654 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JOLY 1 



being in the midst of the honey flow, each 

 hive containeJ bees enough to represent 

 two good ordinary colonits; and it was a 

 sight that the bee-keepers said was long 

 to be remembered, and they had never seen 

 any thing like it before. 



After meeting in the little building, and 

 being called together by President Dr. 

 Townsend and Secretary F. Hahman, Ihty 

 immediately donned veils and went out in- 

 to the apiary, where Mr. Selser and two 

 assistants had been busy at work all the 

 morning transferring the bees. The air 

 was fairly black with the little dusky 

 workers; and as each hive had contained 

 (having been left to itself) nearly a thou- 

 sand drones each, these buzzy fellows along 

 with the workers were making it impossi- 

 ble to hear an ordinary conversation ten 

 feet away. After watching the process for 

 half an hour, the bee-keepers gathered 

 around, in a big circle, one of the hives 

 which had been transferred early in the 

 week, and Mr. Selser passed the frames 

 out first to the president, who passed them 

 on to the various members, creating quite a 

 rivalry against the one who drew the lucky 

 card on whose frame the queen was locat- 

 ed. The queen was often found on the bot- 

 tom-board or body, and these were also 

 passed around to the members with the 

 frames. Mr. Selser, during this time, 

 smoked the top stories which were located 

 over the honey- board. When the queen was 

 found, a jell was sent up by the members. 



Mr. Reeves, one of our older members, 

 ftund three different queens. The others 

 were scattered around among the other 

 different members, no member finding more 

 than one, and some not an}'. These black 

 queens were immediately killed, and the hive 

 again set in order and a new queen intro- 

 duced later at the regular time. With the 

 bees transferred, so much of the honey had 

 to be cut out in chunks that the bee-keep- 

 ers were grieving over the loss this was to 

 the trade generall}-, saying it might have 

 been saved early in the season and the hon- 

 ey put in proper shape to sell. Outside 

 of a few stings to the operators over the 

 hive, none of the members were stung, 

 which was a remarkable fact, owing to 

 their being all black bees and so greatly 

 disturbed. 



There were some new members w ho at- 

 tended this meeting, and every move that 

 was made filled them with astonishment 

 and wonder. The veterans who had kept 

 bees for j-ears said it was one of the most 

 delightful and interesting meetings they 

 had ever attended. 



At five o'clock the members adjourned 

 from the apiary to the honey-house and 

 partook of the truly Bible supper; and the 

 way the milk, rolls, and big chunks of hon- 

 ey disappeared, showed that they hearti- 

 I3' enjoyed it. Mis. Harold Horner, for- 

 merly of Mt. Holly, who acted as hostess 

 with Miss Margaret Selser, was kept con- 

 stantly busy supplying the various calls 

 for these delicious articles produced right 



at this place. The peculiar feature of this 

 iupper was that nearly every thing provid- 

 ed was raised within a mile of the place 

 where it was eaten, including the rolls. 



The bee-keepers took the 6:0o train back 

 to Philadelphia, and decided that this was 

 the most novel and peculiarly interesting 

 meeting they had attended for a long time, 

 with many thanks to the Root Co. and Mr. 

 SeUer and Mr. Horner for their genial hos- 

 pitalit}'. 



SEED-GROWING FOR BEE-KEEPER?. 



A Friendly Slap at Editors Hutchinson and Root. 



BY W. K. MORKISON. 



Bees and seed-growing are one and in- 

 separable; jet how little do we hear about 

 the seed-growing I —I mean in the bee- jour- 

 nals. But before beginning my sugges- 

 tions let me digress a little to have a slap 

 at two well known editors. One resides in 

 Flint, Mich.; the other in Medina, Ohio. 

 Both have told us the intioduclion of the in- 

 tensive system of agriculture means hard 

 times for the bee- keepers. Almost in the 

 same breath these famous editors tell us 

 that out in Colorado, Utah, iNevada, Idaho, 

 Arizona, and New Mexico, where an inten- 

 sive agriculture is followed, is just the 

 place for bee-keepers. "O consistency! 

 thou art a jewel." In Colorado a man cul- 

 tivates from 10 to 20 acres (o get a fair liv- 

 ing, while in Ohio or in Michigan anywhere 

 from 100 to 200 are necessary to do as well. 

 And yet both of these fearful editors tell us 

 intensive agriculture is bad for bee-keep- 

 ing. Whew! where are we at? I will be- 

 gin again. 



Scotland and Saxony are both highly cul- 

 tivated countries, pursuing intensive agri- 

 culture under great difficulties, yet both 

 are excellent honey- producing countries, 

 probably much superior to Ohio and Mich- 

 igan. In Ohio the yield of wheat is 11 

 bushels per acre; in Scotland, at least c>3. 

 In most other crops the discrepancy is even 

 greater. I once made a tour of Michigan, 

 and what met iny eye was a very extensive 

 agriculture, the only exception being at 

 Kalamazoo, where some natives of Holland 

 were practicing intensive celery culture 

 with great success. Certainly there is 

 plenty of room in both States for intensive 

 agriculture, but it hasn't arrived. I want 

 to make Messrs. Root and Hutchinson feel 

 humble, and prepare their minds for the 

 new agriculture, which will be the salva- 

 tion of both States in the good times com- 

 ing. 



SAINFOIN. 



Though I traveled considerably in both 

 States 1 did not see a blade of sainfoin — a 

 crop that corresponds very closely to the al- 

 falfa of the West. I imagine that, in most 

 respects, it is the more valuable plant of the 

 two. It produces honey in quantity and 

 quality equal if not superior to alfalfa, and 

 that, too, n :;olJ wet countries — s. m^ihing 



