GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



son that it appears by atmospheric and 

 weather eonditions. 



In all my life-long experience I never 

 have seen any sweet sticky substance oozing 

 out of so-called hold-over blight-pockets. I 

 have sixteen colonies of bees right at one 

 pear-orchard, and there are other colonies 

 not far off; so if bees caused blight to 

 spread I ought to have it all through my 

 orchard right now. As a matter of fact, the 



fruit is as large as cherries at this date, and 

 there is not the least sign of blight. Some 

 seasons we are entirely exempt from it, 

 although dui-ing the previous season it 

 might have been very bad. 



We can all tell when our fruit is killed by 

 cold ; then why are we not able to tell when 

 it is killed by heat instead of blaming our 

 most useful insect, the bee? 



Jefferson City, April 30. 



THE FRIENDLINESS OF BEEMEN 



BY MRS. ARMSTRONG ALLEN 



[Mrs. Allen is the author of a number of delightful little poems relating to bees. 

 and in this one are samples of her work. — Ed.] 



In the last issue 



If we were an amateurish sort of grocer 

 and went visiting the successful grocers of 

 our vicinity, I wonder if they would take us 

 all through their stores and show us things 

 and tell us things, and send us on our way 

 with their best wishes, and the assurance 

 that, if there is any thing we want to know 

 at any time, -come and ask them, and they'll 

 help us out all they can. Now, may be that's 

 just what they would do. I don't know 

 We've never been a grocer ! 



But this I do know. Out under our cher- 

 ry-tree, in the spring of 1913 we proudly 

 placed a newly purchased hive of bees ; into 

 our bookcase we slipped the ABC and X 

 Y Z of Bee Culture, and on our reading- 

 table a copy of Gleanings came dropping 

 twice every month. The bees swarmed in 

 May, and then thei'e were two white hives 

 under the cherry-tree, and in our visions of 

 the future there were (and are) many hives 

 under many trees, each one emitting its 

 fascinating hum. So we decided to visit 

 some successful apiarists. And we hereby 

 pay our hearty and sincere tribute of genu- 

 ine appreciation to the courtesy and friend- 

 liness and well-wishing of these neighborlv 

 beemen. 



About two weeks after our memorable 

 first swarm, we took a trip to the country. 

 (We are in the city ourselves — backlotters.) 

 We first visited one of the apiaries of 

 Buchanan Brothers, near Franklin, and they 

 put veils on us and took us around while 

 they did various things — cut out queen-cells 

 here, and put on a super there, and they 

 answered a score of questions and offered 

 the friendliest advice. One most interesting 

 thing was their simple introduction of a new 

 queen. Mr. Buchanan just put her down on 

 the frame, and that was all there was to it 

 — no smoking, no fuss of any kind. She 

 had been allowed to become hungry, and 

 seemed to request a bit of hospitality for 

 her neglected royalty, and the bees just 



welcomed her in and took care of her 

 straightway. Then our hosts kindly motored 

 us over to Franklin, and after dinner we 

 drove to the home apiary and queen-yavd of 

 Mr. John M. Davis, of Spring Hill, to 

 whom all beemen in this part of the country 

 take off willing hats. Here too we were 

 shown genuine cordiality and courtesy, in 

 spite of being utter strangei*s who wanted to 

 learn the bee business. W^e were shown the 

 mysteries and the delicate details of queen- 

 rearing. It was a truly wonderful sight for 

 a raw beginner to see the almost invisible 

 eggs picked up out of the cells where they 

 had been laid, and transferred to their new 

 quarters. And queens were placed with their 

 traveling companions in well-fitted private 

 cars to go on long journeys all over the 

 country. The funniest thing we saw there 

 was the darkey v/ho was hoeing the garden 

 near the beeyard. It was a hot day; but he 

 wore not only hat and veil, but also sweater 

 and slicker and gloves, and he kept up a 

 perpetual sort of grinning grumble about 

 " clem bees." 



Another time we dropped in, unknown 

 and unannounced, on Mr. Will Morris, of 

 this city, who took us into his thriving 

 back-yard apiary of thirty or more colonies, 

 where he was working when we arrived. 

 Mr. Morris has gleaned a lot of valuable 

 and practical experience out in California, 

 and talked freely of various operations. He 

 certainly had strong colonies — double brood- 

 chambers, and then full-sized supers tiered 

 to an almost dizzy height. 



Tliis was all so delightful last spring that 

 three weeks ago we tried it again. A drive 

 almost too beautiful to describe took us out 

 on the river road, past blossoming dog^vood, 

 wliite locust, and riotously fragrant honey- 

 suckle, right into the heart of the hills. 

 There we found Mr. Lucian Watkins with 

 I'.is 104 colonies. The hives were painted 

 different colors, and, standing nmong young 



