GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTlJiiE 



a possible advance by reason of scarcity. 

 Taking every thing into consideration, the 

 general honey market will remain nearly 

 stationary. In the mean time conditions 

 ought to be better later, or as soon as the 

 war is brought to a conclusion, for we can 

 not believe that a general European war can 

 last long. If the high seas are kept open to 

 commerce (and at the present writing they 

 are being kei)t open), commerce ought to 

 resume its normal condition soon. 



The Army Worm on Alfalfa in Col- 



In sending in his honey-crop report, as 

 given in last issue, Mr. Wesley Foster 

 sent two clippings from the Montrose Press, 

 of June 17 and 18 respectively, concerning 

 the army worm which is destroying whole 

 fields of alfalfa, seeds and spuds, in the 

 vicinity. Mr. Foster calls our attention to 

 the fact that the beemen were awake to the 

 situation and called a hurried meeting to 

 prevent indiscriminate spraying that had 

 been recommended, as this would destroy a 

 large part of the iiereentage of the field 

 bees. Beekeepers recommended the plan 

 which was just recently recommended by 

 the University of Illinois — that is, the sow- 

 ing broadcast in infested fields a rather dry 

 mash mixed with Paris green, or arsenate 

 of lead. Clean bran and Paris green are 

 mixed together in the proportion of sixteen 

 parts of bran to one of poison, moistening 

 the mixture with water in which a quart of 

 salt has been dissolved for each ten gallons. 

 The mash should be just wet enough to 

 crumble in the hand. Sixteen pounds of 

 mash is sufficient for an acre. 



By being alive to their interests it is to be 

 hoped that the beekeepers will not be obliged 

 to suffer indirectly because of the ravages 

 of the armv worm. 



In our last issue, page 570, we referred 

 to some experiments we are making in keep- 

 ing bees in swamps near Hudson, Ohio, 

 some thirty miles from here, and of swamp 

 bee-pasturage in general. Since then we 

 have been extending our operations in and 

 about other swamps. We now have four 

 swamp yards in all, and possiblly will have 

 two more in a few days. So far the swamps 

 are yielding sufficient nectar and pollen to 

 keep up brood-rearing at a good rate for 

 the puri^ose of making increase, and that of 

 course is a necessity. At our queen-rearing 

 vard, which we can't move on account of 



drones, we are feeding outdoors to stimulate 

 breeding for the same inirposc. Weather 

 conditions have been favorable, as we have 

 been having hot weather with an occasional 

 heavy rainfall. 



While Medina is not in tlie swamp area, 

 yet there are several swamps within five, 

 ten, and thirty miles — in all, enough to 

 afford us considerable bee-pasturage. The 

 regular yards are being mo\ed as fast as we 

 can find other swam]) locations. 



As we stated in our last issue, our sub- 

 scribers, so far as conditions warrant, may 

 find it to their advantage to hunt up swamp 

 bee-pasturage, and locate their bees thereon. 

 The war in Europe will have a tendency to 

 stitfen the price on sugar. In fact, it has 

 already done so. While the advance is not 

 large proportionally, yet so far as possible 

 a more satisfactory increase of bees can be 

 made from natural bee-pasturage, and at 

 little expense except the moving of the bees. 

 Even if increase in numbers is not desired, 

 a good fall pasturage will put plenty of 

 stores and young bees in the hives, and 

 that is of prime importance. Young bees 

 with plenty of stores, other things being- 

 equal, will insure good wintering. 



Very Little Aclelteratiom of Honey 



We believe that honey is as free from 

 adulteration, taking the country over, as 

 any article of food on the market, aside 

 from such food products as do not permit 

 of any adulteration whatever. Comb honey, 

 of course, has never been adulterated, and 

 never will be; but there was a time before 

 the passage of the pure-food law when un- 

 scrupulous dealers handling liquid honey 

 would put out a mixture of honey and 

 glucose. However, this practice has stopped 

 so largely that it is only on very rare occa- 

 sions that we hear of any thing of the kind. 

 We believe that the consumer can buy liquid 

 honey now and be just as sure of getting a 

 IDure product as when he buys creamery 

 butter ; in fact, we believe he is more certain 

 of getting a pure jaroduct, and this is saying 

 a good deal. We are constantly on the alert 

 for reports of adulteration; but, as men- 

 tioned, we see them so seldom that we may 

 say that it almost never happens. 



There is still some fear, however, on the 

 part of certain consumers that they are 

 buying an adulterated product, especially 

 when they buy honey that does not taste like 

 the honey that they are accustomed to buy- 

 ing, or that they bought the last time, etc. 

 Recently we learned of a gentleman living 

 in a city who bought some honey that "tast- 

 ed funny," and he was sure that it must be 



