honey and pulverized su- 

 gar is rather the best for feeding: but it is more 

 expensive, as well as more troublesome to make 

 on a large scale. 



Friedman Greiner's position on artificial hon- 

 ey is sound. I've got something to say on that 

 point soon. 



I am sure, though, he is mistaken about comb 

 honey being damaged when bee -escapes are 

 used: at least, it doesn't work that way with 

 me. 



I am surprised to see in the pages of Glean- 

 ings such a recipe as that on page 8. And sent 

 by Di'. Miller tool Well, well! What's that 



