D^OBMBEB, 1921 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



769 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



appeared in great numbers, devouring 

 everything that was at all green, even strip- 

 ping wild carrot, and in some cases the 

 leaves from trees. I saw one field of buck- 

 wheat with every plant eaten off, the re- 

 maining stubs sticking up over the field like 

 so many little sticks. 



Where these conditions prevailed brood- 

 rearing was at a low ebb all summer and 

 ceased entirely the latter part of September 

 or very early in October, and the colonies 

 are going into winter light in young bees. 

 Where not fed, they are light in stores also, 

 and in some cases with considerable honey- 

 dew from oak trees. If the winter proves 

 to be severe there will undoubtedly be heavy 

 losses. With clover practically annihilated 

 by the drouth, beekeeping prospects are 

 none too good for next year. 



In contrast with these conditions, on the 

 highlands above the Niagara Escapement 

 and thru parts of southern and eastern New 

 York rains were more frequent, with conse- 

 quent better beekeeping results and in 

 many instances record-breaking yields. Here 

 the condition of clover and other honey 

 plants was never more promising for an- 

 other season. 



To illustrate how these extremes exist, 

 one of our own yards yielded an average 

 surplus of 150 pounds, while another yard 

 only five miles distant had to be fed the 

 entire season. On the whole the honey crop 

 in New York will probably average above 

 50 per cent, and where marketed to good 

 advantage will compare favorably with most 

 agricultural products. H. M. Myers. 



Eansomville, N. Y. 



* * * 



In Southern Indiana.— '^^^'^ season just 



closed has been 

 very peculiar, in that it was one of great 

 promise but small realization. It opened 

 up fine, nice weather, so that the bees built 

 up on the pear and apple blossoms. The fact 

 that a freeze came later and killed practical- 

 ly all pears and apples did not matter to the 

 bees, for their harvest was over. 



In the early part of the season there was 

 just the right amount of rain for all grow- 

 ing crops. The sweet clover blossomed in 

 profusion, and there never was a finer out- 

 look for fall flowers, especially smartweed; 

 but after the bees were nicely at work on 

 the sweet clover the rains quit and hot 

 weather set in. The last of June the mer- 

 cury ran up to 100 degrees and continued 

 thru July, running from 95 to 103 degrees. 

 The sweet clover was consequently cut short 

 and the smartweed put out of commission. 

 While the acreage of blue vine, or dry- 

 weather vine as it is called, is not great, yet 

 it seemed to enjoy this hot dry weather and 

 gave a light but steady flow thru July and 

 August. Extra-strong colonies stored some 



surplus, but colonies of medium strength 

 built up into good, strong colonies thru it. 



The failure of the fall flow left these colo- 

 nies powerful in bees but light in honey. 

 Many who did not feed will lose a large 

 part of their colonies. However, colonies 

 in large hives filled up on the sweet clover 

 flow and are going into winter quarters 

 strong in bees and stores. 



Along the lower Wabash and the Ohio 

 Rivers good crops are reported from the 

 blue vine. This plant is not appreciated by 

 many beekeepers as it should be, as in many 

 seasons it yields just enough to keep up 

 brood-rearing and to furnish a living for 

 the bees. Consequently, as the honey does 

 not appear in the super, many think they 

 are getting no flow from it. If it were not 

 for this plant, many colonies would con- 

 sume all of their stores in the summer and 

 curtail brood-rearing, so that if there was 

 a flow from smartweed, the colonies would 

 not be in condition to gather it. 



When blue vine is left to mature in its 

 own way, it blossoms in June. This year 

 fully developed seed pods were found on 

 the fourth of July. However, the main 

 honey flow from this vine is in August. The 

 reason this flow comes late is due to the 

 fact that most of it grows in the cornfields. 

 When the corn is cultivated the plant is 

 cut off, yet it comes again and is again cut 

 off; but when the corn gets too tall for cul- 

 tivation, the blue vine has a chance and 

 fairly takes the field. In this way the bloom- 

 ing period is retarded and prolonged, as 

 some does not get cut off at all and some is 

 missed at the second cultivation. It is a 

 perennial, and when a root once gets estab- 

 lished it is there for keeps. Jay Smith. 



Viucennes, Ind. 



* * » 



In Wisconsin 9f « '"^^^^ produced 18,- 



000 pounds of honey. He 

 advertised it in his local paper at 1214c a 

 pound and sold his entire crop in a very 

 short time. Needless to say he does not be- 

 long to any association. A few other still 

 larger producers are selling to the consumer 

 1 pound or 100 pounds at 15c a lb. They 

 also act as independent individuals. Asso- 

 ciation members for 30 miles around these 

 men have in the past asked from three to 

 five cents a pound more. Association mem- 

 bers found that many of their former cus- 

 tomers autoed 30 miles to buy their honey 

 . from these men. The larger producers who 

 were association members had honey to sell 

 nearly the whole year at the higher prices. 

 They found that year after year the natural 

 demand for honey was seasonal the same as 

 the fruits and vegetables have their sea- 

 sons and a natural demand for them in sea- 

 son. After the season the demand could not 

 be improved very much even with advertis- 



