®bamtt00 ttt Tin Culture 



Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 



A. I. Root, Editor Home Department. J. T. Calvert, Business Mgr. 



H. H. Root, Assistant Editor. E. R. Root, Editor. A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager. 



Entered at the Postoffice, Medina, Ohio, as second-class matter. 



VOL. XLII. 



JANUARY 15, 1914 



NO. 2 



Editorial 



Our bees on the Apalachicola River, Fla., 

 are doing finely. Ti-ti is just about ready 

 io open up, when the bees will have natural 

 pollen and nectar: 



Some recent reports go to show that Cali- 

 fornia is having refreshing rains. Wheth- 

 er these are going to insure a crop of moun- 

 tain-sage honey or not we have not yet been 

 advised. 



When we read the telegraphic reports of 

 the floods in Texas we wondered how our 

 bees on the Apalachicola River would fare, 

 because they are on platforms but slightly 

 above high-water level on the banks of the 

 river. Fortunately for us, however, the 

 floods did not visit that section. 



THE FLOODS IN TEXAS. 



In this issue, page 47, Louis H. Scholl 

 tells of the awful destruction wrought by 

 the floods in certain parts of Texas ; of how 

 he and certain other beekeepers lost many 

 hundred colonies. The sympathy of our 

 readers, we know, will go out to them. 



OUR COVER PICTURE. 



The cover picture for this issue shows 

 Benjamin J. Mayo and his son at the edge 

 of their ])icturesque apiary. The engraving, 

 page 62. shows a larger portion of the api- 

 ary situated in a well-sheltered location. In 

 addition to the particulars given in the 

 article by C. B. Morris, page 59, Mr. Mayo 

 himself writes as follows: 



I cleared a sm^all part of my woods and made a 

 beautiful grove for my growing apiary (as shown on 

 the cover page) ; Init as the bees did not build up as 

 rapidly as I thought they should, I moved some into 

 my orchard, a more open place (as seen by the pic- 

 ture on p. 62), where they got more sunlight. This 

 solved the difficulty, as those in the orchard did far 

 better than those in the grove, shaded so much. My 

 spring count (1912) found me with fifteen hives of 

 the dovetail pattern. 



I should also like to add my testimonial to the 

 plan of Mr. Arthur C. Miller of introducing queens 

 by smoke, as I have tried it with twenty queens and 

 find it works every time. 



I have been running for extracted honey only, as 

 I think the honey in this locality is too dark for 



comb. This I have been selling in three-pound 

 packages at fifty cents, and have no difficulty in 

 disposing of all of it. I think I increased too fast 

 last season as my crop was not what I thought it 

 should have been; but I did fairly well, getting 1000 

 lbs. 



Metuchen, N. J., Oct. 31. 



THAT WINTER NEST AGAIN. 



We recently received a letter from Mr. 

 George B. Howe, of Black River, N. Y., one 

 of the most prominent honey-producers and 

 queen-breeders of that State, and a very 

 close observer. Among other things he refers 

 to the winter nest. As it confirms our posi- 

 tion we present it here for what it is worth. 



I wish to say something on this winter-nest ques- 

 tion. You are right. I go to the bee for all my 

 knowledge. Go to any hive — better yet, a bee-tree ; 

 cut said tree and see what condition you find. Back 

 to the hive ! Unless you have fed said colony beyond 

 all bee reason, again you will find that winter nest, 

 and in cold weather a bee and sometimes more than 

 one bee in a cell. The colder the time, the more com- 

 pace that cluster will be: and unless you have stud- 

 ied this question you will not believe it possible for 

 a large colony to get into so small a space when it is 

 zero or below. The age of the queen does not change 

 the color of, her drones. The color of the comb may 

 make a slight difference. Some claim this . 



George B. Howe. 



THE SPECIAL NUMBERS FOR 1914. 



For the last two years we have received 

 occasional letters from readers who have 

 oveilooked annoucements regarding special 

 numbers, and who, after reading some one 

 of the special numbers, jumped to the con- 

 clusion that Gleanings has "gone daffy " 

 on the special subject in question. For in- 

 stance, after the publication of our last 

 poultry number, which was our regular Feb. 

 15th issue for 1912, we received a letter 

 from a subscriber complaining because of 

 the undue amount of space we were giving 

 to tho question of the raising of chickens, 

 He pointed out that our Feb. 15th issue was 

 almost all on that subject! Not being a 

 poultry-man he was naturally afraid "we 

 were going to get too far away from the 

 straight and narrow path of beekeeping. 



As there have been other letters each year 

 from those of our readers who have not 

 noticed the announcement of our plan, we 



