326 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



J„ L„ Ejer, 



)TE§ FROM Canada ^^^^^y^^^^- 



LATE COLD SPRING. 



As intimated in the third paragraph be- 

 low, we are having a very late cold spring. 

 Bees had a fine flight March 17, for which 

 we should be thankful indeed ; for since that 

 date we have had nearly a month without a 

 day for bees to fly ; but as the bees are held 

 back, so is vegetation of all kinds, so per- 

 haps the late spring mav not be so bad after 



all. 



* # * 



CLOVER PROSPECTS. 



What little clover went into winter quar- 

 ters appears to have wintered well so far. 

 although the cold drying winds of April 

 that we are having are not helping matters 

 much. But the frost is about all out of the 

 ground; and with no frost present, we rare- 

 ly have the " heaving " of the clover as is 

 tlie case when we have thawing by day and 

 freezing by night, when the subsoil is still 

 frozen hard from the winter's cold. 



DID THE COLD SNAP OP THE NORTH GO INTO 

 THE SOUTH? 



Wlule we have to report a late cool 

 spring, friends in North Carolina and other 

 southern-central States report to me that 

 their season is unusually early. But these 

 reports came a few weeks ago, and I have 

 been wondering if our cold snaj^ might not 

 be extending into the sunny South and 

 freezing some of the extra-early vegetation 

 down there. I sincerely hope such has not 

 been the case, but shall watch with interest 

 for future reports from various regions. 



WINTERING IN CANADA AND OHIO. 



Commenting on the unusually cold weath- 

 er during Tebruaiy and March of this year, 

 our editor expi'esses himself as not being 

 sorry that their bees are for the most part 

 in Florida, and the rest in cellars in Me- 

 dina. (April 1, editorial.) 



I can understand the matter in regard to 

 the Florida outfit, for I believe they expect 

 to do more than double the stock sent down 

 there before bringing north again in the 

 spring; but why such thankfulness about 

 having the bees in the cellar in a climate as 

 mild as that in Ohio? I have been in api- 

 aries tills spring where the temperature 

 went below 40 two or thi-ee times in Feb- 

 ruaiy, and the bees had no flight between 

 Nov. 23 and March 17; and since the latter 

 date they have been shut in steady till date 

 of writing (April 13). During February 

 only four or five mornings recorded higher 



than zero ; and yet for all that the bees have 

 not wintered badly by any means. As I 

 have often stated, I cannot understand these 

 differences in regard to outdoor wintering; 

 and ijerhaps at this time the editor will 

 more fully explain to some of ns wondering 

 mortals up here in the " cold belt." [We 

 have much more to fear in a frequent 

 changeable climate such as we have in Ohio 

 than you have with your colder steady cold. 

 For that reason, good cellars such as we 

 have, where the temperature can be main- 

 tained, is better for our bees than the un- 

 certain Aveather outside. We shall have 

 more to say on this point in our editorial 

 department. — Ed.] 



* * * 



WILL SPECIALIST BEEKEEPERS EVER AGAIN 

 SUFFER SEVERE WINTER LOSSES'? 



This difference in conditions should be a 

 factor in making calculations for the fu- 

 ture; for we are quite safe in assuming that 

 winter losses among specialists will never be 

 as heavy as was the case among the gi-eaf 

 number of small beekeepers a few years 

 ago. Some few have presented the argu- 

 ment to me when professing to have no fear 

 of overproduction, saying that a bad winter 

 or two would soon even up matters again; 

 but as already intimated, I don't believe that 

 there is apt to be any veiy general knock- 

 out very often, owing to the business being 

 more in the hands of specialists who natu- 

 rally give the bees better care than do those 

 running a few on the farm simply as a side 



issue. 



* * * 



THE TEMPORARY SLUMP IN HONEY PRICES 

 AND THE CRAZE TO GO INTO BEEKEEPING. 



Although there has been undoubtedly a 

 slump in honey prices in Ontario (only 

 temporary I hope), this fact has in no way 

 affected the craze for people to go into 

 beekeeping; and as a result the demand foi 

 bees for spring delivery is very keen. Ow- 

 ing to heavy increase during the past few 

 years in many places with uniformly good 

 wintering, I believe that the heavy losses of 

 some years ago are more than made up, and 

 that to-day Ontario has the most bees in its 

 history. Of course there may not be as 

 many men keeping bees as formerlj^, for the 

 farmers that were wiped out during the bad 

 years have for the most part never attempt- 

 ed to get bees again — at least that is the 

 case in our vicinity. But the increased 

 number of specialists, with their largei' 

 holdings, more than make up for these ex- 

 ceptions. 



