1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



651 



experience points the other way. Excuse me 

 for criticising ; but I feel that it is a matter of 

 importance to us all. 



The honey crop in this part of Wisconsin is 

 very short. We had very bad, rainy, foggy, 

 and cool weather in basswood time, and white 

 clover did not yield any honey, hardly. 



[The following private note we think of 

 enough importance to add to the foregoing, 

 even though the writer requests that it be not 

 published. We leave off postoffice and name 

 for this reason. — Ed.] 



I wish to add to the above, that I have been 

 led to write as I did by a fact that was brought 

 out in our convention last February. At that 

 time, fancy comb was quoted by a commission 

 firm at 13 cts.; and one of our members who 

 had been down three or four days before was 

 told by the same firm that they sold at 15. It 

 is a matter of fact that we never get from 

 commission men a price higher than quota- 

 tions. As a rule it is nearly always below. 

 Now we are regularly charged 10 per cent 

 commission ; 2 cents make over 15 per cent ; 

 and when it conies to giving % OI our crop 

 just to have it sold, it is enough to overtax 

 the patience of a saint, and bee-keepers are 

 not all saints, whatever commission men may 

 be. 



My own experience corroborates the above, 

 for last fall I sold to the same firm some comb 

 honey for which they received 13 cts. by their 

 own acknowledgment, and they complained 

 terribly of the lot, as it was not built out to 

 the wood, etc. ; and by their own quotations 

 it would not have brought more than 10 cts. 

 in Chicago. 



A GOOD FLOW OF HONEY. 



[After receiving the foregoing the following 

 came to hand, and is right in line with what 

 has already been said in the matter of the 

 superfluousness of the " extra-fancy " grade. 

 —Ed.] 



We are getting a good flow of honey here, 

 and have for four weeks past. I, as well as 

 my neighbors, extract every two weeks from 

 L. hives well filled and sealed. We have, up 

 to date, shipped three cars, and have another 

 almost ready. The quality this season seems 

 to be better than usual. It is not white, but I 

 quote it extra light amber. It is of good 

 flavor and heavy body, gathered from alfalfa. 



Guernsey, Cal., July 28. F. E. Brown. 



BEES AND BLACK CHICKENS. 



Having read in Gleanings about bees and 

 black clothes, I will give my experience with 

 bees and black chickens. While working 

 among the bees I noticed a commotion among 

 the chickens, and found that three little black 

 fellows were completely surrounded by bees, 

 while they paid no attention to the white ones. 

 I caught them and found that they were full 

 of stings. There were stings in the corners 

 of their eyes, which I pulled out, and bathed 

 with witch hazel the parts stung. They acted 

 dumpy for a day or two, but are all right now. 



Sharon, Ct., July 24. Frank C. Harris. 



THE FAMOUS CATCLAW HONEY OF TEXAS. 



I send you a photo of myself wiring the 

 famous catclaw shrub, or bush, in bloom, 

 from which we make our best honey. I send 

 you today by express a 12-lb. crate of new 

 honey from this plant. Please sample the 

 same and tell in Gleanings how it compares 

 with your best Northern honey. The photo 

 also shows the cactus and mesquite. Both of 

 them yield a fine honey, but not yet in bloom 

 — just budding. These come right on the 

 heels of catclaw, and sometimes almost to- 

 gether, and there is very little difference in 

 the quality of honey. 



This crate of 12 sections was made in 24-lb. 

 supers without separators, and just taken as 

 it came. Of course, it may not grade A 1, as 

 to perfectness ; but tell us what you think of 

 the flavor and quality of the honey. Only 

 starters were used in sections. 



Fairview, Tex., May 6. G. F. Davidson. 



[The 12 pound crate of honey came duly to 

 hand, but a portion of the comb was broken ; 

 but there was enough of it in perfect condition 

 to show that it was of very fine quality, and 

 would rank with the very best of white honey 

 from the North. 



This particular honey, if I remember cor- 

 rectly, had a very delicate, pleasant flavor, 

 somewhat suggestive of the smell of the lilac 

 in early spring, in the North ; and if Mr. 

 Davidson or other bee-keepers of the South 

 have very much of this honey it ought to be 

 classed as white honey, and run an even race 

 in price. — Ed] 



poisoned brood. 



I lost one entire brood- chamber or 30 days' 

 work for the queen by the young brood dying 

 with something like paralysis within 24 hours 

 after hatching — a new thing to me ; and, be- 

 ing a tenderfoot in Texas, I set out inquiring, 

 and found it new all around. Some said it 

 was poisoned pollen or sour pollen ; others, 

 poisoned honey. On close examination I 

 found nine had no pollen. I went to feeding 

 rye flour and oatmeal dampened in sun-ex- 

 tracted honey. They stopped dying, went to 

 capping brood, which they had refused to do 

 before. I have taken some memoranda from 

 observation of the actions of the bees during 

 the death siege, as it is different from any 

 thing else I ever saw. If you have any desire 

 for information I will give it» as best I can. 

 Of course, it differs from every thing here. I 

 claim it was a want of pollen causing paralysis, 

 as there is no poisonous plant here. The bees 

 were full grown, well developed, etc., when 

 hatched. J. M. McCurdy. 



Sabinal, Tex., July 21. 



[Notwithstanding what you say, I am strong- 

 ly inclined to believe that the brood you refer 

 to was poisoned by honey or pollen that would 

 not have affected adult bees. — Ed.] 



The following question was discussed at the 

 Texas meeting : " Is it advisable to use un- 

 mated queens for drone-mothers? " 



Hutto, Tex., July 26. H. H. Hyde. 



[I don 't know, but I should think not. — Ed. ] 



