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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1917 



GLEANINGS FROM THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST 



THE DIXIE BEE 



Grace Allen, Nashville, Tenn. 



THE first ex- 

 a m ination 

 of our 

 hives disclosed 

 a discouraging number of those moldy, 

 mildewy combs again, from one to three 

 in nearly every hive, and in every case 

 to the north side. The winter was one of 

 unusually lieavy humidity and unusual cold, 

 especially after Christmas. Some of the 

 hives had condensed moisture on the inside 

 of the super cover and on tlie top-bars. 



" Ample rainfall " did I say in that 

 April report? Today, April 6, we show a 

 total precipitation of more than 21 inches 

 since January 1 — an excess over normal of 

 more than 6 inches. There has been rain 

 and bad weather during fruit-bloom, and 

 it has been cold, — frosts and even freezing. 



* * * 



Whatever may have happened to crimson 

 clover and alsike, the present prospects for 

 white clover are unusually good. 



» * * 



With deep sympathy we learn of the 

 death of Mr. Cfeorge H. Rea's wife, and 

 greatly regret his subsequent retirement 

 from the extension work in North Carolina. 



* * * 



Practically half our little yard was in 

 two stories this winter, the other half in 

 the brood-chamber only. In the single- 

 story hives the brood averaged a little above 

 that in the double stories; there were more 

 stores left, seeming to indicate a lighter 

 consumption and fewer mildewed combs. 

 In every colony in the yard, the brood-cham- 

 ber was on the soiith side of the hive. 



Out near Franklin, Tennessee, there are 

 many acres of turnip grown for seed. It 

 blooms about the first of April, and the 

 bees in that locality build up on it with a 

 rush. Thit year it was killed by the late 

 freezes. Mr. Frank Pellett, who was in 

 Nashville the first two days of April, had 

 hoped to see this bloom with the bees work- 

 ing on it, but the freeze made it imi)ossible. 

 Moreover, it lained practically the entire 



time he was there. 



* * * 



When the question was read at the Ten- 

 nessee state convention, " How many of 

 tliose present pack their hives for winter?" 

 it was interpreted by the president to refer 

 to winter cases, and there were no affirma- 

 tives. In our own yard we had a few 

 shallow supers of leaves on, and, in the 



case of one rath- 

 er weak colony, 

 had removed 

 three combs, 

 centering the remaining SL'ven, packed the 

 sides with leaves, and \)wi a super of leaves 

 on top. At the time of tlie first examina- 

 tion, March 31, they had 4 combs of brood, 

 plenty of bees and stores, and no mildewed 

 combs. Only one colony in the yard had 

 more brood, and only one other as much, 

 the most of them having 3 combs. I should 

 like to give the little jiacking the credit ; yet 

 Mr. Bartholomew, backed by Dr. Phillips, 

 maintains that unless all four sides and top 

 and bottom are packed, no good is gained. 

 So I suppose the queen gets the credit for 

 the fine way the small colony came thru. 

 Yet it does seem as tho if a lot of })acking 

 is better than a little, a little would be better 



than none. 



» * * 



If only in some magical way the people 

 who try to keep bees without reading or 

 study could happen across such a definitely 

 instructive article as that entitled " Spring 

 Management," by Dr. Miller, page 255, 

 April, they would surely be immediately 

 converted into readers and students. One 

 such article is worth more to the reader 

 than the subscription jirice for many years. 



* # * 



I wonder if Dr. Miller could have said 

 more definitely about Avhat time he would 

 make that first inspection, when good colo- 

 nies might be expected to have four or more 

 combs of brond — not definite as to date, of 

 course, as that differs so with latitude, but 

 as to the advancement of spring during 

 fruit-bloom, perhaps, or when the maples 

 are droi)ping their seedpods and putting 

 out leaves, and cardinals are calling clear. 



Have you as fixed rules for the amount 

 of stores in spring. Dr. Miller, as for brood? 



The Division of E:xtension, College of Ag- 

 riculture, Knoxville, with the co-operation 

 of the Agricultural Department of the N. C. 

 & St. L. Railway Company, is sendir.g 

 out a demonstration train thru several 

 counties, giving exhibits and lectures cover- 

 ing all phases of poultry-raising and bee- 

 keeping, and the marketing of these prod- 

 uces. Mr. Bartholomew accompanied the 

 train, which left Nashville April 8. 

 * * * 



On Thursday, April 5, there was a meet- 

 ing of beekeepers at the yard of Mr. J. Ivan 



