794 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



J. E. Crane 



IFTIN€ 



Middlebury, Vt. 



I believe the honey reports in the Aug. 

 1st issuse of Gleanings are the most com- 

 plete we have ever had. 



* * * 



A neighbor recently brouglit me a squash- 

 blossom with seven dead bees in it, evident- 

 ly caused by several unseasonably cold days, 

 it shows how rapidly unfavorable condi- 

 tions deplete our hives. 



* * * 



Dr. C. C. Miller, page 403, June 1, refers 

 to liquor advertisements in the large city 

 papers. I ran across something new along 

 this line last week on a wayside guideboard 

 like this: Granville, 5 miles, wet; Wills, 4 

 miles, dry; Pawlet, 2 miles, damp. 



* * * 



E. H. Harris, page 628, Aug. 15, tells 

 how to make concrete hive-stands. It looks 

 like a nice thing. One of my beekeeping 

 friends showed me this summer his hive- 

 stands made from slabs of slate, about 18 

 by 30 inches. These may pay in some 

 23laces, but would be too expensive in others. 



* * * 



I am much interested in that thousand- 

 acre swamp. With us I have found the 

 swamp-milkweed to yield honey very freely, 

 while in other years I could find few or no 

 bees on it. I believe the boneset one of the 

 surest honey-plants; and fortunate indeed 

 are those beekeepers who have a supply of 



it for fall forage. 



* ■* * 



It must be a source of much pleasure to 

 the beekeepers of northern Michigan to 

 know that their honey resources are on the 

 increase in the constant increase of milk- 

 weed. I have not forgotten the very enjoy- 

 able day I spent with Mr. Kirkpatrick, of 

 Rapid City, some years ago, nor the fine 

 sample of milkweed Mr.Ira Bartlett brought 

 to his table. I believe it should be classed 

 with our best honeys. See page 573, Aug. 1. 

 ^ * * 



Much space is given in the editorial de- 

 partment of Gleanings for Aug. 15 to a 

 discussion of the net-weight law, which is 

 certainly timely and helpful. The law will 

 certainly make the putting-up of comb hon- 

 ey more expensive, and the beekeeper should 

 receive more for it. I see no reason why we 

 may not weigh our honey and put the 

 weights on the cases the same as before; but 

 as they would not correspond with the net 

 weights on the individual sections it would 

 most likelv lead to confusion and trouble. 



On the other hand, we may sell to the whole- 

 sale dealer by the case or number of No. 1 

 combs, as has been practiced for some time, 

 I believe, in the West. One beekeeper of 

 my acquaintance told me he was marking all 

 his sections or cartons " Not less than five 

 ounces." This may be within the letter of 

 the law, but hardly within the spirit of it. 

 In fact, it would seem to nullify the law, 

 making it of no value whatever [A bee- 

 keeper who marks his comb honey " Not 

 less than 5 ounces" would, in our judg- 

 ment, be rendering himself liable. By so 

 doing he is actually concealing the weight 

 of the contents of the sections. The intent 

 of the law is plainly to give to the consum- 

 er a close idea of how much he is buying 

 for the money. The plan pursued by your 

 beekeeping friend would utterly defeat the 

 intent of the law, and we believe that any 

 court in the land would call sucn a practice 

 a distinct violation. — Ed.] 

 * * » 



You tell us, page 570, Aug. 1, Mr. Editor, 

 that, according to experiments made by Mr. 

 Selser, of Philadelphia, a colony of bees 

 can be made for about a dollar's worth of 

 sugar. Well, just what do you mean by 

 making a colony? From some experience 

 we have had this season we find that it takes 

 about twenty pounds of sugar to draw out 

 the foundation of a ten-frame hive ; as much 

 more to provision them for winter, and half 

 or two-thirds as much to rear young bees to 

 make the colony. Then the frames and 

 foundation will cost about a dollar, to say 

 nothing of the rest of the hive. Then there 

 is a queen to be provided, which, if bought, 

 would spoil another dollar. [In quoting 

 Mr. Selser we meant only the sugar — not 

 the hives, comb foundation, nor extra feed- 

 ing to put bees into their winter quarters. 

 We have just been out interviewing the 

 foreman of our yard as to how much sugar 

 it takes to draw out ten combs. He pointed 

 out one colony which he thought would be 

 A fair average that drew out rix frames of 

 foundation half way on one quart of sugar 

 syrup, half sugar and half water. Another 

 feed like this would cause them to draw the 

 combs clear out; but in order to make the 

 bees do this a feeder must be used that 

 feeds very slowly. We use the Boardman 

 that has only one or two small pinholes. 

 The bees get the syrup very slowly; and 

 this constant incoming of feed works a 

 great deal better than a large quantity that 

 is shortly taken up with no more coming 

 in for several days. — Ed.] 



