GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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



A. I. Root, Editor Home Department J. T. Calvkrt, 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. 



JUNE 1, 1916 



No. 11 



The High Price of Sugar 



Sugar is already up to Sy2 cts., and there 

 is a prospect that it will reach 10. While 

 sugar is expensive, the price of sugar will 

 naturally have a boosting effect on the 

 price of hone3^ 



Winter Losses in New York 



Late reports from New Yoik indicate 

 that the winter losses are roore severe there 

 than elsewhere in the country. Our re- 

 vised reports will stand about as follows : 

 Winter losses in Montana, parts of Canada, 

 and New York. There were scarcely any 

 losses reported elsewhere except as a result 

 of starvation. The high price of sugar and 

 the open winter are responsible for this. 



Fruit-bloom in and about Medina 



Prospects were never better for a good 

 yield from fruit-bloom during the flTst 

 week in May this year. Just as the bloom 

 had opened at its height, and when the bees 

 were storing fruit-bloom heavily, a cold 

 rainy spell, as noted elsewhere, set in. In 

 the mean time the bloom disappeared; but, 

 fortunately, the weather maps show that in 

 and around Medina it was much colder than 

 in almost any other part of the United 

 States. 



The California Situation 



The Western Honeybee, after gathering 

 together a bunch of reports from various 

 parts of the state, thus summarizes the crop 

 conditions : 



The orange-honey crop of the citrus sec- 

 tions of the state has been less than was 

 expected, only about two-thirds of an aver- 

 age yield having been harvested. The sea- 

 son was unusually early, having ended be- 

 fore May 1. The new crop is of fine quality, 

 and has alreadj^ been nearly all picked up 

 by the shippers and local buyers, mainly at 

 6 cents. A moderate crop of sage is being 

 taken in most localities of the sage belt, but 

 will be shortened by lack of spring rains. 

 Little damage is reported from the sage 

 weevil. Grasshoppers are doing some dam- 



age to alfalfa in Imperial Valley, but most 

 of the alfalfa sections will probably harvest 

 a fair crop. Some damage from brush fires 

 has already occurred in the southern coun- 

 ties. 



A Long Journey for a Large Piece of 

 Wax 



Our cover for this issue shows an unusu- 

 ally large piece of wax that was shipped 

 clear from California without being broken, 

 with nothing for protection but two thick- 

 nesses of burlap. The weight of the cake 

 was 266 pounds. 



For shipping beeswax, burlap sacks are 

 better than wooden boxes, for they are 

 lighter, and the wax is more likely to reach 

 its destination in good condition. Usually, 

 however, it is better to use two sacks, one 

 inside the other, so that in case there is a 

 weak spot in one sack the other will furnish 

 the strength. Unless the sacks were in very 

 bad condition it would not be likely that 

 two weak spots would occur at the same 

 place. 



The New Edition of the A B C and X 

 Y Z of Bee Culture 



We are working almost night and day 

 in preparing copy for the new edition of 

 the A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture. A 

 large number of the articles are being en- 

 tirely rewritten. In addition many new 

 subjects are being added. The A B C and 

 X Y Z is in reality a collection of mono- 

 grams, each article bein- complete in itself. 

 Each of the monograms has many cro-s- 

 references back and forth, so that practical- 

 ly everything known on a subject can be 

 gathered. 



During the past three or four years many 

 new methods and ideas have been developed, 

 and these are being carefully incorporated 

 into the old matter. The chapter on Euro- 

 pean foul brood has been entirely rewritten 

 and the revised copy has been submitted to 

 the best authorities in the United States for 

 correction. Alfalfa and sweet clover have 

 received an entirely new treatment. Ex- 

 tracted Honey and Bottling Honey have 

 been entirely revised. 



