AuE. 15, 1911 



wwum 



.1. E. Crane, Mlddlebury, Vt. 



485 



HOW BEES SOMETIMES RECONSTRUCT WORK- 

 ER INTO DRONE COMB. 



On page 355 Dr. Miller refers to an item 

 from my pen about old combs of worker 

 cells being worked over into drone comb 

 because worthless for breeding, because fill- 

 ed with pollen, etc. Well, doctor, I think 

 if that sentence was printed as written I can 

 take the cake for writing the clumsiest sen- 

 tence of any one u\ Gleanings, and saying 

 just the thing I didn't mean. What I in- 

 tended to say, and the idea I meant to con- 

 vey, was that sometimes old combs contain 

 hardened pollen; and to get rid of the jiollen 

 the bees will tear down the cell -walls; and 

 after the pollen is removed they will, in re- 

 building, build drone cells instead of worker 

 cells. But, honest, doctor, haven't you ever 

 found where, when there -was no drone comb 

 in a hive, the bees M'oukl tear down a piece 

 of one side of a worker comb and rebuild 

 drone-cells? I supposed everybody had seen 

 it done. I have always been troubled with 

 more drone comb than I cared for. When 

 comb foundation had pro^•ed a success I 

 said to myself, "Now I'll fix the bees so 

 they can't build drone comb. I will just fill 

 ths brood-chamber with worker comb and 

 they will have to rear workers instead of 

 worthless drones;" and I told them so in as 

 many words, and it worked very well the 

 first year; but when the snows of another 

 winter had melted, and the time of romance 

 had come to the insect world, the>' said 

 among themselves, "It's a shame not to 

 have a wedding or two in the family." 

 "But how can there be a wedding without 

 drones?" And some one wiser than the rest 

 (perhaps it [was the queen) rei)lied, "Why 

 not tear down some worker-cells and build 

 some drone-cells instead?" And so to work 

 they went, tearing down a jiatch on one 

 side of a worker coml) as large as the jmlm 

 of my hand, and rebuilt with drone-cells; 

 and as they worked they talked it over. I 

 don't quite know what they said, there was 

 so much buzzing; but I think they inquired 

 one of another who was such a fool as to 

 think bees could get along without a little 

 drone comb. 



THE PROS AND CONS OF CORRUGATED-PA- 

 ER CASES. 



Mr. Foster asks me several questions on 

 page 32)5 in regard to corrugated-i)aper eases, 

 which I will try to answer. First, he asks 

 if corrugated cases will carry honey as safe- 

 ly when shipped uncrated as double-tier 

 cases when crated. That is a rather hard 

 question to answer, as we have never used 

 double-tier cases; but from our experience in 

 shipping paper cases in small lots I should 

 expect there would be but little difference. 



Another objection Mr. Foster raises is that 

 "the partitions makes it difficult to remove 

 the sections of honey." It is not so difficult 



as you imagine, my good friend. As the 

 partitions come above the sections it is both 

 simple and easy lo remove one or two parti- 

 tions, when the sections of honey can be re- 

 moved even easier than when packed solid 

 as in wooden cases. " What are the advan- 

 tages of the corrugated case where honey is 

 not shipped other than in car lots?" In 

 other words, of what use is it to pack in pa- 

 l)er cases when you ship in car lots, and feel 

 reasonably sure it will go through safely?" 

 Well, I used to feel much that way; but "the 

 efforts to sell honey direct to retail dealers 

 opened my eyes. We are apt to think if we 

 can only ship our honey in a block or car 

 lot to the large city dealer, that is all there 

 is to it — it is his business to look after it 

 then. J t is out of our sight and out of mind; 

 but we fail to remember that the large city 

 dealer does not sell by the carload, but has 

 to sell, in small lots, from one to a dozen or 

 more cases to small retail dealers; and the 

 carloads must sooner or later be broken up 

 into small lots and reshipped in every direc- 

 tion, and very often gets pretty rough treat- 

 ment. Now, these small shipments, if the 

 honey is in wooden cases, must be crated, 

 or run a great chance of getting broken, 

 while the corrugated cases can be shipped 

 with little danger of breakage, although un- 

 crated. It costs in the large cities from a 

 quarter to half a cent a pound to crate lion- 

 ey; and then the freight or express is more 

 because of the additional w^eight. You re- 

 member what Mr. Byer told us some time 

 back in Gleanings, that a dealer in Toron- 

 to told him he could ship these cases to the 

 Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and 

 Alberta without breakage. 



A Farewell to W. Z. Hutchinson. 



BY DK. FREDERICK D. WESLEY. 



Is he gone — the good, the brave? 



Surely him we can not spare; 

 Unto us his all he gave — 



Gifts of mind and judginent rare. 



One by one they iJass away. 



Masters of the honeyed art; 

 Who shall take their place that day 



When we see the last depart? 



Dauntless-hearted pioneers! 



We inherit now the good 

 That they gave through all the years 



For the cause of brotherhood. 



It was they who led the way 

 Where elysian fields are found. 



So they came at break of day 

 To the Happy Hunting-ground. 



Honor to the early few. 

 Leaders of our gentle art; 



Glad we give them honor due 

 And the tribute of the heart. 



Those who love their fellow-man, 

 Serving with unselfish heart, 



Serve God's providential jjlan — 

 Loving, choose the better part. 

 Santa Cruz, Cal. 



