290 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



From Different Fields. 



NEW HONEY. 



fjjHURSDAY, April 31, I extracted from 5 colo- 

 onies, getting 10 gallons of tine honey; to-day, 

 — ' 23, the same frames are refilled and partly 

 capped; but on account of rain, almost incessant 

 during: the da.v, I have not extracted. Monday will 

 And me at it if the weather is favorable. I think I 

 shall be able to send sample of holly honey to you 

 again. I do hope the true position or classification 

 of our Southern honey will yet be attained. I am 

 sure our holly honey, when first extracted, and un- 

 mixed with other honies, will compare favorably 

 with the far-famed white-clover honey of the North 

 and West. I sent you a sample a little mixed one 

 year ago, and you pronounced it good, I am sure, 

 if I could procure a sample as I did 3 years ago, un- 

 mixed, you would exclaim, " Hurrah for the holly!" 

 Why this has been overlooked by bee-men of the 

 t^outh I am not able to say. 



Up to date, from 8 colonies I have taken 43 gallons, 

 and, oh ! it would do your soul good to sec the bees 

 at Avork to-day. Yes, right now, 5'/^ o'clock, and 

 still it comes. We must thank God, and say, we'll 

 never murmur again. W. F. Kouekts. 



Clinton. La., April 28, 1881. 



LARGE INCREASE. 



I received a copy of Gleanings from you last 

 fall, and I thank you very much for the favor. One 

 man said that he started with 15 colonies in the 

 spring, and in the fall he had 80. How di<l he man- 

 age it? Please answer, as it is of importance to me, 

 for I am just starting in bees. 



BORAX EOK DYSENTERY (?). 



I fed my bees borax the past winter to prevent 

 dysentery. It proved a success; did you ever hear 

 of it before? However, th® medicine that proves a 

 success one time may prove fatal the next. 



L. B. Stanger. 



Hopkinton, Iowa, April 15, 1881. 



It is not a Aery difficult matter, friend S., 

 to increase 15 colonies of l)ees to so hives 

 having bees in them, in one season; but if 

 the man has got the full 80 now, it would be 

 some tiling a little wonderful.- Suppose you 

 write him and ask how many wintered. No 

 doubt your bees were a success after giving 

 them borax, but I am by no means sure the 

 borax was a success. AVhat reason have we 

 for thinking borax has any effect on dysen- 

 tery? And, if you will excuse me, how did 

 anyl)ody ever think of giving the little fel- 

 lows boraxV I confess 1 am incredulous on 

 the whole subject of medicines, especially 

 when given without a reason, as most of it 

 is. (Perhaps I should add, out of the line of 

 the regular practice.) I once heard of a 

 man who had a fall, and was seriously in- 

 jured internally. Before a physician could 

 be obtained, an old "darky" doctor came in 

 and administered a potion to the poor suffer- 

 ing sick man. When asked by the doctor 

 what he gave, he replied, " Rosin and shot." 

 When pressed for a reason for such a singu- 

 lar combination, he replied that nature 

 would probably need some materials for 



mending the breaks, and the shot and rosin 

 was the best of any thing he could think of. 

 Now, there is a sort of sense in this poor 

 fellow's reasoning, ])ut I can't see any rea- 

 son why borax should cure dysentery. Of 

 course, there may be a reason, but I should 

 want to see it proved by a great many exper- 

 iments. 1 feel in much the same way about 

 remedies for bee-stings. You know I never 

 publish any; and, for that matter, I believe 

 we have never had any medicine advertise- 

 ments in Gleanings at all. 



QUESTIONS. 



AVhat will, or what is, the quickest, cheapest, and 

 best way to build up an apiary from 15 swarms of 

 bees, mostly blacks, and still get the most jirofit this 

 season? What kind of honey-plant, tree, or shrub, 

 will come the neai-est to filling the place of bass- 

 wood, as to the quantity of honey produced at that 

 season of the year, and also quality of honey? There 

 was once plenty of basswood near here. It has nearly 

 all been taken olf. We have several acres of side- 

 hill land, very steep. Answers solicited from ex- 

 perienced bee-men. H. F. Newton. 



Whitney's Crossing, Alleg'y Co., N. Y., Apr. 13, '81. 



Why, friend N., your first question has so 

 nearly taken away my breath (in its magni- 

 tude) that 1 can hardly get a square view of 

 the second. It is my impression, however, 

 that notwithstanding all the ])resent light 

 we have on the subject of honey-plants, it 

 might cost a thousand dollars to get any 

 plant that would till the place of basswood, 

 even for a single locality. The Simpson and 

 Spider plants will come the nearest to it of 

 any plants I know of. 1 have written a book 

 of over 800 pages almost solely to answer 

 your question as to the best way of building 

 up an apiary of ].5 colonies (or of any other 

 number forthat matter), and I am makii.g 

 additions to the book every few months, 

 even yet. __________ 



ADVICE TO THOSE BUYING BEES. 



The following, which we clip from the 

 India iKi Farmer, has much good sense in it: 



To those who contemplate buying bees, we would 

 say, do so at once. Buy now so as to take advantage 

 of the season's work, if you can not afford to buy 

 full colonies, get gond, strong nuclei; buy them 

 early, and they will grow into good colonies during 

 the season. It is best to buy as near home as possi- 

 ble, as express charges are very high. Send to re- 

 spiiTisible dealers, and stipulate that the bees must 

 come early, so as to have advantage of nil the in- 

 crease of the season. If they can not do this, ask 

 them to return your money, and try some one else. 

 Kemember that a good colony now is worth a third 

 more than later in the season. 



swarming without a queen. 

 S. P. Yoder's account of his bees, mentioned on p. 

 133, March No., and again on p. 191, April No., by E. 

 Sanford, is rather singular, as I always thought my- 

 self sure of the swarm when 1 had the queen in my 

 hand, until two years ago, while attending bees for 

 Mr. T. on shares. T., taking care of swarms issuing 

 in my absence, the bees took to swarming, and soon 

 he had a swarm in each hive I left there; and still 

 they swarmed, and Mr. T. had to make use of his 

 old box hives until he had three swarms in. As I 

 had cropped the queen's wings and T. failed in find- 

 ing them, all three swarms stayed and went to work, 

 and not one had a queen, but plenty of fertile-work- 

 er business was f!:oing on when I got there. The two 



