442 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



day from removal of queen, making the larva 

 only one or two days old at time of queen's re- 

 moval. [You are right, doctor, according to 

 my experience.— Ed.] 



I HAVE ONE of the late smokers with grooved 

 bellows-boards, and as yet see no objection to 

 it. On the other hand it's refreshing to weary 

 muscles to handle it, and the grooves will save 

 the smoker many a fall. [The new grooves in 

 the boards are a great comfort, and we shall 

 adopt them in all our smokers as soon as possi- 

 ble. They cost but little and are a great con- 

 venience, especially where one's hands are 

 sticky with honey.— Ed.] 



To THE QUESTION, whether it's best to use 

 drawn foundation in sections, repliers in .4. B. J. 

 assume more or less of a "don't know" atti- 

 tude, with a preponderance toward giving it a 

 fair show. [Even those who answered unfa- 

 vorably, in some instances at least, would have 

 given a different answer had they seen the ar- 

 ticle itself. A case in point is that of Mr. Mc- 

 Evoy, mentioned on page 456.— Ed.] 



The American Bee Journal and Canadian 

 Bee Journal agree that they are not called on 

 to help every new enterprise in the way of a 

 bee journal; but Review thinks it would be im- 

 polite to refuse a free ad. to an intending rival. 

 [Gleanings takes middle ground. It believes 

 in recognizing real merit, from whatever source 

 it may come. At the same time, it also believes 

 that possibly more harm than good is some- 

 times done by recognizing journals which are 

 not yet out of their swaddling-clothes. — Ed.] 



Curious how persistently some passages of 

 Scripture are incorrectly quoted. There's that 

 one on p. 414, " A wayfaring man though a fool 

 need not err therein." Just half of those ten 

 words are like those in Isaiah, which reads, 

 "The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not 

 err therein." [What harm is done, providing 

 we get the idea, the essence of the truth, and 

 live up to it? lam one of those unfortunate 

 persons who can not quote Scripture correctly 

 to save my neck; but I can generally remem- 

 ber the idea, and that is worth tenfold more 

 than the exact language without the thought. 

 It is better, I grant, to remember both if one 

 can.— Ed.J 



I'm sorry to say that, although my horses 

 eat a little sweet clover green, they don't like 

 it as well as grass. It seems to go better dry 

 than green. [For policy's sake, doctor, perhaps 

 I ought not to publish the above; but I am go- 

 ing to give it a place all the same. Let us al- 

 ways have the truth, no matter which way it 

 cuts. Did you ever taste the leaves of sweet 

 clover then those of other clovers ? You will find 

 that those of sweet clover have a bitter taste, 

 or at least a pungent weedy flavor that the 

 others do not have. If the " likes " of horses is 

 similar to mine I do not know that I blame the 



horses for manifesting their preference. The 

 flavor of the leaves is a little like the taste of 

 sweet-clover honey. This, while it is nice 

 white honey, and brings a good price, can not 

 rank with the honey of other clovers. But all 

 the same we should remember that sweet clo- 

 ver is the only fodder that will grow in some 

 parts of the west, and as such is an invaluable 

 crop.- Ed.] 



A writer in A. B.J. condemns the bee-space 

 in bee- hives as causing a loss of heat, and in a 

 subsequent number W. Z. Hutchinson comes 

 vigorously to its defense, thinking there can be 

 no great loss of heat if it only escapes from one 

 part of the hive to another. Not much danger 

 the bee-space will be given up. [I should like 

 to see the man who could be really good- 

 natured all the time, and get along successfully 

 without bee-spaces in hive-construction. There 

 is hardly a single feature in modern apiculture, 

 to my notion, that is more essential. We could 

 almost as soon dispense with movable frames. 

 —Ed.] 



If YOU haven't yet seen crimson clover, it 

 would make you open your eyes to see the 

 beauty of my patch now in bloom. It's well 

 worth a place in the front yard. [A big field 

 of it looks better, doctor. In fact, my eyes are 

 now resting on one within a stone's throw. It's 

 the town talk now, and, oh how the bees do 

 hum on it ! I verily believe a given acreage of 

 crimson clover will furnish more nectar than 

 any other plant. It is a more rapid grower 

 than any other clover, yields honey before any 

 other, has larger heads than the white, and 

 short flowrets. Surely a great future is in pros- 

 pect for crimson clover, both for the farmer 

 and for the bee-keeper. Say a good word for it 

 wherever you can. brethren— at conventions, 

 anywhere; and if you do not succeed in grow- 

 ing it, learn how. We make it grow every 

 year.— Ed.] 



I FOLLOWED you With much interest, friend 

 A. I., on page 427, as you watched all night for 

 the frost, and felt quite relieved when you got 

 through safely without the expense of moving 

 those 150 sashes; but I couldn't help wondering 

 if your wife didn't think your broken night's 

 rest fooling around in the chill night air was 

 paying just a little too much for all you saved. 

 [Why, dear doctor, you seem to forget that I 

 take a nap every forenoon and another nap ev- 

 ery afternoon; ?o if my sleep is cut short a 

 little I just make the afternoon or forenoon nap 

 a little longer. See? Another thing, I am 

 usually awake by daylight, or a little after, the 

 year round. I do not always get up, of course, 

 as soon as it is light, but it is not very much of 

 a task for me to get up as soon as I can see, if 

 any thing happens to require it; and I make it 

 up somewhere about 10 or 11 o'clock, as I have 

 mentioned.— A. I. R.] 



