358 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



It was developed, also, at the Chicago con- 

 vention, that sweet clover is " awful stuff " if 

 it is not thoroughly ripened ; but when the 

 bees have had a chance to manipulate it, and 

 it is taken out of the combs good and thick, 

 it was considered not unpleasant, although a 

 little strong compared with basswood, clover, 

 and other mild-fiavored honeys. 



ALFALFA HONEY NOT TAKING WITH THE 

 CITY TRA.de, and why. 



There seemed to be a general agreement 

 that alfalfa honey — that which I have praised 

 so highly in these columns, and which in my 

 humble opinion I have classed as the finest 

 honey in the world — did not take well with 

 consumers, for the simple reason that they 

 were in the habit of tasting clover and bass- 

 wood ; and if the flavor of these honeys were 

 lacking, then it was declared to be nothing 

 but sugar syrup. Alfalfa is so mild-flavored 

 that a good many of the Chicagoans regard it 

 with suspicion because it does not taste like 

 the honey of their fathers. One dealer in the 

 city, I found, was putting into alfalfa a small 

 amount of strong-flavored fall honey ; but 

 this, for me, spoiled it, and yet it was done to 

 give it a taste and twang that satisfy many 

 consumers. 



The general public has been fooled so much 

 that it does not know what to accept as pure ; 

 and whenever honey is too mild-flavored or 

 too strong or too something it is pronounced 

 adulterated ; and I do not know that we as 

 'bee-keepers have any right to blame them. 

 The markets in Chicago have been flooded 

 with adulterated goods, and no wonder the 

 people of that town look with suspicion on al- 

 most every thing bearing the name honey. 



arrangement of HIVES IN AN APIARY. 



Quite a lively discussion arose on the ar- 

 rangement of hives in the apiary. It tran- 

 spired that a majority put one hive in a place; 

 but Dr. Miller emphasized the importance of 

 grouping the hives or placing them in pairs. 

 It is his practice to put two hives on one stand, 

 both facing the same direction, and the hives 

 about two or three inches apart. Said he. 

 The bees of one hive on a stand never get 

 confused and go in the next hive on the sanie 

 stand. If there is any confusion at all, it will 

 be from bees going to the next stand in that 

 hive that occupies the same relative position ; 

 but by placing one stand near a tree, and an- 

 other one out in the open, and the next one 

 near a bush, and so on, no confusion would 

 be noticed. It was also pointed out that it 

 was convenient to have two hives together, as 

 a person could sit on one while he was work- 

 ing at the other, or he could use one as a sort 

 of table or bench on which he could lay his 

 tools, such as smoker, etc., while working the 

 other. 



It is our practice, when we can, to place five 

 hives in a group. In this way we save a great 

 many steps, and at the same time crowd a 

 large number of colonies into the same space. 



BALDRIDGE'S METHOD OF EQUALIZING COL- 

 ONIES. 



At one of the sessions Mr. Baldridge de- 

 scribed his method of equalizing colonies — a 



method I do not remember seeing described 

 before ; but Dr. Miller assures me that years 

 ago a great deal was said about it. It is this : 

 About six week after the bees have been set 

 out of the cellar he exchanges the strong col- 

 onies for the weak ones ; i. e , he places a 

 strong colony on the stand of the weak one, 

 and the weak one on the stand of the strong 

 one ; and although he says he has practiced 

 this for many years he has never lost any 

 queens, as one would naturally suppose he 

 would after such a mixing of bees. The ad- 

 vantage of the plan is that equalizing strength 

 of colonies is very quickly performed, and 

 there is no general disturbance of the brood- 

 nest. 



But if I remember correctly it has been gen- 

 erally considered that the strengthening of 

 weak colonies, at the expense of the strong, 

 is not good practice, for the reason that it is 

 the big colonies that really gather the honey ; 

 and unless they are up to a certain strength 

 they will not do very much in the supers ; and 

 the consequence is, if all colonies are evened 

 up in strength there will not be as much hon- 

 ey as if the strong stocks were allowed to have 

 their strength and the weak were made to do 

 the best they can under the circumstances. 

 But this plan of Baldridge's may deserve at 

 least a trial. 



SPREADING BROOD CONDEMNED. 



In this connection the question of spread- 

 ing brood in the spring was considered ; but 

 nearly every one thought this a doubtful prac- 

 tice. While experts may do it with profit, the 

 average bee-keeper was counseled to let it 

 alone, as it is liable to result in chilled brood, 

 and possibly foul brood, if the germs of it are 

 in the yard or apiary. 



THE CHICAGO JOINING THE NATIONAL. 



At the last meeting of the Philadelphia con- 

 vention a clause was inserted in the proposed 

 constitution by which any local society. State 

 or county, might join the National Bee-keep- 

 ers' Association, on payment into the National 

 treasury of 50 cents per member, providing 

 that such members went in a body. It was 

 urged by Mr. York, who proposed the inser- 

 tion of this clause, that we could thereby se- 

 cure more funds and more members — members 

 who would not otherwise come into the Asso- 

 ciation ; and so far the results in practice are 

 as good as they were in theory. Quite a num- 

 ber of associations have already joined the 

 National. At a meeting of the Chicago con- 

 vention this matter whs discussed quite 

 thoroughly. Finally it was voted to join the 

 National Association in a body. 



This action on the part of the Chic igo As- 

 sociation entitles all the members of that or- 

 ganizition to all the privileges and benefits of 

 the National, and at the same time they do 

 not lose any of the benefits accruing from 

 membership in the local organization. In the 

 case of the Chicago Association the member- 

 ship fee is $1.00, and it would cost $1.00 to 

 join the National as an individual member ; 

 but by voting to join the National in a body, 

 that same dollar extends their privileges to 

 those of the National. 



