1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



431 



two different times in one season, and sending 

 out swarms, thus having the prime swarm of 

 the second swarming-period led out by a queen 

 of the same year's rearing, is a rather uncom- 

 mon occurrence, but it will happen occasion- 

 ally. Two such cases only have come to my 

 notice in 25 years of bee-keeping. 



A colony that raises its queen from the egg, 

 or even from a nearly matured cell, at the be- 

 ginning of the honey season is reasonably in- 

 sured against casting any swarms during the 

 season, providing the bees kept are natives or 

 Italians. The late (or buckwheat) swarms, or 

 any swarms appearing out of season, general- 

 ly come from such colonies as are superseding 

 queens. 



Speaking about " Belgian hares " (Rambler, 

 p. 211), I wish to say, although it has no bear- 

 ing upon bee-keeping, that many a poor man 

 or bee-keeper could easily, and with but little 

 cost, raise quite a lot of a very good quality of 

 meat for his own table by going into this in- 

 dustry in a small way. A small number of 

 these animals may be grown without any cost, 

 for all kinds of weeds, and refuse vegetables 

 from the kitchen, can be made to serve as food 

 for them. Children will oftentimes enjoy 

 feeding them, and could take nearly all the 

 care of them. The grass, weeds, and bushes 

 growing along the highway in many places 

 could be turned to very good use in growing 

 Belgian hares. I grew them 25 years ago. 

 One night dogs broke into the building and 

 killed my whole flock of thirty or more. Late 

 years I have again purchased stock, and grow 

 it. Our table has been abundantly supplied 

 with their meat for some time. From three 

 months upward they will do to use. In fact, 

 these young things make excellent broilers, 

 and many epicures are beginning to find out 

 their value. I find that, from three breeding 

 does, I can grow as many young as and per- 

 haps more than we can well utilize in our own 

 home. If I cared to engage extensively in 

 the growing of hares I could find a market at 

 good prices for all I could raise. Sometimes 

 I have thought I would go into it and drop the 

 growing of capons, for it requires much more 

 labor to grow the latter than the former, and 

 the cost is a great deal more in proportion to 

 the profits. 



Naples, N. Y., April 16. 



[The sulphate-of-copper solution, I have no 

 doubt, will do the work very thoroughly ; but 

 will it do it as cheaply as an application of 

 salt ? It is our practice to buy a barrel of 

 common rock salt, which is sufficient to take 

 care of an apiary of 300 or 400 colonies for two 

 or three years. Once or twice a year we sprin- 

 kle a very little salt around each entrance. 

 Very often one application each year will an- 

 swer provided there are not too many rains, so 

 as to start up the grass again. 



What you say about Belgian hares interested 

 me greatly, especially as the Rambler and oth- 

 ers have stated that this industry can be nice- 

 ly combined with bee-keeping. A few days 

 ago there came into my hands a pamphlet en- 

 titled "Belgian-hare Breeding," a practical 

 treatise by J. W. Darrow, price 25 cents, pub- 



lished by the Fancier'' s Review, Chatham, N. 

 Y. When I was in Colorado I saw several 

 pens of these mammoth hares, about as large 

 as a good-sized dog, and as gentle as kittens. 



So far as I could learn, the industry was a 

 profitable one, and the meat of the very fin- 

 est. Indeed, it is claimed that it is very rich 

 and juicy, with none of the greasiness of that 

 from the ordinary barnyard fowl, and none of 

 the "wild " taste of common wild rabbits or 

 hares. It is also stated that it can be eaten by 

 invalids and those with weak powers of diges- 

 tion. Who knows but here is a panacea for 

 those who feel the need of a meat food, and 

 yet, perhaps, can not afford to buy steak at 12 

 or 14cts., and in some localities 25 and 30 cts.? 



One doe, according to the pamphlet referred 

 to above, produces generally from six to twelve 

 young at a litter, and from five to six litters 

 during the year. On the average, one moth- 

 er, it is stated, can produce as many as 40 

 hares in a season. Half of the first litter, the 

 author assumes, will be does ; and the off- 

 spring of these will bring the number up to 

 136 — all this from one mother. It is variously 

 estimated that from $300 to $400 can be made 

 from a trio of three hares — two does and one 

 buck — in one year, and the author pertinently 

 asks, " Where are your cows that will do this? 

 If you think this is exaggerated, show these 

 figures to some breeder, and ask him to ex- 

 press his opinion." 



Belgian hares of pure stock are quite expen- 

 sive ; but common stock can be bought for 

 $1.00 each, and that is the price they sell at in 

 the market for meat. It is also estimated that 

 the price secured for the pelts pays for the 

 feed ; but, as friend Greiner points out, the 

 food very often costs nothing when the hares 

 are reared in a small way for family use. 



I must confess that I know absolutely noth- 

 ing about this industry, and the figures above 

 given may be greatly overdrawn. I should be 

 glad to hear from some of our subscribers, es- 

 pecially friend Greiner, in regard to the feasi- 

 bility of growing Belgian hares along with 

 producing honey. Let us have careful, accu- 

 rate estimates of what has been done, and 

 whether or not there are no disadvantages. 

 For example, will these animals gnaw the 

 bark of young trees in early spring when veg- 

 etation is scarce ? and are they subject to dis- 

 ease ? 



Rabbits and hares are much cleaner in their 

 habits than chickens, and, barring the possi- 

 ble danger of gnawing young trees, they 

 would be much pleasanter to keep, and possi- 

 bly much more profitable. 



I have been satisfied for years that there are 

 only a very few who can make bee-keeping a 

 specialty. The great majority should run 

 some other business in connection with it. 

 Some have said that the growing of Belgian 

 hares interferes as little with bee-keeping as 

 any business. Let us have all the facts so our 

 bee-keeping friends can be benefited. If one 

 can add $200 or $300 to his annual income 

 without very much outlay, and at the same 

 time supply the family with one of the most 

 delicious of meats, it will be quite a big item. 

 —Ed.] 



