November, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



847 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



at noon and ag'ain at tln-ee o'clock we man- 

 aged to get along until we reached Chap- 

 man at nine in the evening. 



When I examined them I found two had 

 the combs melted down and a lot of the 

 bees killed. In a few hives there were some 

 combs broken but nothing serious. How- 

 ever, the weather had been in our favor, 

 for there had been some rain and the day 

 was cloudy with a good breeze blowing from 

 the south. If it had been a hot day I am 

 sure that I would have had to unload. 



I now had to go back after the hives we 

 had left. We started with two Fords about 

 4 p. M., and reached the bees at eleven that 

 night. We loaded and were ready to start 

 back in an hour and a half. At seven the 

 next morning we reached ChajDman. The 

 bees moved by the Fords did not come thru 

 in as good condition as those that came by 

 truck, for the Fords traveled so much faster 

 that the side swing broke the combs worse. 

 Still I did not lose any of this lot entirely, 

 and therefore was pretty well pleased. 



The truck hire and expense of running 

 cost me $50; the Fords, $12 each; and the 

 freight on the supplies was $11. That made 

 the entire cost of moving about $85, which 

 was a little higher than the freight would 

 have been. Nevertheless I am of the opin- 

 ion that it is the cheapest way to move bees 

 any distance under a hundred miles, pro- 

 vided one does not earrv more than 50 hives 

 for every 3500 pounds of the truck capacity. 



Chapman, Kan. Harry A. Huff. 



a= 



Notes with and without Interest 



On page 612, August, Dr. Miller asks 

 about the flavor of sweet-clover honey. I 

 think the very decided, spicy flavor is due 

 to the presence of cumarin, and this would 

 probably be very much in evidence, whether 

 the honey was produced in, South Dakota 

 or Tennessee, provided it was pure, or near- 

 ly pure, sweet-clover. As to its being " of 

 delicious flavor," that, of course, is entirely 

 a matter of personal taste. However, most 

 people who are accustomed to the mild- 

 flavored white-clover or alfalfa honey, ob- 

 ject to the strong flavor of pure sweet- 

 clover honey, and are rather inclined to be 

 suspicious of it. White honeys are usually 

 milder than dark or amber, but sweet-clover 

 and orange-blossom honeys are notable ex- 

 ceptions. Water-white orange honey from 

 California is " delicious " for the first, few 

 meals, but I would not care for it as a 

 steady diet, 



Mrs. Allen says, p. 623, " well-built hives, 

 strong colonies, vigorous young queens, 

 plenty of stores, and contracted entrances, 

 are about all we need." I think she has 

 omitted one of the most important factors 

 in successful wintering in this climate, and 

 that is the use of two-story hives for winter 

 brood-chambers. For several years I have 

 been conducting some experiments in vari- 

 ous methods of wintering, and the results 

 show conclusively the value of the two-story 

 hive. While. I am not convinced that it 

 would pay us to go to the expense and 

 trouble of providing packing and winter 

 eases for the bees, I am sure that the added 

 story gives needed protection from cold 

 winds, and provides room for more stores 

 where the bees can easily a:e.a«h ttem. 

 Then a colony so wintered doesn't need to 

 be disturbed until settled warm weather. 



Weather conditions were unfavorable 

 during the season in Tennessee, and the 

 honey crop has been almost a failure, not 

 more than a third of a normal crop having 

 been gathered. The quality, too, is below 

 the average. The bees, in some localities, 

 will need to be fed for winter stores. In 

 this connection, the Nursery Rhyme on page 

 628 might be revised to read. 



And when he saw the clover bloom, 



With all his might and main 

 He put the empty supers on, 



Then — took them of¥ again. 



« * •* 



J. E. Crane wants to know more about 

 lespedeza, page 614. This clover is prov- 

 ing a godsend to the farmers of the Cotton 

 States, as it will grow well where no other 

 clover will, with the possible exception of 

 sweet clover. I am not sure whether it is 

 hardy north of the Ohio Valley. In the 

 western part of our state it grows sponta- 

 neously, just as does white clover in the 

 central part. It furnishes fine pasture, and 

 a large amount of good hay. Unlike the 

 other clovers, however, it is of little value 

 as a honey-plant, as it yields very little. 

 « * « 



In a recent inspection trip thru the west- 

 ern part of the state, I found the disease 

 situation much improved over what it was 

 a year or two ago. Dr. Ward also reports 

 generally improved conditions in eastern 

 Tennessee, altho several new foci of foul 

 brood have been located. Many beekeep- 

 ers are adopting modern methods, and be- 

 coming more proficient in the handling of 

 their apiaries. 



Franklin, Tenn. J. M. Buchanan. 



