1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



427 



have been busy early and late on hyacinths. 

 We are looking forward to a good time." 

 Here's a good chance for some one to combine 

 business wiih pleasure. 

 \i< 



111 regard to giving to bees combs contain- 

 ing dead bees, the editor says, " Bees will cer- 

 tainly manage to remove dead bees from 

 combs, if given as stated, but how they do it 

 has always been a mystery to us ; and it must 

 involve so much time and labor that it is doubt- 

 ful economy to impose the task upon them if 

 the great majority of the cells are so occupied." 

 \t< 



In reply to a question from France as to 

 whether it would be a good plan to join a 

 swarm to an established stock, the editor says, 

 " It is always a risky operation to join swarms 

 to established stocks, and we do not advise it. 

 By far the better and safer plan — if a large 

 harvest is desired — is to unite two or more 

 swarms, and thus make up a very strong colo- 

 ny." 



\b 



As everybody knows. Queen Victoria has, 

 for the first time in forty years, made a trip 

 over to Ireland. In commemoration of the 

 event a box of one dozen sections of honey 

 from the four provinces of Ireland was pre- 

 sented to her Majesty The box containing 

 the honey was specially made of Irish bog 

 oak, by the Abbott Bros., with glass sides, and 

 bore on the lid the letters V. R. in a silver 

 shamrock pattern. It is a pity there has not 

 been a little more mutual exchange of honey 

 between those two nations during the last cen- 

 tury. By the way, the Queen is just 81 as 

 this is written. Her reign has now extended 

 over a period of 63 years, exceeding by 3 years 

 that of any other English monarch. Every 

 fourth person in the world is one of her sub- 

 jects. 



CANADIAN BEE JOURNAL. 



There is to be a congress of bee-keepers in 

 Paris, Sept. 10-12. What a Babel of lan- 

 guages they'll buzz in ! 

 \u 



The editor says, J ' Queen-excluders that have 

 been used on foul-broody colonies are perfect- 

 ly safe to use on any hive of bees, without any 

 disinfecting." If I am not wrong, disinfect- 

 ing is strongly recommended by some under 

 such circumstances. 



In addition to the need of help in India our 

 Canadian friends now have an additional task 

 on their hands in the work of relieving the 

 destitute and homeless thousands of Hull and 

 Ottawa, so sadly stricken by fire. Unlike In- 

 dia, distance will not prevent the speedy giv- 

 ing of relief to the Canadians by the people 

 of that country and also by those on this side 

 of the border. 



Active measures are being taken in Canada 

 to relieve the suffering in India. As the war 

 in Africa is costing England $1000 a minute, 

 one can not help wishing that that sum could 

 be sent to India in the shape of food rather 



than to use it for pumping lead into the Boers. 

 At present the famine in India threatens to be- 

 come historical, some 700 being reported as 

 dying daily. The pestilence that alwaj's fol- 

 lows a famine is more to be dreaded than fam- 

 ine itself. Strange as it may seem, India has 

 probably more money invested in religious ed- 

 ifices than any other nation in the world — sin- 

 gle temples there costing more money than 

 can be computed, and so beautiful that words 

 can give no description of them. 



The editor says, " The matter of preventing 

 the spraying of fruit-trees when in bloom has 

 been taken hold of with determination by the 

 Ontario B. K. A. executive. Secretary Couse 

 has had posters printed in the name of the 

 Association, containing a copy of the act of 

 Parliament relative thereto Each member of 

 the Association and affiliated society will be 

 furnished with copies to be displayed in local 

 postoffices, where they may be read b\' the 

 public." When our Canadian friends make 

 a law they expect it to be observed, and it is ; 

 but on this side of the line it depends on cir- 

 cumstances. Canada, I observe, is making 

 astonishing strides in the raising of fruit, es- 

 pecially apples, of superb quality. 

 \i/ 

 AUSTRALASIAN BEE-KEEPER. 



In regard to the cause of comb-cappings be- 

 ing discolored, the editor says : 



I have always understood the appearance of comb 

 honey is the production of certain strains of bees — the 

 Asiatic varieties tending very much that way. In the 

 same apiaries some colonies produce more or less 

 greasy-looking capping to their comb. Thedark races 

 of bees cap their honey with white caps. The goldens 

 do not produce so white a capping as the black bee. 

 The lyigurian produces honey more greasy in appear- 

 ance, and the Holy Land bees ver}- greasy. Such has 

 been my experience, but in all apiaries of colored 

 bees the capping varies. Is that caused by weather or 

 the strain of bees? Have you ever noticed that sec- 

 tions over the center of the brood have a more greasy 

 appearance than those to one side ? What is the cause ? 



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PROGRESSIVE BEE-KEEPER. 



Mr. Doolittle attributes the famine in India 

 to the fact that the masses are so plundered 

 there in the full years that they are forced to 

 live habitually at the margin of existence, 

 hence they starve when the food supply falls 

 off somewhat. 



\b 

 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The necessity of cross-pollination of fruit- 

 bloom is a subject that should never be con- 

 sidered threadbare. Prof. Cook says his sister 

 in California was wondering, in 1891, why her 

 fruit-trees were not bearing as well as usual. 

 The trees bloomed, but the fruit did not set. 

 Mr. Cook siiggested a decrease in the number 

 of bees, and accordingly an apiarist was en- 

 gaged to remove his bees to the place, and at 

 once there was a marked benefit. She has 

 kept the apiary there ever smce. She feels 

 that she can afford to pay for the presence of 

 the bees, and she is right. While other insects 

 might help toward pollination, this incident 

 shows that bees are t/ie thing for the business, 

 and that in their absence the hope of a good 

 fruit crop rests on a slim foundation. 



