1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



103 



fall of 1908 the " fire 

 rules ' ' were sus- 

 pended, for the 

 burning kept on 

 during the period 

 of full leaf. This 

 season of 1908 j^rov- 

 ed one of the driest 

 in years, and the 

 larger portion of 

 the timber belt of 

 Northern Michigan 

 burned over. At 

 this period the 

 ground was so very 

 dry that the turf or 

 leaf-mold burned 

 off entirely in many 

 places, leaving only 

 the naked sand to 

 produce the after- 

 crop of willow-herb 

 and ras 13 berry. 

 Those familiar with 

 this section of the 

 country will readily 

 understand that 

 the subsequent 

 growth was thereby 

 spindling, and the 



plants far [apart— nothing' like the thrifty 

 growth of Tother times. On this account 

 many think that the raspberry of North- 

 ern Michigan will never be what it was 

 before this fire, basing their arguments on 

 the fact that many spots, where there were 

 dense growths of the berries, are now, since 

 the fire, only piles of ashes. Another draw- 

 back in this locality is that late frosts have 

 cut the surplus crop of raspberry honey in 

 two, both seasons, since we have had the 

 bees in that location. 



To sum up the situation, I will say that, 

 in my judgment, a bee-keeper fairly well lo- 

 cated in a clover location had better stay 

 where he is rather than move to the much- 

 lauded raspberry region of Northern Mich- 

 igan. I have moved two cars of bees to al- 

 sike-clover locations, and placed only half 

 the number of colonies in ovir raspberry api- 

 aries that we had before the great fire of 

 1908. This will answer many inquiries that 

 I have received about raspberry locations. 



Remus, Mich. 



FIG, 



BEE-KEEPING 



The Long-Idea Hive as Formerly Used by Carl 

 Ludloff. 



BY O. B. METCALFE. 



Continued from !ast issue, page 77. 



At the City of Mexico I met a modern 

 bee-keeper by the name of Fred M. Allen. 

 Mr. Allen keeps about 75 colonies in eight- 

 frame standard American hives, and runs 

 them for comb honey exclusively. He gets 

 an average of one super around, which brings 



5. — ONE OF CARL LUDLOFF'S SIMPLEX HIVES AS HE FIRST 

 MADE THEM, NEAR THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



him about 40 cts.* per lb. His wax, of which 

 he naturally has very little, being a comb- 

 honey producer, brings him the customary 

 price of SI. 00 per lb. 



Mr. Allen does not seem very well pleased 

 with the business, and talks as though he 

 must give it up unless the perfected Ludloff 

 hive, which he is just now trying, proves to 

 be better suited to the climate. He com- 

 plains of hea%'y loss and weakened colonies 

 from spring dwindling, which, apparently, 

 is a very natural thing in his locality, and 

 I doubt very much that he will find any 

 hive which will materially prevent it. It is 

 caused by the fact that, all the year round, 

 the weather is warm enough for the bees to 

 fly, and there are enough flowers to coax 

 them out, but not enough to enable them to 

 gather much nectar, and at the same time 

 the nights are too cold for much brood-rais- 

 ing. This means the wearing-out of the old 

 bees with nothing to take their places. 



Mr. A. says his only honey-flow is from 

 the chayotillo vine, shown in Fig. 4. This 

 begins to bloom about the last of August, 

 and the bees make their one super of honey 

 from it. They also swarm furiously when 

 the flow first starts. 



The plant chayotillo is a fine climbing 

 vine which belongs to the cucumber family, 

 and, like the cultivated cucumber, it requires 

 abundance of moisture. I have tried to 

 grow it here in New Mexico, but it seems to 

 be too hot and dry for it. It did very well 

 while the ground was kept wet and cool 

 around it, but it had to be irrigated nearly 

 every day. Such a climate as the City of 

 Mexico has, where the rains are frequent — al- 

 most dailyduring the rainy season — just suits 



*About 20 cents American money. 



IN THE HIGHLANDS 

 MEXICO. 



OF 



