1S81 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



411 



nothing else," and he prepared to start 

 again. 



" But, hokl on a minute." said Jolin's 

 father; "/(Ofc shall Ave feed it V" You see, 

 he always had an eye out for the labor to be 

 performed, and wanted just the very easiest 

 way. 



"Oh, yes I and I had almost forgotten to 

 say that I would feed only at evening, and 

 just so much as tliey woufd take up at night. 

 and no more. I never want to see bees liang- 

 ing around feeders during the day time. 

 Neither do I like to see feeders around in 

 sight in the day time to entice robber bees 

 and tlies to hang around them, attracted by 

 the scent of the sugar they had contained the 

 night before. I do not feel as much like ad- 

 vising candy as I flid a few years ago. on 

 several accounts. It is true, it is but little 

 trouble; but if the bees take it as fast as 

 they should, they have to be constantly 

 bringing water from somewhere. Besides, 

 it crumbles down, anfl grains of it get out 

 around the alighting-board to attract tlies 

 and robber bees as before. Worst of all, it 

 is pretty hard to so manage it that, when it 

 is all used up. the bees will not have a comb 

 built in its place. Frames having a little 

 piece of comb in them, to be bundled about 

 in the a"piary. are not what we want. The 

 small supply that the bees need, to enable 

 them to build up to the best advantage, 

 must be given regularly : if you miss even 

 one or two days, it will show a break in the 

 amount of eggs laid. You also wish to keep 

 so sharp an eye on the proceedings that, 

 should natural stores commence to come in 

 at any time, sufficient for the purpose, you 

 can stop right otf short, for we do not wish 

 to waste sugar unless it is absolutely neces- 

 sary. I think I would use a Simplicity feed- 

 er, and either place it on tbe outside of the 

 division-board, or on the top of the frames, 

 turning back the mat enough to let the bees 

 to it. If handier, just fill the feeder with 

 the granulated sugar, and then pour on wa- 

 ter from a coffee-pot whenever you wish to 

 feed them. The amount of water poured on 

 will determine the amount you wish to give 

 them. When you Avish to fix them for winter 

 I would put a division-l)oard in each side of 

 the hi^'e : this will leave room for (> or 7 

 brood-combs, and I would not attempt to 

 winter a colony that would not cover pretty 

 well at least six combs. Fix the combs as 

 you wish them to remain over the winter ; 

 see that tlie queen is laying, then cover 

 them with a mat, having a two-inch hole 

 cut through it right over where the center of 

 the brood-nest comes. This hole can be 

 quickly cut with a two-inch punch, such as 

 tinners use. In fact, you can cut quite a 

 number at once. Put on the mat, and set 

 your Simplicity feeder right beside this hole. 

 This should be arranged about the middle of 

 September. Now feed them until they get 

 every thing waxed up solid. Feed them so 

 that the swarm can not possibly get over to 

 any side of the hive where tiiere are no seal- 

 ed stores, for the brood-nest is in the center, 

 and sealed stores are all around them a solid 

 wall of food, and pure, wholesome food too. 

 If you leave the hole in the mat open all 

 winter, you will have about the same condi- 



tions of those who leave sections on all win- 

 ter. If you think there should be some 

 thing in the upjier story to keei^ them warm- 

 er, lill it with forest-leaves. If you don't 

 like that way, put in your usual chaff cush- 

 ions. If you have got the bees in plenty, so 

 as to crowd out of the hive, nniess it is pretty 

 cool, and an abundance of pure sugar stores, 

 they will probably winter well almost any- 

 where. Git up, Dobbin ! I have stayed too 

 long already." 



"• Just a minute more," said John's father. 

 '•About how much sugar will it take to fill 

 them all up in this way V "" 



'^ If they have no stores to speak of August 

 first, but "good comljs, it will take from 20 to 

 •lo lbs., perhaps. (4it upl" 



"Please, just one thing more : Can't we 

 get along without buying feeders V " 



'• Why, come to think of it, I do not know 

 but that > ou can. Just spread the sugar all 

 around the auger-hole, and then drop on as 

 much water slowly as you can without hav- 

 ing it run down into the hive too much. 

 AVIien the bees have licked it dry, wet it 

 again. I once fed a colony thus for winter, 

 and they came through nicely. Git up. Dob- 

 bin!" 



geiMn ^cUnijn. 



CITY MARKETS. 



Very little comb honey is yet ia the market, and 

 prices are not settled. It rnng-es about ISfT/ Mo for 

 light in sinj^le comb boxes. Old honey, large boxes, 

 and dark, from 1~ to ije. Extracted is more plenti- 

 fnl, and brings 7("Vtc readily. 



Beeswax— l«(2'iUc for light, and 15@lTc for dark. 

 Alfred H. New.man. 



Chicago, 111., July 22, 1881. 



We quote honey in neat packages as follows: Best 

 white 1-11). sections, 'ZOffu'^Zc; do. 2-lb sections, ISfii'iOc: 

 best dark 1-lb sections, 13(§Jl5c; do. 2-lb. sections, 12 

 (g;13c; fair clover, 2-lb. sections, 14(r/ 16c. Large sec- 

 tions 2c per lb. less than above prices. Best white 

 extraSted, 10c; do. dark extracted, T@>8c. We have 

 received but few crates of new honey as yet. Above 

 prices will be our quotations for new goods. 



Beeswax we quote at 23@i21c. 



H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co. 



New York, July 23, 1881. 



New honey is just beginning to arrive, and is sell- 

 ing at I8@20c for 1 lb. sections; lT@.Wc for 2-lb. un- 

 glasscd, and 12(§,12;oc for well-ripened e.xtracted in 

 tin cans of 3(3 to BO lbs. There is a fair prospect for 

 these prices to continue, as fruit is scarce; but of 

 course all prices are subject to supply and demand, 

 and not to the opinions of individuals; therefore 

 they may change somewhat, as they are not fully 

 settled. A. C. Kexdel. 



Clevtland, O., July 20.1881. 



New extracted honey comes in lively. Our com- 

 mission houses are well supplied, and prices de- 

 pressed consequently, as the demand for honey has 

 not yet sprung up. Extracted honey brings ~(nSc on 

 arrival; comb honey, 12@15c. 



Beeswax 18@21c. Chas. F. Muth. 



Cincinnati, O., July 22, 1881. 



I have a barrel of good honey. Where can I seH 

 it? Muth don't wish to buy now. Who buys honey 

 in Indianapolis or Chicago? D. A. McCord. 



Oxford, Butler Co., (>., July 14, 1881. 



I have 6 bbls. of white-clover and linn honey, ex- 

 tracted. Any one wishing to buy, I will send sample 

 and prices. J. B. Mdrray. 



Ada, Ohio, July 16, 1881. 



