18S1 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



347 



hive last year, and were all strong this spring when 

 I cleaned their hives. I go around my hives every 

 day, winter and summer, and sec that the entrance 

 is clean and every thing right. 



Mrs. J. S. CocHKAN. 

 Macon, Macon Co., 111., June 1, 1881. 



HKKti ON THE BRANCHES OF TREES IN TEXAS, ETC. 



I sometimes get long letters from novices in hor- 

 ticulture. Those letters would be a great hore to 

 nic if they did not afford the gratification that I had 

 set some one to studying- my favorite themes, and 

 then I often do learn some tln)i{j, even tvoui them. 

 Of course, I ean not reply in detail to such long 

 letters. 



I have learned much from jour liook alread,\ — 

 much that I am surprised to think I had not com- 

 mon sense to see. I am ashamed to tell you of some 

 things I have done witTi my bees, because I did not 

 know any better. The more I have to do with my 

 bees, the more I love them and wonder why they 

 did not sting me to death for some things I ha\e ig- 

 norantly done with them. 



This is an alluvial region. Among the mountains 

 of Bandera Co. there are many "/jcc-carts." Be- 

 yond the Itio Grande, beeS often occupy the under 

 side of a large limb in the open tree-top. There 

 they build comb and gather stores, just as if they 

 were in a hive. 



The other day I was talking about bees occupying- 

 open tree-tops in Mexico. One bystander remarked 

 that he had found such a swarm in the adjoining 

 county (Calhounj, that he took the honey and gave 

 the bees to Mr. Hoff, of this county. I mean to 

 learn from Mr. H. wliether they became contented 

 in his hive, and whether they were a diffei'ent A'ari- 

 ety of bees from those we are accustomed to. An- 

 other acquaintance, so well known to me as a man 

 of perfect veracity that I can not question any thing 

 he would say, says that he took a bucketful of honey 

 from a swarm similarly situated, in my own neigh- 

 borhood. He has some knowledge of bees, and says 

 they were the common black bee of the region. 

 They had selected a position under the bent portion 

 of the tree. Our preacher (a man of undoubted 

 truth) sajs, that on the frontier, toward Mexico, 

 whei'c he had once been on a frontier circuit, he 

 had repeatedly seen swarms of bees occupying shel- 

 tered positions on trees which had no cavity, and 

 that in one instance he had seen them i)!. the 

 yra.ss, where tall coarse grass had lodged together 

 from different directions so as to form a shelter. 

 This fact, for it is a fact, makes me smile when I 

 read articles headed, '• Why Bees Work in the 

 Dark." G. Onderdonk. 



Mission Valley, Victoria C>>., Tex., June 4, 1881. 



Many thanks for the facts furnished, 

 friend O. You judge rightly; these letters 

 are a great source of pleasure and profit to 

 me, your own affording a striking illustra- 

 tion of the point. I do not get time to re- 

 ply, however, as I would like to, and thank 

 the kind writers. Bees on the branches of 

 trees are sometimes known, even here ; but 

 I suppose it is more common in warmer 

 climates. 



BLACKS OR ITALIANS; WHICH WINTER BETTER? 



You say, on page 2!I3 of Gleanings, that the past 

 winter has almost " extinguished black bees in our 

 countrj'." Well, the case seems to be different here. 

 May.be the blackswintered better in some other 



places. It may be that is why there Is such a de- 

 mand for black queens and bees as you say there is 

 on page 298 of Gleanings. I had 65 last fall; have 

 5 hives now (4 or 5 hybrids; rest, 60, Italian.) I give 

 a few reports below, here in Washington Co., Pa.:— 



Mr. Fordire, 80 Italians, has left 1 this spring. 



Sirs. Parkinson, 2 •• " '• " " 



Mi. M. G. Mintou, 8 " " " 3 " " 



H. P. Bcatty 11 Blat-k, " "11 '■ 



F. Stanker, 601-8 " " " .5 " 



A. Elliot, 20 or 25 '• lost 1 



The strongest hive I have are hybrids. I will con- 

 fess, that I have some notions of getting the old 

 black bees again. Let us get at the facts of the win- 

 tering of bees. The people, most of them around 

 here, think the black bees can stand the winter bet- 

 ter. I have had Italians 6 or 7 years. 



The bees were all wintered outdoors on summer 

 stands without protection. J. L. Hoge. 



Sparta, Washington Co., Pa., June 9, 1881. 



That is right, friend II., give us facts, by 

 all means. I did not mean to say the blacks 

 wintered worse than Italians, but rather 

 that those who kept black bees are giving 

 them up, so that the Italians had a clean 

 sweep, as it were. You know, those who 

 keep black bees mostly make bee-keeping a 

 secondary consideration, as it were, and af- 

 ter a few' reverses, they, as a general thing, 

 drop bees entirely. The experts, on the con- 

 trary, can l)uy every spring, and build up 

 with Italians, and make a good thing of it 

 even tlien. I am inclined to think that hy- 

 brids, other things being equal, will winter 

 better than either race pure. Let us have 

 some reports on this matter. 



CHAFF, SAWDUST, AND A SUGAR, ETC. 



There was a great loss in bees in these parts last 

 winter, as nearly all died. I had i colonies (Italians) 

 last fall, good and strong, with plenty of honey; two 

 died with dysentery; the other two came through, 

 one very weak, the other tip top; had a fine large 

 swarm on the 16th. They are also making surplus 

 in top boxes. I have a friend who had 16 colonies 

 last fall; he brought them all through without any 

 lo.'s; had them packed in chaff and sawdust. His 

 main dependence is chaff, or sawdust and A sugar. 

 He thinks it is just as safe to winter bees as it is 

 horses or cattle, or any other stock. Now, what 

 think you of that compared with the loss of 128 out 

 of 140 colonies? W. C. Neil. 



Strattonville, Clarion Co., Pa., June 18, 1881. 



HOW I FASTEN FDN., OR ST.iRTERS, IN SECTION 

 BOXES. 



Take a tin pan, and put in clean wax; melt it, not 

 too hot, your grooved section pieces on your left, 

 starters on the right, with your melted wax in the 

 middle, or front of you. First move: take grooved 

 section piece in left and starter in right hand; dip 

 starter in wax; stick right in groove; shove It to 

 left, out of your way, and repeat. I tried this two 

 years ago; stuck .5;0 starters at two sittings by the 

 stove in July; had to nail the sections afterward. 

 Not one of them dropped in nailing. I think I can 

 slick full frames the same way, and beat any ma- 

 chine I ever read of. J. E. J.a.rrett. 



West Point, Iowa, June 14, 1881. 



Very true, friend J.; but you did the work 

 yourself. Suppose you set a child at it, or 

 any cheap help ; they would daub wax ev- 

 erywhere, and would not make it go either ; 

 whereas, with the Parker machine they 



