182 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



He has some of the finest Shetland stock to be 

 found on the Pacific coast. 



While at the creamery Mr. M. introduced 

 me to another bee-keeper, who was evidently 

 an amateur, for he could boast more in one 

 minute about what his bees could do than Mr. 

 Myers would in a lifetime. 



From the few bees kept in the vicinity I 

 should judge that the location is not a tiptop 

 one. Alfalfa is grown here, but it is cut before 

 bees can work upon it. There is white clover 

 in abundance, and sweet clover is getting to 

 be quite plentiful ; but it is regarded as an 

 obnoxious weed. If the weather is favorable 

 in the spring, bees ought to do well on fruit 

 bloom, for there is much of it. Ashland is at 

 the upper end of the Rouge River Valley, and 

 all of this region is noted for the excellence of 

 its fruits. Apples and pears from this valley 

 have sold for fancy prices in New York and in 

 London. 



Mr. Myers said that, if his bees could work 

 on the poison oak that flourished in the hills 

 a few miles distant, he thought he could get 

 much good honey from it. This oak is a bush 

 growing to a height of six or eight feet ; has a 

 profuse bloom, and secretes much nectar ; the 

 honey does not partake of the poisonous na- 

 ture of the tree, but is of fine flavor and color. 

 Mr. Myers had a novel idea of getting his bees 

 to work upon it, but which he had never put 

 into practice. The oak, I understand, is oyer 

 five miles from his apiary. Instead of moving 

 his apiary into the vicinity he proposed to 

 take a few bees in cages from a number, or all 

 of the colonies, to the hills, and liberate them 

 near the flowers. Finding themselves in the 

 midst of plenty they would fill themselves and 

 convey the good tidings to the apiary, and 

 there would be a general stampede to the new 

 field. Mr. Myers asked me if I thought 

 the plan would work. In my reply I had to 

 infringe upon Dr. Miller's prerogative, and 

 say, " I don't know." 



However, in my experience with orange 

 bloom I am inclined to think that, for a honey- 

 producing flora to entice bees a long distance, 

 the field must be large, the odor strong, and 

 the nectar abundant. 



Mr. Myers gave me the names of several 

 bee-keepers within a few miles of Ashland, 

 one of whom had about 100 colonies ; but the 

 roads needed a high-stepping steed, and mine 

 was not of that kind, so I contented myself 

 with the information given by Mr. Myers, 

 and proceeded down the Rouge River Valley 

 to Medford. 



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ANSWERS TO j 



SEASONABLE 



£,V l£;, i*.:.. 



(QUESTIONS 



REPORT FOR 1898. 



We commenced in the spring with about 

 275 ; increased to 325, and produced 3694 lbs. 

 of section honey, 895 lbs. of broken comb, 

 14,595 lbs. extracted ; grand total, 19,194 lbs. 

 This country averaged from }4 to % crop, ow- 

 ing to whether or not the bees received the 

 proper attention. We have bought 125 more 

 colonies, and will begin 1899 with 450 to 500, 

 besides a large lot of nuclei. 



Hutto, Tex., Dec. 7. O. P. Hyde & Son. 



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WIDE FRAMES AND SEPARATORS. 



Question. — Will you please tell in Glean- 

 ings why tin separators are not as good as 

 wooden ones or the fence? I am using wide 

 frames with tin separators tacked to them, so 

 arranged that a bee-space is left at top and 

 bottom so the bees can work all through the 

 surplus apartment. Is this not as good as any 

 thing I can have? And can not the separat- 

 ors be cleaned of bee-glue much easier than 

 could the fences? 



Answer.- — The above-described wide frames 

 and separators are just such as I have used for 

 the past 25 years, and so far I see no reason 

 for changing my surplus arrangement. As 

 my honey has always brought as much as, or 

 a cent or two more a pound than, the highest 

 market quotations, I see no reason why I coidd 

 secure better prices were I to change my mode 

 of securing surplus. Some of my fancy hon- 

 ey, shipped on commission this last fall to a 

 Boston firm, sold at 20 cents per pound, while 

 14 to 15 cents was the highest market quota- 

 tion for the best fancy in that city. One of 

 the great advantages of wide frames is that 

 the bees do not have access to the outside of 

 the sections at any point, except the edges of 

 the horizontal pieces; hence, when filled, they 

 are as new and perfect as they were when put 

 on the hive, requiring scarcely a bit of scrap- 

 ing to clean them of propolis, or bee-glue, as 

 our questioner calls it. All that has been said 

 of late regarding section-cleaners finds no 

 place with the apiarist who uses properly con- 

 structed wide frames. Yea, more : All the 

 expense required in constructing one of these 

 section-cleaners, or in buying one, is entirely 

 saved by using such wide frames. More still: 

 All the time required in using them can be ta- 

 ken for the improvement of the mind in read- 

 ing, etc. ; going to some summer resort, and 

 hearing some of the best talent in the world; 

 or, if nothing else seems of more importance, 

 the time saved can be used to go camping or 

 fishing, if one is so inclined ; and with me, 

 either or all of these seem to meet my re- 

 quirements better than to run a section-clean- 

 er, and be to the expense of purchasing the 

 same. As to the inventing of a section-clean- 

 er, I have not so much to say; for in such in- 

 vention of any thing the mind is improved, 

 and a certain joy comes, which is often great- 

 er than any which can be experienced in go- 

 ing fishing, etc. I would not discourage in- 

 ventive genius in any way, for, when used 

 aright, it is not only a help to the world 

 through the invention, but a help to the world 

 also by making the inventor a greater man or 

 woman, socially and intellectually. 



As to the ease of cleaning separators, I am not 

 much interested; for, to my knowledge, I have 

 cleaned mine only once, and many of them 

 have been in use for from 20 to 25 years. 

 Some years ago I used wooden separators on a 



