1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



923 



There is always a liability at almost any sea- 

 son that the bees will be getting honey profit- 

 ably from other sources, and will scarcely no- 

 tice the plant grown especially for them. No 

 doubt the mignonnette will be worth some- 

 thing to plow under, but probably not more 

 than some kinds of weeds that grow without 

 any care or cultivation. We can furnish the 

 seed in quantities at about 75 cts. per lb. ; but 

 after the first year the grower would have an 

 abundance of seed at almost no cost at all. — 

 A. I. R.] 



DWARF ESSEX RAPE ; ITS VALUE AS A HON- 

 EY-PLANT, EVEN AS FAR NORTH AS 

 MICHIGAN. 



I notice in your reply to J. H. Gilfillan, in 

 regard to dwarf Essex rape, in last Glean- 

 ings, you say it does not blossom like ordina- 

 ry rape. I don't know how the ordinary va- 

 riety blossoms, I am sure ; but the dwarf Es- 

 sex variety blossoms and matures seed here in 

 Southern Michigan all right. I know, be- 

 cause I have several bushels of seed I saved 

 from a patch I sowed last year. I sowed it in 

 August, about the last, I think. It grew some 

 eight or ten inches high before winter set in, 

 and stood there all winter, and came out in 

 the spring as bright and green as winter rye. 

 As toon as the weather warmed up it com- 

 menced to grow, and during July it was a per- 

 fect sea of yellow bloom, lasting a long time. 

 I don't know as to its honey-producing merit, 

 but my bees worked on it early and late. It 

 grew from three to four feet tall, and branch- 

 ed out much like mustard. I cut it for seed 

 in August, long before there was any frost. 

 It is highly prized here for pasture for sheep 

 and hogs, remaining fresh and green until 

 very late in the fall. It is also good for cattle, 

 but care must be taken not to let them eat too 

 much until they become accustomed to it, as 

 it is liable to cause bloat. S. H. Mallory. 



Decatur, Mich., Nov. 8. 



to keep the bees away from them so long 

 as the smell of the oil clung to them. Bees 

 have an esthetic sense of smell, and I should 

 suppose that your remedy would be worse 

 than the disease. — Ed.] 



moth-worms and coal oil. 



To destroy moth-worms in combs, and to 

 keep them out, the plan that I have practiced 

 is to dip the frame slowly into a can contain- 

 ing coal oil so that all the cells will get filled 

 with it ; then place it in the extractor, and 

 turn briskly until all the oil is out. Raise the 

 honey-gate and let the oil run back into the 

 can, thus using the same oil over again until 

 it becomes full of propoli=, pollen, etc., so that 

 it will not enter the bottom of the cells ; then 

 skim it oflF, saving the scum, which will make 

 a good dope' for harness. 



Combs treated in this way, and placed back 

 in the hives, the lid put on and set away in 

 the honey-house, will not be interfered with 

 by the moth for the entire season. This has 

 been my experience. C. C. Thomas. 



Riverside, Cal., Oct. 15. 



[Combs taken out of a hive that is free from 

 worms and inclosed in a tight box or hive will 

 be protected as long as they are inclosed. 

 While the coal oil would keep moth-millers 

 away from the combs, and destroy worms al- 

 ready in them, it would also have a tendency 



more about the; grape fruit, or po- 

 melo. 



On page 855 A. I. R. asks about grape fruit. 

 We will say that 75 trees will grow on an acre. 

 The tree grows like an orange tree and looks 

 very much like an orange-tree. It is called 

 grape fruit because the fruit grows in clusters. 

 Pomelo is 'he proper name. A gentleman 

 living near Sarasota, Fla., sold last year 12 

 boxes of fruit from one tree, and received 

 $12 00 per box. From the same tree he ex- 

 pects to get this year fully .$200 worth of 

 fruit. The habit of growth of the pomelo-tree 

 is the same as that of the orange-tree. The 

 great demand for the fruit is principally on 

 account of its medicinal qualities. 



M. W. Shepherd. 



Marchant, Fla., Nov. 6. 



J. D. E., Ont. — I can not understand why 

 the black bees should be attacking the young 

 Italians raised from the queen introduced, 

 as I never heard of a case like it before. The 

 difference in race certainly could not be a 

 cause for it. Without seeing the bees I should 

 be unable to give any satisfactory reason. 



W. I. F., Pa. — I can not understand why 

 one colony in your apiary refuses to kill drones 

 when all the rest are doing so, unless the colo- 

 ny in question has a drone-laying queen. The 

 fact that they have eggs and larvae doesn't dis- 

 prove the supposition that she may be a drone- 

 layer, although she may, earlier in the season, 

 have laid worker eggs that would produce 

 worker bees. Queens sometimes fail, pnd lay 

 nothing but drone eggs. If the drones contin- 

 ue to be in the hive there must be something 

 wrong, you may be sure. Some Cyprians are 

 better honey-gatherers than many Italians. 

 The trouble with them is, they are too cross to 

 handle, and that is the reason why they are 

 not advertised for sale. It is a good practice 

 to feed bees in the spring ; but I would never 

 feed as long as they can get honey from the 

 fields. At such times feeding has a tendency 

 to cause them to neglect work outdoors, and 

 fritter away their time indoors, taking feed 

 that they do not have to work for. We send 

 you a sample of alfalfa seed. Alfalfa does not 

 yield much honey except in localities espe- 

 cially adapted to its growth, and where irriga- 

 tion is practiced extensively. Take it out of 

 its natural habitat it would not compare with 

 any of the clovers in the East as a honey- 

 plant. Indeed, it very seldom yields honey 

 anywhere in the Eastern States, although it is 

 grov.'n to some extent. 



