GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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



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



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



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



VOL. XLIV. 



JANUARY 15, 1916 



NO. 2 



EDITORIAL 



Good Wintering at Medina 



Today, Jan. 12, the bees at Medina are 

 having a splendid flight. The temperature 

 is up to 70, and the bees are flying as if 

 they were out on a gala day in summer. 

 Bees are wintering equally well in double- 

 walled single hives and in the big quadruple 

 winter cases. In some colonies brood-rear- 

 ing has started. Notwithstanding the bees 

 have been flying strong, scarcely a spot of 

 dysentery can be found on the hives. Indi- 

 cations at the present time point to excel- 

 lent wintering; and the government weather 

 maps seem to indicate that our locality is 

 no exception. 



The Michigan- Short Course 



After trying for two years to put thru 

 his project of a short course for Michigan 

 beekeepers, Prof. F. Eric Millen, of East 

 Lansing, Mich., has succeeded and now an- 

 nounces a " Beekeepers' Week," March 13 

 to March 18, inclusive. 



This is a new course, and is designed to 

 meet the needs of a large number of bee- 

 keejDers who have never liad an opportunity 

 to become acquainted with the newer and 

 more profitable systems of management. 



Seven or eight lectures will be given 

 daily and expert beekeepers, including Mr. 

 Morley Pettit, Provincial Apiarist, Ontario, 

 will address the class. While it will not be 

 possible to cover the whole field of beekeep- 

 ing the fundamental principals will be thor- 

 oly discussed. There are no fees and no 

 age limit. The women are as welcome as 

 the men. For particulars inquire of the 

 Department of Entomology, East Lansing, 

 Mich. ; also Convention Notices elsewhere. 



Bee-escapes 



In this issue there is some evidence show- 

 ing the value of the double Porter escape, 

 or two single escapes to a board. It is a 

 little dangerous to put a single escape on 

 a big colony during hot weather. We have 



had one disastrous experience, and numer- 

 ous reports showing that a single exit may 

 become clogged. When bees are confined 

 on a hot day in a super with no means of 

 escape, there is danger, on account of the 

 excessive heat generated, that the combs 

 and honey will be melted down, and the 

 bees smothered. 



For these reasons the double-exit escape 

 is coming more and more to the front. It 

 is altogether unlikely that both exits will 

 become clogged at the same time. And. even 

 if one should do so, the other opening will 

 release the bees. 



Quite a number are now favoring the 

 ventilated escape-board having one or two 

 Porter escapes in connection with the wire 

 screen. The object of this is to provide 

 ventilation, and keep the honey as warm as 

 possible so it will extract more readily. 

 But as E. F. Atwater, in this issue, says, 

 the combs will not be as warm as when the 

 bees themselves are on them. Herein the 

 old method of shaking and brushing combs 

 has a little the advantage. 



Honey Bread — Not so you Could No- 

 tice it 



Out in Kansas they have a food commis- 

 sioner who will not tolerate misrepresenta- 

 tion of a food by name or trademark, fan- 

 ciful or otherwise. Butternut Bread, made 

 in Chicago, when it comes into Kansas has 

 to bear labels expressly stating that butter- 

 nuts are not used in its manufacture. 



Then the commissioner came to the 

 " Honey Bread " people in Kansas City 

 who had to confess that they use no honey 

 in making up the dough. The only thing 

 to do was to admit it on the label or find 

 another name. 



The decision of the food commissioner in 

 the case of the Butternut Bread is rather 

 curious, especially as it does not seem that 

 any one would believe that butternuts actu- 

 ally ai-e used in it; but the laughter at his 

 "Honey Bread" decision was due to general 



