910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec.]. 



the hatching bees. Any time inside of a week, and 

 when there are plenty of bees in the top story to pro- 

 tect the queen, I remove the wire screen and let the 

 ijees in the bottom story have access to the queen. Of 

 course, the queen in the bottom story has been pre- 

 viously removed and all queen cells destroyed. A day 

 or so later the brood in both stories can be consolidat- 

 ed in one story, if so desired. 



Writing on the same subject, Mr. B. F. 

 Jones, of Idaho, says : 



After the queen arrives I at once examine the queen- 

 less colony that is to receive her, destroying all queen- 

 cells that are started. If a queen is to be removed, it 

 is done in the morning of the day when her successor 

 is to be introduced. It nuclei are to be formed, it is 

 also done during the forenoon, and the queen in either 

 case is to be given at dusk when the bees are all in. 

 When evening approaches, if it is cool I begin earl er; 

 if warmer, and the bees late returning, I delay some- 

 what. 



For smoker fuel I use white-cedar bark ; although 

 any kind can be used. I also use, as a starter, a piece 

 of burlap, or old cotton rag, impregnated with salt- 

 peter by soaking in a solution of saltpeter and drying. 

 When nicely started, a teaspoonful of any granulated 

 smoking tobacco is dropped in. I first give the queen 

 a puff, then puff smoke at the entrance of the hive 

 sufficient to drive the smoke to every part of the hive. 

 After one minute I raise the cover carefully, follow- 

 ing it with sufficient smoke to reach every bee and 

 drive them back. Then I pry off one end of the wire 

 cloth of the shipping-cage, and allow the queen to 

 run down between the combs, following her with a 

 puff of smoke, drop the quilt, and close up the hive. 

 Never dequeen or form nuclei in advance of receiving 

 a queen, for she may never come, or maj' arrive dead. 

 See that smoke reaches every bee, as well as the queen; 

 and allow the queen time to quiet down. 



Mr. J. D. Bixby reports moving 46 colonies of 

 bees from Iowa to Saratoga Co., N. Y., a dis- 

 tance of 1100 miles. The trip occupied 4>^ 

 days. The bees were mostly in eight-frame 

 Dovetailed hives. All the colonies went 

 through alive and in good condition but one. 

 The consumption of stores during the trip was 

 large. The loss in bees was heavy, most colo- 

 nies having from a pint to two quarts dead on 

 the bottom-board. Not one wired Hoffman 

 frame was broken or damaged during the trip. 



Mr. Hutchinson will receive the sympathy 

 of all on account of the loss of his father, who 

 died recently in Tuscola Co., Mich., at the 

 age of 82. Few better things can be said of a 

 inan than what W. Z. says of his father in 

 the following: "Every animal on the farm 

 was a pet, and had a pet name." Once the 

 old family cow wandered into the woods so 

 far she did not return till the next day. The 

 old gentleman went into the house and spread 

 a big slice of bread with butter, sprinkled on 

 a thick layer of sugar, and fed it to the cow 

 when he found her. Editor Hutchinson has 

 been building a new house ; and moving into 

 this, together with attendance at his father's 

 funeral, delayed the October issue of the Re- 

 view nearly a month. 



SOUTHLAND QUEEN, 

 The editor says : 



We notice that John E. Bradley, of Augres, Michi- 

 gan, is held up as a fraud in Gleanings. This same 

 man has bought queens of us, and will not pay. We 

 wrote the postmaster of Augres, who gave us infor- 

 mation that Mr. Bradley was not reliable, and advi.sed 

 us to get our money first. Mr. Bradley orders the 

 best breeding queens. As he never intends to pay he 



gets the best and leaves the queen-breeder to mourn. 

 We are in hopes he will get no more queens that way. 



\i/ 



Concerning that after-swarm at the home 

 of our old friend W. H. Laws, the editor 

 waxes mirthful in the following manner : 



There was a swarm on election day at Round Rock, 

 Texas. It was an afterswarm, but just as good, so 

 far as we know, as any of those before it. It was a 

 sweet little queen — a baby girl. 



SELLING CANDIED HONEY. 



Low Prices, and the Cause ; Supply, Demand, 

 and Conditions Govern; Fowls' Prices. 



BY R. C. AIKIN. 



Some people can not bear to have anybody 

 else do things other than as they think is the 

 way, so it comes about that this owlish fellow 

 on the ridgepole has stirred the fighting pro- 

 pensities of a certain Fowl on a lower round of 

 the ladder. It has always been my ambition 

 to try to stand at least the equal, so far as was 

 possible, of any other fellow, and, if possible, 

 to excel ; but here I am, treed by that fighting 

 male member of the Fowls family away down 

 in Oberlin, Ohio. I am glad of one thing — he 

 is too clumsy to climb up to my high perch, 

 so I am going to crow (hoot) away at him just 

 as much as I please. 



I suppose if I were away down in Ohio I 

 might do as the Ohio Fowls do ; but since I 

 have climbed up (I am a Buckeye too) where 

 I can see over the stumps and have a clear 

 view through the clean pure air of this upper 

 stratum, I shall make the feathers of the other 

 tribes stand upright with my hootings. 



Now, friend F., since I am up out of danger 

 I will forgive you for your efforts to flop me 

 down aud dig your talons into my flesh be- 

 cause of this matter of selling candied honey. 

 Just smooth down your feathers and listen. I 

 won't steal away all your prices and trade. I 

 shall show you that I am indeed your friend. 

 You have been looking up through the misty 

 moonlight, and, seeing that peaceable little 

 owl, you got scared. If the owl and I can be 

 at peace in such close proximity, surely you 

 need not fear me at the distance you occupy. 



Some months ago I received a letter from a 

 New Yorker, and in it was a passage somewhat 

 like this : That so prominent a bee-keep.-r as 

 I, selling honey at 6 cents a pound, would do 

 more harm than all the adulterators in the 

 whole country. Well, had I not been used to 

 being accused of things of which I was not 

 guilty, andof receiving sharp thrusts, I should, 

 no doubt, have had my feathers ruffled at 



