KOVBICBBB, 1621 



GLEANINGS IN BEfi CULTURE 



705 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



sell from house to liouse. Now they are 

 wondering if they really were wise in get- 

 ting rid of it so cheaply as they did. 



Here is the point: We have several thou- 

 sand colonies in this immediate vicinity, and 

 the honey produced has nearly all been sold 

 locally at a lower figure than was necessary; 

 where but a short distance away in a much 

 heavier populated district with few bees, in 

 town after town and city after city, prac- 

 tically no honey may be found, and many 

 merchants informed me the reason was that 

 no honey had been offered them. 



I am still of the opinion that our delicious 

 product, if properly distributed, would bring 

 a price commensurate with its value as a 

 food and with our labors to produce it, even 

 if several times as much were produced as 

 there is at the present time. 



East Jordan, Mich. Ira D. Bartlett. 



In Indiana ^^ ^^^^ locality, northwest- 

 ern Indiana, very little nec- 

 tar was gathered from fruit bloom. Bees 

 began the clover harvest greatly weakened 

 in numbers, many colonies being on the 

 verge of starvation. A good alsike flow, 

 followed by basswood and an exceptionally 

 good yield of sweet clover, enabled them to 

 store a considerable surplus, amounting to 

 100 pounds per colony in some yards, with 

 very little swarming. Then followed more 

 than a month of exceedingly dry weather, 

 in which much of the surplus was con- 

 sumed by the bees in brood-rearing, result- 

 ing in enormously strong colonies just at the 

 opening of the fall flow. Heavy rains in 

 August brought the nectar, and the final re- 

 sult is probably the heaviest yield from fall 

 flowers ever obtained in this locality, many 

 colonies having a surplus of 200 pounds or 

 better. 



The hot weather thruout September has 

 resulted in colonies exceptionally strong in 

 bees, with very little honey in the brood- 

 chambers. Almost all of the honey being in 

 the supers will, of course, necessitate a great 

 amount of feeding if bees are to be win- 

 tered without loss from starvation. 



European foul brood, so prevalent a few 

 years ago, seems to be disappearing with 

 the introduction of Italian stock. In fact, 

 there is very little to be found except among 

 dark hybrids. American foul brood seems to 

 be spreading rapidly in this part of the 

 State, and it appears that some apiaries will 

 be entirely wiped out. This, apparently, is 

 one of the results of encouraging everyone 

 to keep a few bees. Most amateurs and 

 the box-hive fellows produce very little 

 honey but plenty of infection. 



Practically all honey in this locality is 

 sold locally, or in mail-order shipments or to 

 tourists. I know of none being shipped to 

 wholesale markets. The demand this year, 



both for comb and extracted, seems very 

 much better than usual, and many tons are 

 being disposed of. 



A course in beekeeping is to be introduced 

 in Valparaiso University this year. I under- 

 stand that quite a number of students are 

 contemplating taking the work, many of 

 them being ex-service men. E. S. Miller. 



Valparaiso, Ind. 



* » » 



In Georgia. -^^^ ^^^'^^ honey crop in 



& ' this part of the South has 

 been from 50 to 60 per cent below normal, 

 caused by untimely frosts and cold weather 

 late in the spring. Further north in this 

 State the crop was more nearly normal. The 

 cotton in this vicinity has since yielded 

 pretty well for a short time, followed by 

 an unusually good yield from velvet beans; 

 but the bees acted as tho they expected 

 winter soon, crowding the queens to a great 

 extent altho the weather was very warm. 

 Later, came drouth when the bees could get 

 little or nothing for two or three weeks; 

 and now this is followed by a rainy spell, 

 and the bees are gathering pollen freely but 

 very little nectar. They will probably 

 raise a good amount of brood before cold 

 weather comes and be in fine shape for win- 

 tering. 



I hope the article by E. R. Root in last 

 Gleanings will rouse an interest in sweet 

 clover culture all over the country. I have 

 tried but never succeeded in getting it to 

 grow in this "Coastal Plain," and know of 

 no one that has. I have bought some seed 

 of the ' ' Hubam ' ' variety and intend to try 

 again — this time liming and inoculating the 

 soil. I hope all who can will do the same. 

 It would be a very great thing if this plant 

 were largely cultivated all over the South 

 (and North, too), as it would make much 

 territory available for honey production and 

 greatly improve other territory that is now 

 inferior. 



The Georgia Beekeepers' Association, at 

 their meeting in Macon on Aug. 19, were ten- 

 dered the use of a good-sized building by 

 the Georgia State Fair Commission, for api- 

 cultural exhibits at the State Fair, Oct. 27 

 to Nov. 5 inclusive. Commendable efforts 

 are being made to give there a creditable ex- 

 hibition of apicultural products. The Bee- 

 keepers' Association has made notable prog- 

 ress since its inception and we hope great 

 things for its future. T. W. Livingston. 



Harmon Park, Ga. 



» * * 



In New York.— ^.^^^^^P^":^ ^"^ *^^ ^^^ 



York region are unani- 

 mous in the opinion that this has been a 

 queer season. All kinds and degrees of 

 honey crops from none at all to a bumper 

 yield have been observed. In all, the aver- 



