70 



GLEANI2^GS m BEE CULTURf:. 



Feb. 



by the hundred, bolh in senson and out of season, 

 till we supposed we know something of queen-rear- 

 ing'. It was through these experiments that we ar- 

 rived at the conclusions given in Oct. Ko. of A. B.J., 

 and it was only when we came to the' conclusion to 

 rear all our queens, as far as possible, from natural 

 cells, and during the honey season, that we were en- 

 abled to produce the results in honey, given for the 

 past eight years. Now, just a few words in regard 

 to following nature: Friend H. tells us about farmers 

 controUirg the stock, fruit-growers pruning their 

 vines, poultrymen stimulating their hens to " shell 

 out" the eggs in mid-winter, etc., but none of these 

 things touch the piiint. Now we ask. Does apoultry- 

 breedertry to or succeed in raising line breeding 

 stock from chicks hatched in November or Decem- 

 ber? or does the shepherd raise his choice stock 

 fi-om lambs dropped at that season of the year? or 

 the horseman his pet horses, selling for perhaps $1000 

 and upward, from colls fouled in October or Novem- 

 ber? Nay. If ho wishes stock looking toward per- 

 fection, he rears them at the time nature intended 

 to have them reared. In fact, it would be hard to so 

 pervert dame Nature as to have animals come into 

 existence at the season of the year above mentioned. 

 But with the bees we can compel them to rear 

 queens, even in mid-winter, if they have brood. And 

 now, fricTid H., I pr( pose that you try reaiiug some 

 of those line queens in January and Februarj-, as 

 brood can almost always be found at this season of 

 the year in strong swarms; and as friend H. uses 

 none but strong swarms for queen-rearing, it will do 

 no harm to feed them and rear us some just as good 

 queens as would be hatched out the last of June 

 from u'ltural cells. We think that, by this time, 

 friend H. has come to the couclusion that if he had 

 his choice he would prefer, for his own use, queens 

 reared in June and July, as the Creator of all things 

 designed they should be, and so we M'ill drop the 

 matter. 



DOOLITTLE'S AVERAGE PROFIT ON BEES. 



Next we are asked by friend H., in Jan. No., what 

 has been our average profit per colony since we first 

 engaged in bee culture. Our experience with bees 

 covers aperiodof 12 years, beginning with 1869, which 

 was the poorest season ever known in New York. Our 

 average profit in '69, per colony, was $3.03, and $35.40 

 in 1877, whioh was our best season. Our average 

 number of stocks during the 12 years has been about 

 48, and the average cash profit from them during 

 said 12 years has been $19.30, or an average of $9;^2.28 

 for each year. We have hired perhaps 40 days labor 

 during the period of 12 years, my wife and I doing 

 nearly all the work. 



DOOLITTLE ON THE BEE POISOKINQ MATTER. 



Next I am called upon by Geo. Ilosekclly to give 

 my views on the Klason vs. Krock case. We wish to 

 say, that the trouble all came by those few harsh 

 words at the outset. When will men learn to carry 

 the impress into practical, every-day life, of the 

 words, "A soft answer turneth away wrath"? etc. 

 When Mr. Krock told Mr. Klasen that his bcea were 

 damaging him, the proper thing for Mr. Klasen to 

 do was to have told Mr. Krock that he was sorry; 

 but, as he could not control his bees, he (Krock) 

 should be as patient as possible, and at the end of 

 grape harvest he would pay him for all damages. 

 Again, a few pounds of honey given now and then 

 by Mr. Klasen to Mr. Krock, and a plate of grapes oc- 

 Cdsioaally given to Mr. Klasen all along through 



life would have so smoothed the way that Mr. Krock 

 would have borne much before he would havecalled 

 for any damage. Is not this far preferable to con- 

 tention and strife, and of less cost in the end? As 

 the matter now stands, I think the course advised 

 by our friend A. I. Root the better one to pursue. 



PERFORATING, AND SLOTTING SEPARATORS. 



Nc.vt we are asked in regard to perforating sepa- 

 rators, when used for box honey. We first used sep- 

 arators in 1872, and the thought at once presented 

 itself, that the more openings there were between 

 the boxes, and also between the surplus arrange- 

 ment and brood-nest, the more honey could be ob- 

 tained. Our first experiment was to have the tin 

 cut so as to leave Vi inch space at both top and bot- 

 tom of the boxes or sections for the bees to pass 

 through; but at the end of the first season's trial 

 we were convinced that we had much too large space, 

 as many of the combs jutted out beyond the sections, 

 both at top and bottom, so we could not crate it, to 

 say nothing of glassing it. Our next move was to 

 leave % at the top and bottom, and also to construct 

 a few so as to leave % slots through the separator so 

 the bees would be divided up as little as possible. A 

 second failure was the result, for our combs were 

 nearly as bad at top and bottom as the previous 

 year, while the sides of the combs much resembled 

 a washboard, especially those built when honey was 

 coming in rapidly. The next season wc left only J4 

 inch above and below the separator, and made a few 

 with quarter-inch slots in separators. We also 

 made our side-box hives with the division-boards be- 

 tween side-boxes and brood-combs slotted plentifully 

 with quarter-inch slots. Now, while the H inch 

 proved to be the right width to prevent the bulging 

 of the combs, yet when the season was over we could 

 see no difference in favor of the perforated separa- 

 tors. Since that time our hives have been made 

 without the perforations. After six years of prac- 

 tical work in the apiary, with those hives still in the 

 yard, we have not seen difference enough in favor 

 of those perforated to warrant making more like 

 them. Having the sections near the brood, with 

 enough space at top and bottom of the separators to 

 admit of the warm air generated by the bees passing 

 freely into all the sections, as well as to convey to 

 the bees the idea that they are not excluded from 

 the warm cluster or brood-nest, is all that seems to 

 be required. G. M. Dooltttle. 



Borodino, N. Y., Jan., 1881. 



If I mistake not, friend I)., xery fine-look- 

 ing queens have been raised in tlie winter, 

 biit I do not know how we are to tell how 

 good they were, because it was impossible to 

 have thein fertilized. — ^lany thanks for the 

 valuable facts given us in regard to separa- 

 tors. We have a machine now in our tin- 

 room that will perforate four sheets of tin 

 at a time ; bnt the expense of it is $20.00 in- 

 stead of five, as we hoped it might be last 

 month. We can now furnish perforated 

 separators to any who may choose to try 

 them, at just double the usual prices. From 

 experiments I have made, with and without 

 sei)arators, I am strongly inclined to the 

 opinion, that the perforations will be an ad- 

 vantage when a great crop of honey comes, 

 with cool nights. It will likely be tested 

 pretty thoroughly the coming season. Our 

 machine at present is fitted with punches to 

 cut I holes 



