GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



gallons of honey, besides increasing my bees 

 back to last fall's count. The bees are bright, 

 full of life, and are as cross as any I ever saw. 

 All a hive needs is bees from another colony, to 

 cure themselves. So sure am I of this, that, if 

 I were buying bees now, I would not discount 

 them on account of paralysis. If, as you say, it 

 may come again, let it come. It doesn't take 

 long to apply the remedy; and if you could see 

 my bees now it would be difficult for you to re- 

 alize the condition they were in only three 

 mouths ago. 



Please let the brothers know of this remedy, 

 and I shall feel myself amply repaid if those 

 who are benefited by it will write me and ac- 

 knowledge the fact. 



Planter, Fla. 



[Bee-paralysis has been one of those difficult 

 diseases to cope with, first, because we hardly 

 know what it is; and, second, hitherto no sug- 

 gested remedy has worked invariably; and all 

 of them, sooner or later, have resulted in fail- 

 ure with nearly every one. But your manner of 

 treatment affords us a gleam of hope, both for 

 what it has done in your case, and because, 

 from a sanitary point of view, it looks reasona- 

 ble. Good sanitation nowadays means separat- 

 ing the sick from the well — at least in cases of 

 contagious diseases; and this is the whole se- 

 cret of your method of cure, if I am correct. 

 Under ordinary conditions a colony will not kill 

 off its sick when it becomes weakened down; 

 but by mixing the races, as it were, family ties 

 have no particular influence, and then it is that* 

 the sick are separated from the well, and Na- 

 ture does the rest. Although, as I said, friend 

 M.'s treatment gives us a gleam of hope, yet 

 not until I shall find that it works with equal 

 success in the hands of others as well shall I 

 begiu to believe that we have a real cure for 

 bee-paralysis.— Ed.] 



BEES AND GRAPES IN CALIFORNIA. 



DAMAGE DONE BY BEES INFINITESSIMAL. 

 By F. D. Lowe. 



On page 223 I see an article from G. F. Mer- 

 riam, relative to bees and grapes in California— 

 their harmony with each other, etc.; and, fur- 

 ther, that you solicit such valuable testimony 

 from that source where it has been said that 

 bees were a great detriment to the fruit indus- 

 try. 



I will just say that I happen to be in that 

 particular locality. The principal fruit grown 

 there is the muscat grape, which is made into 

 raisins. Also large fields of alfalfa abound 

 here, and, of course, the honey-bee has claimed 

 a home. Apiaries of 150 colonies, more or less, 

 are located from K mile to 1}4 miles apart. On 

 my ranch of 60 acres I have 25 acres of muscat 

 grapes, which I convert into raisins. In the 

 center of this, vineyard I have an apiary of 115 

 colonies in Jumbo hives. 



About the 10th of September the grapes are 

 highly sugared, and are then picked and even- 

 ly laid on trays of 25 lbs. each. Immediately 



after these trays are delivered over to the heat 

 of the glorious sun they are all visited by a 

 merry gang of bees; but, watch them closely 

 for a few minutes. Here and there they dart 

 with vivid rapidity, for they seem to scent 

 something that is sweet. In the picking of the 

 fruit there will always be a few grapes that 

 have lost the minute stem that holds it, and 

 the deli«ious nectar has begun to ooze, and the 

 bee has claimed it for its own. There are also 

 some grapes that are bird-picked, and the bees 

 proceed to finish them, leaving nothing but the 

 hull, which the grader always blows over. 



So far bees have done no damage to my rai- 

 sins; but I do know that some people here have 

 been so zealous they actually gave testimony 

 that the bees were boring right through the 

 skins, when, in fact, the puncture was always 

 made by something else. 



Among other fruits I have apricots, and as 

 yet the bees have the first time to molest them 

 in drying time. 



The damage done to raisins by bees is so in- 

 significant that it is hardly worth mentioning. 



On page 320 you have illustrated a huge ma- 

 chine in the shape of a section-press and foun- 

 dation-fastener combined. It has always oc- 

 curred to me that the essential thing in modern 

 inventions that counts best is speed. There is 

 no question in my mind but that the Daisy 

 fastener caps the climax over all; and the 

 strangest part of all is that more prominent 

 bee-keepers do not use it. As for his section- 

 former, there is unquestionably too much ma- 

 terial in its construction. I have a press, the 

 invention of which is original with me— is the 

 simplest device that has come to my notice. 

 Regardless of its merits and demerits I desire 

 you to know that I have attained a speed on it 

 of 1000 per hour. Its work is first-class, and, 

 like Mr. Aikin's machine, there is only one 

 made, and it is not for sale. 



Rosedale, Cal., May 24. 



[If you do not object we should be glad to re- 

 ceive a photo or drawing of your press, togeth- 

 er with a short description. With no desire to 

 throw your feat in the shade, I would simply 

 state that one of our girls folds, with the Hub- 

 bard press, 1000 sections in 40 minutes, and this 

 is her average right along. She has folded 500 

 in just 15 minutes. 



Thanks for testimony regarding bees and 

 raisins. It is another clincher among scores of 

 others of similar character.— Ed.] 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' UNIONS. 



IS THERE NEED OF TWO SUCH ORGANIZATIONS? 



By Prof. A. J. Cook. 



Dear Editor Oleaninqs:—! like the thought 

 and spirit of your editorial in which you urge 

 that there ought and must be no feeling in the 

 matter of the old and new Bee-keepers' Union. 



