Sept. 15. 1911 



551 



warn 



J. E. C'KANE, Middlebury, \X. 



Dr. Miller makes a pretty strong case in 

 favor of a three-inch glass instead of a two- 

 inch glass side of shii)ping-case, page 386, 

 July 1. But really 1 wonder if glass is a ne- 

 cessity in a shipping-case in order to sell 

 honey. It is not, when honey is shipped. 



One of the most restful pictures I have 

 seen in a long time is friend Greiner look- 

 ing over his l)ees in the shade: for of all the 

 hot places in hot weather for the bee-keeper 

 is a yard of bees without shade; and the ne- 

 cessity he feels for it shows very clearly its 

 value for the bees. 



Ciood work, that, taking inspectors around 

 in an automobile. It more than doubles 

 their efficiency. It is exasperating to spend 

 an hour hunting uj) a small bee keeper, 

 leaving only fifteen minutes to look over 

 his bees and giving instructions as to how 

 to cure. Page 383, .July 1. 



On page 384, .July 1, the editor tells us 

 how valuable cartons are in keeping grocer- 

 ies from becoming sticky with honey, and 

 getting tidy housewives "mad rll over." 

 Another advantage is the uniform appear- 

 ance of the packages of honey, which adds 

 to the attractiveness of the grocery. 



The experience of Mr. B. D. Cook, our 

 heli^er, would seem to corroborate the fact 

 that as gf od resul cs can be secured at tpieen- 

 rearing during a period of dearth of honey 

 as at other times, as he has had most excel- 

 lent success since the flow ceased in getting 

 almost every cell built to a good size. 



Of all the rich treats Gleanings has so 

 far given us this year none will, I am sure, 

 be more appreciated than the address by 

 Anna Botsford Comstock. To say that it 

 is uplifting, inspiring, and helpful is but 

 faint praise. Surely every man as well as 

 every woman ought to get something out of 

 bee-keeping besides dollars and bee-stings. 



Mr. 8. D. House tells, on page 40l, July 1, 

 of the advantages of a sectional hive. I can 

 readily see some of them; but when I think 

 of using a single set of shallow frames there 

 always arises in my mind the vision of sec- 

 tions filled above them with too large an 

 amount of pollen in them. It may be be- 

 cause honey comes in more slowly in ordi- 

 nary years with us than in other places. 



That picture on page 397, July 1, of white 

 clover in Texas, beats me. I thought we of 

 the North had a monopoly of that plant; 

 but here comes our friend Scholl and shows 

 us the folly of our conceit, for they not only 

 have mesquite, catclaw, horsemint, orange- 

 bloom, and a host of other bloom we know 

 nothing about, but our best honey-yielding 

 plant thrown in as a sort of side issue — to 

 fill up the gaps in their main (lows, I sup- 

 pose. 



Where combs become clogged with honey, 

 the advice is given, p. ;}83, July 1, to uncap 

 them and give a partly drawn-out section 

 or two. Would it not be belter to give a 

 whole super of partly drawn combs, giving 

 the one or two bait sections to the hive from 

 which you have taken the partly filled su- 

 per? It sometimes works well to remove 

 the old queen and to gi\e a young queen, 

 for I have often found this condition to ex- 

 ist from the sudden exhaustion of the old 

 queen. 



On page 419, Julv 15, I express my disap- 

 proval of bulk honey for the North. Hince 

 that was written I "have run across a very 

 excellent Ijee-keeper who is putting up more 

 and more bulk honey here in the North, 

 and says he thinks it hiore profitable to sell 

 bulk honey at r2>^ cents than section honey 

 at 18 centos. He just cuts up the combs 

 from the supers to fit two or three sizes of 

 tin pails, without pouring extracted honey 

 over the combs. Let the light shine. 



Much has been written of our friend W. 

 Z. Hutchinson, since his death, not too 

 much, however, for he was not only the 

 kindest husband and father, but the friend 

 of every bee-keeper, and I have wondered 

 many times since his death why we were 

 all so much attached to him, so that his 

 death has seemed like a great personal loss. 

 Was it not the sweet Christian spirit that 

 pervaded his whole life, and controlled his 

 relations with all with whom he came in 

 contact ? 



That article by Dr. Phillips, on American 

 and Euro])ean foul brood, page 404, July 1, 

 is one of the best things this year so far. It 

 is hard for most persons to see. His last 

 sentence, p. 407, '"This disease is very vari- 

 able in its symptoms and other manifesta- 

 tions, and is often a puzzle to the bee-keep- 

 er," it will be well to remember; and if any 

 one is in doubt let him send a sample to the 

 Bureau of Apiculture, Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C, and they will 

 gladly give a correct diagnosis. 



