358 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1917 



many years, and after having handled a 

 considerable number of colonies without 

 dummies during the whole of last season, my 

 assistant declares it is economy of time, 

 labor, and temper, to have the dummies. 

 Just now it looks as if there might be some 

 readjustment of measurements, if it should 

 be concluded that 1% is too close spacing; 

 and if I were beginning all over again I 

 should want a hive with a dummy, and just 

 as much room for the frames as if no dum- 

 my were used. In other words, if a dummy 

 is used then extra room should be allowed 

 for it. 



" No PRODUCER^ large or small, of comb 

 honey or of extracted, can afford to disre- 

 gard the opportunity for selling honey di- 

 rectly from the house," p. 10. That's a 

 rather sweeping statement. Relations to 

 the grocers may be such that no selling at 

 the house is desired. Some would say, " Ex- 

 cuse me from being called away from my 

 work at the busiest time to spend half a 

 dollar's worth of time to sell a quarter's 

 worth of honey." While most may enjoy 

 talking to strangers about bees and honey, 

 some who are good producers dislike it 

 much. Why not allow each one to his own 

 taste? [As a general thing, a beekeeper 

 having honey-signs by the roadside will be 

 remote from any grocery by several miles. 

 Where that is the case there would be no one 

 to object. If any of the members of his 

 family have time to spare, and can deliver 

 the honey and take the change, the man of 

 the house need not waste any time himself. 

 No beekeeper can afford to drop his work in 

 the midst of a harvest, when every minute 

 counts. If a man has a home, by the help 

 of his wife he can make a success. — Ed.] 



" Dr. C. C. Miller once told us that he 

 was a very much-despised man when the 

 dandelions came into bloom," p. 252. That 

 was not dandelions, Mr. Editor, but sweet 

 clover. The feeling was very bitter against 

 sweet clover; but now the farmers don't 

 object to it, and some even sow it. But I 

 don't think there was ever any very strong- 

 feeling against dandelions " in this locality." 

 AVhen 1 came here CI years ago the dande- 

 lion was a rarity. A neighbor across the 

 way had brought a few seeds from the East 

 and planted them in her dooryard. Now 

 there are acres of the golden carpet. I 

 count the dandelion of immense value, com- 

 ing as it does so early; and when you say, 

 Mr. Editor, " It yields little or no honey," 

 I feel sonaewhat aroused. Years ago I had 

 perhaps half a pint of thin, fresh-gathered 

 honey that 1 ahouk out of the combs, hold- 

 ing them flat over a pan and shaking them. 

 I thought it was dandelion honey. I tldnk 



so still ; but I'm willing to be shown. Show 

 me. [While it is true that you may have had 

 a little dandelion honey, is it not probable 

 that the honey of which you speak came 

 from early fruit-bloom, such as thorn-apple, 

 wild cherry, tame cherry, peach-trees, and 

 the like?— Ed.] 



When the bees were set on their summer 

 stands, each one had its dead bees (if it had 

 any) cleaned out, and into its entrance was 

 shoved a solid sealed frame of honey, and 

 then the entrance was closed with a thin 

 board having at one end a hole % to 1 inch 

 square. That was a good deal easier for 

 tlie beekeeper, and very greatly better for 

 the bees than to tear open the hive to see 

 whether any feeding was needed. If any 

 colony was about out of stores, that would 

 make it pretty safe until it could gather; if 

 it had already enough stores to carry it 

 thru, that extra comb would encourage 

 breeding, and would allow storing in supers 

 just so much sooner. In other words, it 

 Avas swapping a comb of fall honey for an 

 equal amount of white honey in the super. 

 [Is there not danger, doctor, that when 

 you put a comb of honey into the big en- 

 trance under the brood-nest you will invite 

 robbers? No, you would not do it, because 

 you would be careful to contract the en- 

 trance; but a beginner might not. — Ed.] 



This year I'm going to work chiefly for 

 extracted honey. No, it's not because of the 

 upward tendency of the price of extracted. 

 It would not surprise me if comb should ad- 

 vance just as much. One reason for work- 

 ing for extracted is because I'd like to learn 

 how it is done by tlxe man with a small 

 apiary. Another, and a strong reason, is 

 because I want to do my bit to encourage 

 Ihe use of wholesome honey instead of the 

 objectionable glucoses and their like. Comb 

 honey is not likely to become an article of 

 every-day diet for the masses. Extracted 

 may ; and if it should it Avill be greatly for 

 the health and vigor of the nation. So it's 

 me for extracted. [The beekeeping world 

 will be glad to know that you are, in your 

 86th year, going into the production of ex- 

 tracted honey for the next year. You have 

 always been a comb-honey producer, and 

 now it is refresliing to know that we can get 

 the value of your experience in the produc- 

 tion of the liquid article. When European 

 foul brood visited your apiary, it seemed 

 like a calamity to you and everybody else. 

 While it cost you something, your experience 

 was worth many thousands of dollars to bee- 

 keepers, because you fear it no more. Now 

 can you discover something new under the 

 sun in the production of extracted honey? 

 If you do you will be going some. — Ed.] 



