1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



255 



Right before us is a letter with money in for a 

 queen, and the writer says he is going to " hold " a 

 colony queenless until he gets her, and yet he hasn't 

 signed his name. I opine both he and the col my 

 will get tired before he gets her. 



Do not depend too much on buying queens from 

 other parties. Both "Will and neighbor H. say they 

 would almost as soon raise a queen in a nucleus as 

 to take the chances of introducing one. A queen- 

 cell ready to hatch will often get a laying queen in a 

 hive as quick (or (juicker) as to buy one and try to 

 introduce her. 



The dictionaries came at last, a whole thousand, 

 and regular little beauties they are. I have had a 

 big scolding all round for selling them so cheap. Mr. 

 Gray commenced it, my wife then took it up, and 

 finally my 18-year old bjy took me to task, and 

 talked to me like a father. Seud 15c for the diction- 

 ary (and 5 more for postage, etc.), and then you can 

 scold too if you like. 



THE RUnUER PLATES FOR MAlvING FOUNDATION. 



We have n* length, after much and expensive ex- 

 perimenting, got rubber plates for a f uU-sizod sheet 

 for L. frame. The imprint is for Dunham fdn., fur- 

 nished by Dadant, and is perhaps the best, all things 

 considered, that can be used. It makes about 5 feet 

 to the pound. There are some things about the 

 machine that we wish to improve before filling or- 

 ders for machines. I know it is bad to keep you 

 waiting this time of the year, but I really see no help 

 for it. We hope to be sending out machines in a 

 week. 



PRICES OF BEES AND QUEENS FOR MAY. 



Queens will be as per table in price list, but owing 

 to enormous demand for bees by the pound, and the 

 scant supply, the prices for May will this year be 

 the same as April, or $3.00 per lb. Of course, those 

 who have sent money before this reaches them will 

 be served at the usual May prices, $1.50 per lb. If 

 others can do better, I shall be very glad of it, for 1 

 know that it will be better and clioa per for you all 

 to deal directly with each other, instead of passing 

 so much through my hands. I have already pur- 

 chased 90 fine colonics, but I rather prefer not to 

 cripple them all at once by selling off all the young 

 bees by the pound. 



A FEW days ago we lost our half-gallon measure 

 for kerosene oil, and the tinsmith made another. 

 As I had often talked to him about having measures 

 absolutely exact, he made it so, but when the old 

 one turned up, it was found the new one held half a 

 pint the most. This measure was one bought at our 

 tin-shops, and was perhaps about as nearly right as 

 the average. I have for j-ears cheated every cus- 

 tomer who has purchased oil of me, to the above ex- 

 tent. Do you not see the need of some thing better 

 than the usual slipshod way of doing business? Our 

 glass graduates on the 2.5c counter are intended to 

 correct all the measures about the house, and I can 

 but regard them as a boon to humanity. 



MAPLE SUGAR. 



I HAVE bought, of the Medina Couuty farmers, 

 somewhere from three to four tons of maple sugar 

 this spring, and our girls are busy making it into 1- 

 Ib. bricks. Fifty bricks will be packed in a box, 

 each wrapped in a nice clean paper. The price will 

 be lOe. per brick, or $1.75 for a case of 50 bricks. 

 The sugar, as we buy it of the farmers, in tin-pan 



cakes, will be $9.00 per hundred lbs. It is pure ma- 

 ple sugar. In making into bricks we only boil it so 

 it will not drip or drain in ship])ing, stirring it well 

 to give it a fine graiu. I do not know of anything 

 better for bee candy, and it is also a fine thing to 

 have when you want to coax the children to be 

 "good." Wouldn't you be good if you were in their 

 place.*? 



SIMPSON PLANTS. 



