1G8 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar 1. 



Now consider the 1895 flow. The gross gain 

 was the same as in 1894 — 70 pounds ; but in- 

 stead of being 47 days in gathering, it was 

 only 27, the former being about lyi per day 

 and the latter about 2)4. With this flow the 

 super work was better. More new comb was 

 built in sections than the previous year, 

 though there was less time in which to build 

 it. The finish was also better. The slower 

 flow gave more lime to edge in and crowd 

 brood, more time for thorough ripening, hence 

 less room needed in which to store, so less 

 put in supers. In the rapid flow, besides the 

 condition of increased bulk because of unripe 

 honey, less opportunity was given to store in 

 brood-combs vacated by hatching bees, and 

 the greater number of loaded bees in each 

 other's way, a greater degree of activity, and, 

 perhaps, an increased wax secretion. Such 

 conditions induce betttr super work, but put 

 less honey into the brood -combs. 



The flow for 189(1 was o.'! pounds in 2() days 

 — an average of 2 pounds per day. Now, 5;^ 

 pounds of nectar would not equal more than 

 perhaps 40 pounds of the ripened honey, or 

 but little more than enough to fill the brood- 

 chamber Nectar gathered at the rate of (i or 

 8 pounds per day would evaporate even more 

 than the above estimate ; and so, I suppose, 

 would also that gathered in damp weaiher or 

 in more moist climes. I think that, with one 

 exception, this was the poorest yield I ever 

 had, and the poorest b)- all odds since locating 

 in this State, eight years ago. I reduced the 

 number of comb-honey colonies, and took a 

 little hon y; also took a little extracted, but 

 would have had more bees last spring if I had 

 not taken a pound. 



The 1897 flow was the best for several years. 

 My records of this are more complete in de- 

 tails, and also much more fresh in memory. 

 There were two flows. The first was from 

 alfalfa, from about June 12tti to July 13th ; 

 the second, cleonie and sweet clover, begin- 

 ning about August 1st, and continuing about 

 three weeks. The alfalfa flow filled my brood- 

 combs and well nigh half of my crop of sur- 

 plus. I say filled the brood-coinbs, which is 

 strictly true, because I unqueened; and as the 

 brood hatched, the combs were sure to be 

 filled. The first flow was the longest and the 

 freest, giving about -j the entire gain of both 

 flows. The beginning of the second flow 

 came just about with the beginning of the 

 laying of the young queens; so between the 

 moving-up of honey to make room for brood, 

 and the honey coming from the fields, the 

 super work in the second flow was greater 

 than in the first. The movement from the 

 brood-chamber even finished sections when 

 the flow had practical!}- ceased. 



Putting the two flows together I had about 

 a 55 days' yield, and very close to a 2 pounds 

 a day average. My crop of surplus was about 

 45 pounds average — about the same whether 

 comb or extracted. This flow showed several 

 days that were good. Two colonies were 

 used, and I have averaged on the basis of two. 

 One did much better than the other — a matter 

 I shall discuss in another connection ; but 

 considering that the two were used in these 



estimates I think the resvilts more conclusive 

 than in the preceding years when only one 

 was used. The best colony showed in succes- 

 sion two days a seven-pound and two days a 

 six-pound gain, the greatest single day's gain. 

 The average daily gain was about 2 pounds, 

 few days exceeding .3 to 4 pounds. 



The records were made by weighing night 

 and morning. A 5-pound gain would shrink 

 over night 1 to 1 Ji pounds; hence had I 

 weighed only each evening my record would 

 not be so accurate as by the method pursued. 

 The bees were rarely out more than 10 to 11 

 hours a day, many times not more than 9. I 

 said my average of surplus was about 45 

 pounds. The average gain being about 2, 

 and the number of days' duration 55, the total 

 gain would be 110. Supposing the evaporat- 

 ing to be ',, I should have left almost .30 

 pounds per colony for winter stores. If Vi 

 did truly represent the shrinkage, a large part 

 of that shrinkage took place between the 

 morning and evening weighings ; hence we 

 can not get rid of some discrepancies. I 

 should judge that the actual total gain would 

 be considerabl}' above the figures given, so 

 that the actual stores left with the colonies 

 were very near 40 pounds 



Here I want to call attention to a point 

 prominent in this investigation; and that is 

 the fact that it requires a flow of three to four 

 pounds per da}- to give good work in sections, 

 and more especially in the hands of any but 

 an expert. The best average yield I have 

 taken in recent years was 150 pounds per 

 colony. Adding to this the winter stores, say 

 25 pounds, would make 175 pounds of ripened 

 honey per colony. Allowing '5 for evapora- 

 tion, the average daily gain of nectar must 

 have been not less than Wz pounds, for it was 

 gathered in about 50 days. I weighed through 

 the greater part of that flow, and know the 

 gain was as much as 8 or 10 pounds some days, 

 and I regret that I did not preserve the record. 



Lo\eland, Col. 



THE HONEY MARKET. 



Selling Produce around Home, or Shipping it to a 

 Commission House; Organizing a Honey Ex- 

 change for York State; would \iver he the 

 Proper Man to sell the Honey? the 

 *!iooo Reward on Shi|)ping-cases. 



BY FRIEDEMANN GREINER. 



It may be all true enough that the profes- 

 sional honey-producer is to some extent to 

 blame for the prevailing low prices of honey ; 

 but what can we do to remedy the trouble ? 

 that's the question. While I do not think the 

 price of honey has come down any more than 

 the other products of the soil, still I do wish, 

 from the natural standpoint of selfishness, 

 that honey would bring us more money. But 

 it must be borne in mind that, through the di- 

 vision of labor, through specializing of the 

 different twigs and branches of industry, much 

 good has been accomplished. Mr. Terry has 

 made a wonderful success of farming for his 

 three products; viz., wheat, clover, and pota- 



