1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



535 



As it Is the business of Gi.kanings to keep 

 lt8 readers posted in regard to every thing new 

 that conies up in bee culture, we sent tiie three 

 dollars. It is printed on page 11 of a little 

 price list of fancy poultry. Here is the three- 

 dollar recipe verbatim: 



Ull{EirH)NS KOK T.\KlNO HUNAW.\Y SWARMS OF 

 UKES. 



Prepare an ordinurj- box hive by having it sweet 

 and clean; place a stick one-fouitli of an Inch thick 

 about six Inches I'rom the top across the inside of 

 the hive and a similar one i-russwise of tlie first, six 

 Inches lower down for supports to the comb. Now 

 take a piece of empty comb or comb foundation 

 and fasten to the inside of the top of the hive by 

 melting' a bit of wax and sticking the comb fast 

 while hot; now drop a few drops of the sweet oil of 

 anise on the comb and the inner walls of the liive; 

 now fasten on the bottom-lioard, letting it extend 

 an inch or two beyond tlu^ hive on the front side, 

 leaving a slot four inclics long and three-eighths of 

 an inch deep for an entrance; on the first real 

 warm day in May, when the bees begin to swarm, 

 place your hive In a shady tree, not necessarily 

 very high from the ground; the bees will swarm 

 from the parent hive; and as soon as they settle 

 they will send out scouts to look for a new home: 

 and, if not successful, the swarm will make a flight 

 and settle, and send out scouts again as before, and 

 continue to move and scout until they find a hollow 

 tree or some cavity that suits them, when they im- 

 mediately take possession. Now, if you have a few 

 hives scattered abou' through your orchard, and a 

 swarm is passing within two miles, the scouts will 

 find your empty hives ready for occupancy, and will 

 lead the swarm to the hive. If j'our hive is secured 

 firmly, it can remain In the tree until cool weather 

 before removing. 



Our readers will notice that, in the above, 

 there is not a single idea that has not already 

 been published repeatedly in our journals. 

 Several years ago we had quite a discussion 

 in regard to the matter, and many articles were 

 published in regard to it. I confess that it 

 .somewhat revived my old enthusiasm in regard 

 to decoy hives. But, hold on a minute I There 

 is one new feature. It is the statera^nt to the 

 effect that, if a swarm passes within two tailes 

 of your empty hives, the scouts will find them. 

 We did not know before that a swarm of bees 

 keeps scouts out for two miles in every direc- 

 tion: and I am afraid we do not know it now. 

 We have here another illustration of the fact 

 that I have for so many years emphasized: No 

 good thing ever comes, or. perhaps I should 

 say, no iicn- thing ever comes from those who 

 advertise recipes or secrets for a certain sum of 

 money. Now, if anybody else who takes 

 Gleaxixg.s knows of any valuable sncret offer- 

 ed for a certain sum of money, just let Glean- 

 ings know about it and we will enjoy it all 

 together instead of sending three dollars in- 

 dividually for one and the same thing. 





He shall be like a tree planted by the rivx-rs of wa- 

 ter; . . . his leaf also shall not wither.— Psalm 

 1:3. 



I have before mentioned that my neighbor, 

 C. J. Green, found a little spring on one of his 

 lots. He piped it down into his dooryard, and 

 near bis greenhouse he has a little fountain. 

 Now, during a severe drouth like the present 

 there is not very much water — perhaps as much 

 as would fill a rye straw or a little more; but 

 even this small amount keeps two considerable 

 tanks full, and the surplus runs the tiny foun- 



tain; and right where the overllow from this 

 fountain reaches it, is a small Downing mul- 

 berry-tree. The tree is fairly filled with the 

 most luscious mulberries I ever tasted; and the 

 tree is making such a luxuriant growth that it 

 is really a pleasure to look at it. While I stood 

 enjoying it, just between sundown and dark, I 

 was reminded of three things: First, that the 

 Downing mulberry is a most delicious fruit 

 when grown to perfection ; second, that it 

 seems to be a water-plant. Like the willow. It 

 delights in water continually; third, the whole 

 thing was a most beautiftil reminder, by way 

 of an object-lesson, of that wonderful verse in 

 the first Psalm. Wc have a Downing mulber- 

 ry-tree on otir lawn, but the berries are small, 

 and insignificant in flavor, compared with the 

 one I have just spoken of. But I am inclined 

 to think it is not altogether the water. Occa- 

 sionally there are trees that bear larger and 

 finer fruit than others. Mr. Green has already 

 set some grafts on another mulberry-tree on his 

 premises to see if he can get equally large and 

 luscious fruit. 



" happy surprises ; " the poktek apple. 

 Nearly a year ago a niece made me a present 

 of a luscious apple, so very large that I at once 

 made a trip of investigation, fihe said she did 

 not know the name of the apple; the tree was 

 on the premises when they moved there. I was 

 astonished to find that I had never before 

 known of so large an apple, almost if not quite 

 as early as the Early Harvest. I sent a sample 

 of the apple to otir Ohio Experiment Station, 

 and they replied right ofiF that it was the Por- 

 ter. Last fall I sent to our nurseryman, Mr. 

 Job Green, of Granger. Medina Co., O.. for one- 

 fourth dozen trees. Well, yesterday, July 8th, 

 the timothy in our orchard was so high that we 

 cut it and put it into the barn; and after the 

 grass was out of the way, one of my Porter ap- 

 ple-trees, set out just last fall, and not more 

 than four or five feet high, was found to con- 

 tain two great beautiful apples almost ripe. 

 Now, if you have never tasted this apple, plant 

 a tree in your dooryard. in a good rich place, 

 then you or your children will have a good lot 

 of " happy surprises " in the way of a beautiful 

 fruit when everybody wants it most. 



THE FOTJRTH OF .JtTLY, 1897. 



This present vear seems peculiar in at least 

 two respects. First, it has given us the coldest 

 day since the Weather Bureau was started, 

 some 27 years ago; and on the 4th of this pres- 

 ent month the thermometer registered the 

 highest point Taccording to the Weather Bu- 

 reau) in 17 years. On the north side of our 

 brick building the thermometer registered half 

 a degree above 100; but on the porch over at 

 the house it was only about 07. The Weather 

 Bureau reports it at their ofBce. on top of one 

 of the tallest buildings in Cleveland, somewhere 

 about 99, if I am correct. It is hard to make a 

 correct statement, because the surroundings 

 have so much to do with the temperature. 



Unfortunately— at least so it would seem— it 

 was announced that your humble servant 

 would give a talk in a church five miles away 

 from my home, on Sunday afternoon. I did not 

 want to take a horse out in such sultry weather, 

 and, in fact, I did not want to ride in a buggy, 

 so I rode on my wheel. Several urged that it 

 was positively dangerous. But I knew pretty 

 well it was not dangerous for me, and I was 

 agreeably "surprised" to find myself much 

 more comfortable on the wheel than sitting 

 indoors in the shade. As my talk was about 

 " happy surprises," my experience came in very 

 opportunely. I left home at one o'clock, and 