AVE did not get all our Simpson-plant seed gather- 

 ed last fall, but after shaking out some, and trying 

 it, we found it to grow splendidly. Now, what do 

 you think I found last evening? Wh3% while 1 was 

 admiring the great green shoot from the old roots, 

 a.s they raised the soil, trying to push their broad 

 heads into the sunlight, it occurred to me I should 

 have to cultivate them at once, as there was such a 

 great quaiitity of weeds .starting. In fact, these 

 weeds fairly made a carpet of green that covered 

 the ground. I stooped down. Simpson plants, as 

 sure as you are alive, in countless millions. Why, I 

 can furnish you all you will want at 10c. a hundr(;d 

 if I can only get them mailed to you safely. Will 

 some of our nursery friends kindly instruct me in 

 the best way of packing, and tell me where I can get 

 the proper material, etc.? Postage will probably be 

 another 10c. ^^ 



Neighbor Sh.\w, who uses the dead air-space in- 

 stead of ohafl: packeng, i-eports as follows:— 



I havi- lost two swarms by starving;, out of 17; all the rest 

 ranie tlnoiif-'h in g'ood shape O-vcept tlie loss of two queens; all 

 winteretl on siiiumer stands without any protection whatever 

 exeeiit tin- hives. F. R. SHAW. 



Chatham Center, O., April 20, 1881. 



A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED. 



Just as we go to press comes the following:— 



Your postal of 'JOtli .\pril is at hand. AVe can funiish bees in 

 May at Sl.iin per lb. ineludint,' shippinj?-easo and insure safe de- 

 livery by express (you iJ.aviii^' e.xiiress c'liarfres. i I can also fur- 

 nish 'whole swarms duriu';;- s.ime montli at $•:.''!> in 1-frame nu- 

 clei to tlie amt. of 00 lbs, of l)eis and 'M swarms, if ordered im- 

 niediatelv. If we eau ftniush more will let roll know. We 

 think, by u'eltin^' early swarms you could g'et tliem in time for 

 vour houev en 'p. our blacks are almost ready to swanu. Ital- 

 ians behind, and wc:ik. W. K. WuiTM.\.v & Co. 



New .Market, Ala., April 25, 1881. 



Here is another: — 



I have received your postal of the 20th. I will furnish bees 

 by the lb. to your e iistomers from now until tile last of Ma.v for 

 S'^.CMI per lb. .and jiuarainee safe delivery by express only.buyer 

 paying' transportation cliarn'cs. I will guarantee safe delivei-y 

 byexpri'ss iinly, and only when the purchaser gives his ftill 

 plain address; and if his P. (>. and express office address ai'e 

 not the same, he must Rive both. You ought to stipulate tllis 

 eonspciously in eveiy i.ssue of Gleanings, because we can not 

 pay for other people's carelessness. J. G. Tavlor. 



iJox 131, Atistin, Travis Co., Tex., April 2i, 1881. 



I agree, friend T. Will customers please take no- 

 tic c ? 



SUGAR-CANE TH.4.T BEARS THE SUGAR IN THE BLOS- 

 SOMS. 



It's coming, boys, as sure as can be. Just listen ;— 



I will send you some seed of oranpre cane. If yon .are going to 

 plant any eane, it's far ahead of Amber, as it is so much larger, 

 and nep^rly as early; makes twice as much syrup or sugar. I 

 have sugar 1 made from Louisiana ribbon cane, and thai from 

 ' ' orange "is nicest. I notice the bees work on the blooui also . 

 My Simpson plants are now neaily 2 ft. high. 



I. O. FiTZGEK.M.D. 

 BrookstonTex., April 20, 1881. 



To be sure, I want some seed, friend F., and I pre- 

 sume several others will too. Sugar-cane that the 

 bees will work on is .lust what we have been looking 

 for. 



FAIR PL.VY. 



The following was carelessly omitted in the proper 

 place: — 



LET VS ILIVE FAin VLXY . 



Several friends of ours having informed us that Mr. Jones, at 

 the national convention held at Cincinnati, had said tliat we 

 were selling spurious Cy|)i'ian i|Ueens. wo wrote to him, and in 

 reply, he said that we had sold, as Cyprian, queens that had 

 not 'a drop of Cvpri:tn blood in ihem. Mr. Benton, besides, 

 wrote to the ' •'l!ee-kct.)iers' Magazine" that but few i|Ueens 

 liad been sent from Cyprus to Kuropean breeders, and that jiart 

 of them had died on the way. Wi' have notilied Mr. Fiorini of 

 these allegations, and received, in I'cply, among several other 

 proofs, a certilicate from the railroad agent, stating that Mr. 

 Fiorini had i-eeeived, in 1880, seven shipments of living beei 

 from I.aniaca. Cyi>rus. CiLis. Dap ANT .* Son. 



Hamilton, Hancock Co , 111 , March 19, ISSl. 



