1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



49 



IN-AND-IN BREEDING. 



Some of our friends are fearful that their bees 

 will suffer from the above cause, if they do not take 

 pains to change their stock often. While I am glad 

 to send you queens when you need them, I do not 

 think any one need trouble himself much on this 

 point, when we take into consideration the great 

 distance that drones and queens fly, to meet each 

 other. This is proven beyond question, by finding 

 Italian blood miles away, very soon after they are 

 introduced into a section. At the same time, I do 

 not doubt but that the many good reports from hy- 

 brid stocks are the result of a fresh strain of blood 

 given to both races. 



In friend Dadant's article of last month, the word 

 "ring," applied to yellow bands of the Italians, was 

 twice printed "wing." I read it over, and knew 

 what word was intended, but, by some fatality, 

 failed to see the "w" where an "r" should have ap- 

 peared. Friend D. should have a little charity when 

 he reflects (if he ever does reflect in regard to the 

 matter), that, like the illustrious Horace Greeley, 

 his handwriting is not the easiest in the world to "un- 

 ravel." The point, that the Italians look darker in 

 the fall when they arc filled with dark honey, is a 

 new idea, and I think one we should take into con- 

 sideration. You see, if you want your Italians to 

 look their very prettiest, just feed them some very 

 white, transparent honey while you are exhibiting 

 them. Granulated sugar syrup will be just the 

 thing; then put them on the window, and you will 

 have "transparent bees." Thanks, friend D., for 

 starting us right. 



Since m editorial^ in regard to Dr. Chase's re- 

 ceipt-book, I have had the opportunity of hearing 

 from another side of the matter. Mr. R. A. Beal has 

 acknowledged the mistake of his clerk, and sent me 

 a copy of the book with the patent-medicine adver- 

 tisements left out, to recompense me for the money 

 I was " out " in the transaction. Chase and Beal, it 

 seems, have had serious business differences, and 

 the result is, that there are two different " Dr. 

 Chase's" books. Taking a standpoint from either 

 side, it would seem that either party has been great- 

 ly wronged by the other, as is often the case with 

 similar troubles. Perhaps none but God knows just 

 where justice lies. As both seem to be fair, honora- 

 ble, and conscientious men, I would recommend to 

 them to choose mercy, rather than think so much 

 about justice, and certainly go so far as to decline 

 ever more speaking unkindly of each other to anj' 

 one, no matter what the circumstances may be. As 

 for myself, if friend Beal will forgive me, I will try 

 once more to have more charity for my fellow-men, 

 before I criticise again. 



P. S.— I am "awful" glad the medicine advertise- 

 ments are left out, but I ain't going to ay anything 

 about it. 



BELLING RECIPES, OR WAYS OF DOING THINGS. 



Knowledge is comparatively free nowadays. A 

 comprehensive treatise on almost any of the trades 

 or industries is sold for a dollar, or a little more, and 

 the time has passed by when people consider it 

 right or honest to ask a dollar for some secret, writ- 

 ten or printed on a single leaf, with a promise not to 

 communicate the great secret to any of the neigh- 

 bors. Nearly all our shops and manufactories are 

 open to the public, and if you wish to go in and see 



how a thing is done, you can do so at pleasure. If 

 this is not entirely the case, it is getting to be more 

 and more so every day. The time of paying five or 

 ten dollars for a recipe for bee-feed, or to make ar- 

 tificial honey, has passed by; and one reason for it 

 is, that every recipe of that kind that has come be- 

 fore us has proved a fraud and a swindle. I have, as 

 you know, paid money for these recipes several 

 times, and afterward printed them here; but so far 

 every on e of them has proved to be well known, and 

 in fact the greater part, if not all, that have ever 

 been offered for sale, are given in Dr. Chase's " Re- 

 ceipt Book." Now, my friends, if I stop here will 

 you not, you who have offered to sell secrets for a 

 dollar, etc., think better of it, and withdraw your 

 circulars and advertisements? I do not like to be 

 harsh, severe, and personal; but in behalf of our 

 ABC class, who in their honest enthusiasm are 

 ever ready to send their hard-earned dollars, I shall 

 have to speak out, if it is not stopped. Every im- 

 portant discovery will soon be public property, with- 

 out the necessity of each one sending a dollar for it. 



WHAT SHALL WE DO FOR BEES THAT HAVE DYSEN- 

 TERY, OR ARE STARVING? 



As so many bees are dying from what seems tcf be 

 the effects of poor stores, we will try to help the suf- 

 ferers furnish candy in 1-lb. bricks, made of pure 

 granulated sugar, for 13c per lb. The same, with y^ 

 lb. of flour to 4 lbs. of sugar, 12c per lb. ; or with 1 lb. 

 of A grape sugar, 3 lbs. granulated, and '/2 lb. flour, 

 10c per lb. Any of the above I consider safe for 

 feeding bees in winter. If you wish the bees to 

 raise brood, you must have that containing flour, 

 unless you have a surplus of pollen in the hives; in 

 this case, I should prefer it without the flour. I do 

 not know which of the two latter is the better one— 

 you will have to test the matter by experiment. 

 After the bees are flying, say in March or April, you 

 can use one-half, three-fourths, or all grape sugar, 

 if you choose. Now, before you order it by mail or 

 express, please figure out the cost, that you may 

 not be disappointed. Unless you order 25 lbs. or 

 more, and have it sent by freight, it will, as a gener- 

 al thing, cost you more than to buy your sugar at 

 your groceries and have the candy made at home. 

 These candy bricks, laid right over the cluster, and 

 then well covered up with chaff (some coarse bag- 

 ging or burlap first, of course) is the only remedy I 

 can suggest to cure the dysentery. Of course, the 

 whole hive is to be packed, if the bees are not al- 

 ready in chaff hives. Do not attempt to save them 

 by carrj'ing in-doors, unless you can put them in a 

 dry, dark cellar, where it never freezes. If you can 

 not do this, give them the candy outdoors, and let 

 them alone. If the cluster has got weak in bees, 

 double them up until there is bees enough to warm 

 up the candy. If very badly affected, I would take 

 away all their honey, and put them on empty combs, 

 with the candy over them. It is better to put the 

 candy over them, during a moderately warm day; 

 but if they are in danger of starving, the hive can 

 be opened during almost any weather, without 

 harming them scriouslj'. If the colony is very weak, 

 and you have no more to put with them, it may be 

 better to give them only a small part of a brick, say 

 an ounce or so at a time, and then more as they use 

 it faster. Will you please report how this candy 

 works, as I am very anxious to save the bees, and to 

 save you from loss as well? 



