1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



261 



frames quietly, giving each new hive two 

 frames of brood and all adhering bees, and 

 one good frame of honey, using it for a divi- 

 sion-board (and, by the way, such division- 

 boards are to my notion the best in the world) ; 

 put the two frames of brood and bees next to 

 the wall of the hive, and let the honey-frame 

 be the third from the side of hive. Be sure to 

 see that you have at least one good ripe-look- 

 ing cell in each new hive, or division, and don't 

 forget the frame of honey. As soon as each 

 division is made, stop the entrance of the hive 

 by stuffing it full of green moss. If you 

 haven't any green moss, use green grass or 

 leaves, and be sure to stuff them in tight — as 

 tight as though you never intended the bees 

 should gnaw out, and be sure there are no 

 cracks or holes that a single bee could get out 

 at ; for if there are, your division will be ruin- 

 ed by all, or nearly all, the bees that can fly 

 leaving it. Each parent colony should make 

 four or five good divisions that will make 

 booming colonies in 40 or 50 days, and I have 

 had them the best in the apiary in less time. 

 Leave or loose the old queen on the old stand 

 (if not too old ) , and the bees from it will work 

 straight ahead, as they don't have to be con- 

 fined to make them stay at home. 



Don't be uneasy about the divisions that are 

 stopped up, unless you failed to stuff the en- 

 trances well, for they will not smother, but 

 busy themselves with gnawing at the moss or 

 grass for two or three days, possibly four or 

 five, if you have done an extra good job at 

 stuffing the entrance. At the end of that 

 time you will find them all gnawed out so as 

 to have egress and ingress. Then you can 

 move enough of the grass or moss to give them 

 a clean entrance, 1^ or 2 inches wide; and by 

 looking into them you will be astonished at 

 the quantity of bees you have in each hive 

 (and they, too, well satisfied), having consum- 

 ed so much time in gnawing out that the queen 

 had time to hatch and kill off her rivals and 

 be ready for the wedding-trip by the time the 

 entrance is cleared. So, instead of in a week's 

 time, having a worthless weak division with a 

 chilled inferior queen, as is the case in the old- 

 style way of dividing, where nine-tenths of 

 the bees return to the old hive, you have a 

 strong vigorous queen and a nice little satis- 

 fied swarm of bees, ready for business in the 

 way of pulling foundation before they are 

 three weeks old. 



I have succeeded with nineteen out of 

 twenty divisions made in the above way, when 

 I did not even see them until the third week 

 after dividing them as above. And for the 

 average bee-keeper who has out - apiaries I 

 think there is no better way in the world to 

 make increase. If there is I'd like to see or 

 hear of it while the expansion question is be- 

 ing expanded. 



In the above method of increasing, you have 

 no queens to buy, no robbers to bother with, 

 and but little time lost, as an expert can make 

 20 divisions an hour. 



Navasota, Texas, Feb. 26. 



[I do not know that I have seen this plan 

 mentioned, for making bees stay in the hive — 



a plan whereby the whole thing works auto- 

 matically. It is new, and I believe it is ingen- 

 ious. It certainly commends itself as being 

 practical. — Ed.] 



CUBAN HONEY. 



It will Never be a Competitor of American Honey, 

 and Why. 



BY FRED L. CRAYCRAFT. 



As the pages of Gleanings are often favor- 

 ed with something about Cuba it seems that 

 interest in the apicultural future of this island 

 is reviving ; and now that we are gathered 

 under the coat-tails of Uncle Sam it does not 

 seem as if we are so far out of the world after 

 all, and it is now time that Cuba should step 

 forth and take her place among the honey- 

 producing countries of the world, not only as 

 to quantity but quality, in which she shou;d 

 lead the world. However, I think the fears 

 of some of the fraternity are unfounded if 

 they think that Cuba will flood the markets ; 

 for even if the duty of 20 cents per gallon were 

 taken off there would be but little of it ship- 

 ped to the United States, for the simple reason 

 that we can get more for it in the markets of 

 Europe. Of course, the white honey from 

 the bellflower, neatly put up, either extracted 

 or comb, would be a dangerous competitor if 

 enough were produced ; but Cuba will never 

 have many Doolittles, Roots, and Hethering- 

 tons ; and if they were here they would find 

 so many things to turn their attention to that 

 they would not devote their time strictly to 

 apiculture. I may be mistaken ; but I think 

 if A. I. were here and should go out to see the 

 sun rise on New Year's morning he would 

 walk right by where his bees were tumbling 

 over each other in their haste to get out and 

 get their backs all white digging their heads 

 into the bellflower blossoms, and go and look 

 at his coffee or pineapple patch, and pull some 

 roasting ears for dinner, or perhaps carry in a 

 watermelon before the sun warmed things up. 

 The soil is very productive, and all fruits and 

 vegetables known to the temperate climes as 

 well as the tropics do well; and on account of 

 the mild climate of this country, when one 

 sets out a plant or tree he may feel sure of 

 seeing it bear fruit. 



During the recent disastrous cold wave 

 which swept over the southern part of the 

 United States we experienced the coldest 

 weather I have seen during a seven years' res- 

 idence on the island ; but at no time did I see 

 the thermometer drop below 52°. 



There are many things to which one may 

 turn his attention; but fruit-growing is destin- 

 ed to take the front rank. 



There are also many disadvantages to one 

 coming here ; and, first of all, I do not think 

 this is a poor man's country for a while, at 

 least, and no one should think of coming un- 

 less he has enough to buy a place and carry 

 him through his "tenderfoot" experience. 



Politically this country has shown about 

 every phase except liberty and good govern- 

 ment ; and if the pessimists of the United 



