1807 



«LEANIN(}S IN BEE CULTURE. 



337 



it; lint whtMi I got to California 1 oxpoctod 

 honoy but failed. I stopped in hotels in Marys- 

 ville, Sacratnento. Oakland. San Kranci*co, San 

 .lose. Santa Margarita. liOs Olivos, and San 

 Luis Obispo, ou stage route, and Los Angeles 

 and Santa Monica and at several private 

 houses, and at no place was honey on the table. 

 I saw several apiaries on the stage route over 

 the mountains between Los Olivos and Santa 

 Barbara. I think it is time the bee-men creat- 

 ed a home market for their honey. 



If you ever wheel this way, call on me. I am 

 not far from Mr. Cole, the garden plow man. 

 Mr. Porter, the bee-escape man, lives at Lewis- 

 town. M. W. MURPHEY. 



Cuba, 111., Dec. 8. 



RETAILERS MITSSING UP HONEY. 



Woodchopper's complaint in April 1 Glean- 

 ings, concerning retailers mussing honey In 

 handling, etc., and frequent complaints of oth- 

 ers In the same strain, caused me to think that 

 perhaps my way of getting around that un- 

 pleasantness might be generally appreciated 

 by honey-men, as I already know It Is appre- 

 ciated by a number of grocers I supply with 

 honey. 



It Is merely a small cupboard, about 20 inches 

 square, If you use the 4^4 square, and 23 Inches 

 high, made of fancy pine, oiled and polished, 

 with a 14xl6-lnch glass In front, thus showing 

 the faces of 16 sections. I make it with a shelf 

 in the middle; place a paper on the bottom and 

 shelf, and set the sections on narrow strips >8 

 Inch thick, which prevents all mussing from 

 leakage from any cause. I extend the paper on 

 the shelf down just below the top of the first 

 row of sections underneath, so that nothing but 

 honey meets the eye of the purchaser, and they 

 —well, they just look, admire, and buy, but 

 never handle and muss, as the door opens be- 

 hind the counter. 



Two grocers told me that It more than doub- 

 led their sales the first year, and my order- 

 books prove It. It makes honey as clean to 

 handle as canned goods, which Is a great con- 

 sideration with dealers. W. W. Case. 



Baptisttown, Pa. 



"non-swarmers" sw^arming. 

 To-day at 11 o'clock I experienced the novel- 

 ty of uniting two swarms of different races of 

 bees. Swarm No. 1 was headed by a Carniolan 

 queen from Miss Amanda Atchley, of Bee- 

 vllle, Texas. It settled on a limb nearly op- 

 posite a hive of H. Alley's celebrated non- 

 swarming Adel bees. This latter hive showed 

 a disposition to swarm some two weeks ago, 

 when I took the precaution to clip the non- 

 swarmer's wing, and added another story, mak- 

 ing a three story hive. Just as I finished saw- 

 ing the limb, and was lowering It to a new 

 hive at the foot of the tree, the uon-swarmlng 



Adels issued; but their queen failed to follow, 

 and they began settling down with the Carnl- 

 olans, seeing which I promptly added another 

 story with full sheets of foundation, and in less 

 than ten minutes every bee was inside. 



I moved the hive to a new location; and up- 

 on examination this evening I find the beauti- 

 ful grays and the golden Adels (making an 

 elegant variegation) busily engaged in fitting 

 up their new home. Both stories showed them 

 Intermixed, and every indication of being thor- 

 oughly united. Will they stick? 



Franklin, Tex. .Tno. C. Mitchell. 



[The fact that the two swarms united Is 

 nothing unusual; but the fact that the "non- 

 swarmers"did come out Is rather of a joke on 

 friend Alley. However, there are exceptions 

 to all rules, and In the case of bees there are a 

 good many, especially when it relates to 

 swarming.— Ed.] 



the advantage of deep entrances in get- 

 ting ALL the sections FILLED. 



In response to your request as to whether the 

 raising of the brood-chamber from the bottom- 

 board causes a more even distribution of the 

 surplus In the sections above, I will say that I 

 think it does. I use a %-lnch frame between 

 brood chamber and bottom-strips on bottom- 

 board, making an Inch clear of bottom-board 

 for wintering. The dead bees then drop 

 down out of the way, and do not mold the 

 combs. Last spring I left 10 hives with these 

 deep entrances, as they were large colonies, but 

 I never thought it was the cause of every sec- 

 tion In the super being well filled, as the case 

 proved to be. Flow was only moderate. 



J. C. Wallenmeyer. 



Evansvllle, Ind., Jan. 27. 



DRAWN FOUNDATION AND ITS ENEMIES. 



It Is really amusing to see so many alarm- 

 ists brought In line by a little editorial fire, to 

 fight an Imaginary foe In the shape of drawn 

 foundation. With " Progression " Inscribed on 

 their banner they would deal the death-blow to 

 deep cell walls, the acme of genius and skill, 

 condemned and untried. But all opinions 

 found prior to a fair test of the comb Is no 

 proof of Its failure. Bring It to the front, re- 

 gardless of the unkind thrusts at your reputa- 

 tion; for It Is said, " Woe unto him of whom all 

 men speak well." A. B. Baird. 



Belle Vernon, Pa. 



BLACKS BETTER FOR WINTERING THAN 

 ITALIANS. 



My black or common bees have come out 

 uncommonly strong In numbers; but half my 

 Italians have died in the hives with plenty of 

 honey. I set my hives In outside cases large 

 enough so that I packed three inches of leaves 

 around the hives and on top. Still the bees 

 are dead. I like black bees best. 



Hinsdale, Mass. C. G. Ascha. 



