1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



639 



enough over black combs, the lower part of 

 the central sections becomes dark, and 100 per 

 cent of those dark sections were at first cap- 

 ped white. If they're dark clear through, 

 then the bees have a way of soaking the color 

 through the white capping. Isn't it just pos- 

 sible that, in your examination, the dark color 

 shone through the white layer? I wish you'd 

 come to Marengo and fight out some of these 

 things with me. I had just a lovely time 

 fighting with Hutchinson when he was here. 

 [Mr. Crane and I looked over a good deal of 

 the honey that was travel-stained, and I after- 

 ward examined the lot after he went away. 

 My own individual conclusion, as well as that 

 of Mr. Crane, was that this stain went clear 

 through the capping. I took a magnifying- 

 glass and two needles to dissect some pieces, 

 and I do not see how I could be mistaken in 

 believing that this travel-stain went clear 

 through. Again, as a further proof I bath- 

 ed with a rag dampened in gasoline the 

 surfaces of several sections of comb honey ; 

 for you know gasoline and benzine are sol- 

 vents of wax. I washed gently quite a num- 

 ber of sections until the cappings were almost 

 gone, leaving a mere gauze covering; and yet 

 that travel-stain was there just the same, thus 

 showing positively that the coloring-matter 

 was not on the surface but all through the 

 capping. — Ed.] 



€P>IOllJWG& 



'fcMOM OUR NEIGHBORS FIELDS. ^ 



Dryer ! higher burns the fire 



Of these Augti't days ; 

 Fields are parched and pastures wilted 



By the noontide blaze. 



BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



In speaking of the arrangement of hives in 



an apiary, J. E. Crane lays stress on having 



them protected from the wind. He says it is 



hard to realize how much damage a strong 



draft of air through a yard of bees will do. 



He has had, in one or two cases, almost every 



colony die, during the winter and spring, on 



one side or end of the yard where there was a 



strong draft of air. He thinks the six-sided 



(hexagonal) plan very nice on paper; but 



after trying it one winter he found, the fol- 



n n lowing spring, the central part of 



U U the yard greatly weakened by bees 



I — | | — | missing their own hives, and there 



. . — was a great loss of queens. He 



now uses a plan like that shown 

 t — ' '—'in the diagram. Mr. Crane has 



planted a basswood in the center 

 of most of the groups. The upper 

 group faces north. The first at the top is No. 

 1, and so around as the hands of a clock move. 

 Mr. C. insists strongly on numbering hives. 



Our old friend H. G. Ouirin (he seems to 

 be about 20 in the picture), of Bellevue, O., 



relieves the monotony of life by giving us a 

 bird's-eye view of his place. The country 

 there is very level. In the lower half of the 

 cut we see an open field with about 25 hives 

 in it ; beyond that is a larger number in an 

 orchard. The telephone from New York to 

 Chicago is seen in front of the yard, and it 

 also goes equally near the Home of the Honey- 

 bees, forming a connecting-link between us. 

 Wire we not neighbors ? 



After writing the above I find I am review- 

 ing a somewhat "ripe" number; but the 

 story is too good to lose. I'll examine my 

 dates and figs closer hereafter. 

 it/ 

 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



On page 497 Mr. C. P. Dadant argues in de- 

 fense of barrels, after an experience of thirty 

 years. He agrees with Editor Hill when the 

 latter says: " I have used a number of car- 

 loads of tin cans as honey-packages, and have 

 found the percentage of loss through leakage 

 greater than where barrels are used." The 

 excessive dryness of some States seems to 

 render tin more desirable than wood. Prob- 

 ably the trouble attributed to barrels is owing 

 to the unseasoned condition of the staves, the 

 honey absorbing what water they do contain, 

 thus causing shrinking. On the other hand, 

 doubtless tin cans are made too large for the 

 strength of the soldered seam, and hence a 

 leak results. With care, both materials, tin 

 and wood, have their places, 

 ti/ 



Mr. York is working with commendable 

 energy to make the Philadelphia convention 

 a good one. Mr. York and Dr. C. C. Miller 

 go together, starting Sept. 4. 



Mr. York quotes an article from the Michi- 

 gan Farmer, written by Geo. E. Hilton, sug- 

 gesting that ministers keep bees. The chief 

 objection would be that most of them live in 

 large towns and cities, and they can all truly 

 say, "We have here no continuing city." 

 Churches nowadays change their preachers as 

 often as the fashions flop about. 



A correspondent inquires in regard to hunt- 

 ing bees during a honey-flow. Another says, 

 in reply, " Go where you have reason to think 

 the bees are, and find them at work on water. 

 When they leave the water they will not circle, 

 but go straight to the tree. Generally they 

 get water at the nearest point, so if you are a 

 mile from tame bees you may rest assured 

 they are wild." 



A month ago I referred to the fact that Mr. 

 York addressed one of the Chicago schools on 

 the subject of bees. His remarks were to be 

 printed in a little paper issued by the scholars. 

 Miss Anna Sundberg, a girl of fifteen, gave 

 the following synopsis of Mr. York's talk. It 

 is all from memory, and certainly shows much 

 skill. She also made some fine sketches, 

 which, of course, I omit. Here is the clipping : 



