548 



GLEANINGS- IN BEE CULTURE 



July, 1917 



long in discovering they were gathering up 

 the dry mash he had provided for his chick- 

 ens and making away with it. This clearly 

 showed the scarcity of pollen during Janu- 

 ary, and indicated that pollen substitutes 

 might be of \alue at times even in Cali- 

 fornia. 



* ■» * 



The most ideal condition for a favorable 

 honey season and brood-rearing is not a 

 -continuation of warm open days when the 

 bees can fly at will. During such a season 



the flowers and honey-bearing plants de- 

 velop far in advance of the bees. The ideal 

 season is one where there is plenty of pollen 

 and a little honey available wlienever the 

 bees can get out, but sufficient bad weath- 

 er to keep the honey-plants from develop- 

 ing faster than the bees. If the bees can 

 get out to pollen and honey at intervals suf- 

 ficient to keep up brood-rearing, and at a 

 time when the honey-plants are held back 

 while the breeding is in progress, it is an 

 ideal condition. 



NOTES FROM CANADA 



j. L. Byer, Markham, Ont. 



IT i s June 5 

 and we are 

 still waiting 

 and hoping for 

 summer weather. We liave had cool windy 

 weather continuously almost every day tliis 

 spring, and as a result vegetation is fully 

 two weeks behind the average seasons. One 

 thing to be thankful for is that there have 

 been practically no frosts for some weeks 

 past, so everything should be all right if the 

 weather once turns warm. The clover is 

 late, and looking none too well in this part 

 of the province, and will likely be short in 

 growth, no matter what the weather is like 

 from now on. Tb.e late spring should b3 

 favorable for basswood where there are any 

 of these trees left; and since the buds are 

 barely showing at date of writing they will 

 in all likelihood escape frosts. Quite often 

 a June frost kills the basswood buds, as was 

 the case a year or so ago here in Ontario. 



The rainfall has been light here in York 

 Co., but nothing has sutfered from drouth 

 yet. A nice rain falling today will help a 

 lot. In some of the western counties of the 

 province there has been too much rain — al- 

 most as much as last year, one rei>ort says. 

 This will undoubtedly mean better clover 

 prospects for western Ontario than for the 

 eastern and central counties, as a wet May 

 generally means a good growth of alsike. 



Fruit-trees are just starting to bloom — 

 the latest by all odds of any season since 

 we have kept bees. Cherries, plums, pears, 

 and some early varieties of apples show a 

 fair lot of bloom; but there is almost a 

 total dearth of blossoms on all late varieties 

 of apples. Secretary Hodgetts, of the 

 Fruit-growers, says that reports indicate 

 this condition nearly all over the province, 

 and that a very light crop of winter apples 

 is in sight at best. Last year's apple crop 

 was very short, not on account of lack of 

 bloom, but because of heavy dropping late 

 in the season, caused by excessively wet 



weather at first, 

 followed by a 

 long period of 

 drouth. While 

 we regret the failure of the apple crop, nev- 

 ertheless this is a factor to take into consid- 

 eration when the demand for honey is under 

 discussion, as apples are one of the staples 

 in almost every household. Experience has 

 taught us that when the material for apple 

 sauce is abundant there is never quite as 

 heavy and continued demand for honey as 

 when the apple crop is light. 



* * * 



The advice given to the combless-package 

 men on page 430, June, is good so far as 

 it goes; but so far as our experience teaches 

 here in Ontario, the most vital point of all 

 is not mentioned. Put enough food in the 

 cages. Different lots have come into On- 

 tario this spring with the bees starving on 

 arrival, even when there had been no delay 

 in transit. It is hard to explain the differ- 

 ences in conditions, sometimes. One lot 

 came from the south, and the food in the 

 tins was hardly touched. Another lot came 

 from the same man at the same place, and 

 the bees were on the road but 12 hours long- 

 er than the first lot, and yet the food was 

 all gone. Put lots of food in the cages. 



* * * 



In the May issue we mentioned that a 

 friend had called on us with samples of 

 paper containers for honey. We also stat- 

 ed that we had no information as to prices, 

 etc. Surely that was bad business on our 

 part, but it again proved that Gleanings 

 is a good advertising medium. Letter after 

 letter has come asking for more information, 

 and I have had to answer in each case that 

 no more information was available. I have 

 heard notliing of the matter since. Wheth- 

 er the prices were not right to suit the 

 agent I cannot tell, but he has not called 

 since. One thing sure, we shall give no 



