40 



GLEAKINGS IN BEE CULTURE, 



Jan, 



ladk-f §^pjivbii(int 



IE started bee-keeping only last spring, with 



one colony, and now wo have three, and 



had about 100 lbs. of extracted honey. We 



feel very much encouraged with our bee-keeping, 



hoping we shall be able to winter our bees all right. 



Mrs. H. Bangham. 



Windsor, Out., Can., Dec. 'J, 1880. 



NOT BLASTED HOPES (?) 



Guess .vou wonder where I have been all this time. 

 Well, we are a large family, and we all do like sweet 

 very much; and so, instead of selling any to get 

 money to buy an extractor, or even keeping any 

 honey on haad to feed in a scarce time, we "just ate 

 all we had." I would here remark, that in three 

 months I increased 9 to 19 good swarms; but I had 

 no smoker, and no money to buy; the bees were 

 mostly hybrid, and stung me rather badly. I want- 

 ed to earn some money, and saw no way of doing it 

 with the bees. Having no extractor, no surplus 

 boxes, no money, and being a poor carpenter, I just 

 opened a private school, and now hav^e the public 

 school of this place. My experiment was not "blast- 

 ed hopes," by any means, because I knew if we sold 

 nothing we would have no income. The poor bees 

 have all perished but 3 colonies; one of them had 

 my pet queen, but she's gone. She was no imported 

 one, but I thought as much of her, I think, as if she 

 had been. Please exeuso my haste; but, being 

 "school marm," I have to be careful how I spend 

 time in writing letters. Clara Slaugh. 



Daytona, Volusia Co., Fla., Dec. 30, 1880. 



I think it was a ''tip top" idea, your turn- 

 ing ''•scliool marm," friend Clara; but I do 

 not quite see my way clear to approve of 

 your course of letting "the bees starve. P^ven 

 if it was "fun for you," (and it wasn't fun 

 either, was itV) it was death to them. You 

 won't do so any more, will you, even if I do 

 stop and not scold another word? 



Or Letters from Those Who Have Made 

 Bee Culture a Failure. 



^q|RIEND NOVICE :-Should you run short of sub- 

 Jn jects for Blasted Hopes, I can furnish you with 

 a big batch from this localit.v, right from the 

 State of Wisconsin, from which State you have pub- 

 lished some of the most flattering reports of honey 

 yield for the season; for instance, the report of 

 Frank McNay, in Nov. Gleanings, who reports 

 •1700 lbs. of surplus honey from 4t colonies— an aver- 

 age of 106 lbs. and over, per colony. Then there are 

 the reports of neighbor H. V. Train and C. H. G., of 

 Mansen, Juneau Co., and Tibbets, of Downsville. 

 These are all " wallopers." In the Oct. No. we have 

 the report of our friend Morgan, "the ABC child 

 that grew so fast," from Arcadia, who reports that 

 there was one continuous flow of honey from May 

 until the time he wrote, Sept. 3d, and still it con- 

 tinued to flow. It flowed so fast that the bees built 

 combs on the outside of their hives, and stored 

 honey under projections of hives in large quantities. 

 " A swarm hived July 15th, and weighed July 31st, 



showed a gain of 79 lbs." Hurrah for Wisconsin! 

 This is the land that floweth with— with— that flow- 

 eth with honey. Well, hold on. I guess I have got 

 off the track. I started out to furnish you subjects 

 for Blasted Hopes; but the above don't look much 

 as though their hopes were blasted. I hate to do it; 

 it is very humiliating; but then, I will, and here it 

 goes: In the township of Fayette, LaFayette Co., 

 State of Wisconsin, there are about 30 persons who 

 keep bees. They have all the way from one colony 

 to 75. There were, last spring, about 350 stands of 

 bees in the township, mostly blacks, and kept most- 

 ly in the old box hives. Some are beginning to use 

 the frame hives, and are Italianizing their bees. 

 From these 350 colonies, 1 think I can safely say that 

 there has not been 700 lbs. of surplus honey taken 

 this season; that is an average of onl>- 3 lbs. to the 

 hive. There has been but very little increase. I 

 predict that there will not be more than two-thirds 

 as many bees in this vicinity next spring as there 

 was last. The past has been the poorest season for 

 honey for many years; there was but very little 

 white clover, which is the main dependence for 

 honey here. Notwithstanding this drawback, some 

 of our bee-keepers feel quite hopeful, trusting that 

 their luck will chtuige, while others feel like giving 

 up the business in disgust. 



Now, in conclusion, I wish to say that my hopes 

 are not blasted. I do not keep bees alone for profit, 

 but for amusement. I like to handle and fuss with 

 the little pets; and yet I should like to have them 

 pay expenses and furnish what honey 'we want for 

 our own use. Last spring I had 30 stands; increased 

 to 35; bought two queens of you with 3 lbs. of bees, 

 from which 1 built up 3 very good stocks. My bees 

 are all in the cellar. I have 8 Italians, 39 blacks. I 

 got about 40 lbs. of honey in 1-lb. sections from one 

 hive, and not more than 40 or 50 lbs. from all the 

 others together. The most of my bees are in Sim- 

 plicity hives. Dr. C. Abraham, 



Fayette, Wis., Dec. 11, :8U 



FEEDING COMB HONEY. 



I believe Gleanings to be a safe investment. My 

 bees have done no good this year. I am feeding 

 them nice comb honey at 15c. per lb. 



George G. Waddell. 



Troy, Doniphan Co., Kan., Dec. 15, 1880. 



1 would not do it, friend W. I am fully 

 satisfied that a like weight of granulated 

 sugar syrup will keep the bees longer than 

 honey, and, as a general thing, will prove 

 liealthier besides ; 1 lb. of sugar will make 

 1 2-5 lbs. of syrup as thick as honey ; and 

 as the sugar is now but lie per lb., the more 

 wholesome syrup will cost but little more 

 than half of Avhat the honey will sell for in 

 the market. 



My bees nearly all died last winter. I lost 70, out 

 of 85 stands. The season was a very bad one for bees; 

 a great scarcity of honey, and my health was bad all 

 summer and winter, consequently, bees were not 

 cared for, and through neglect they died. I have 15 

 stands left. D. Newell. 



Phillipstown, Ills., Nov. 39, 1880. 



'J-'he old saying, "In trouble to be troubled 

 is to have your trouble doubled," seems to 

 be literally true in your case, friend X. It 

 seems to be a uniform report from the 

 friends, that wliere their bees liave not had 

 the proper care, from any cause whatever, 



