518 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Oct. 



Ohio people in two or three days, than ever before 

 in my life. Almost the only sad thing I saw at the 

 fair was the long row of beer-barrels, with Ohio 

 boys standing behind them, ready to serve anybody 

 who had the requisite nickel. Is it possible this 

 state of affairs is to remain thus in our beautiful 

 State of Ohio? To make the said barrels more at- 

 tractive on a hot day, huge blocks of ice surmounted 

 them. Plenty of iced drinking water was found on 

 all parts of the fair grounds, and every thing con- 

 ducive to the comfort of the 75,000 whom I am told 

 were in attendance. I do not know what the cus- 

 tom may be throughout our land, but I thank God 

 that no beer is sold openly on the grounds of the 

 Medina County Fair. 



WHAT A POUND OF BEES WILL DO IN A SEASON. 



When in Michigan, I made a note of what friend 

 Hunt had done with two packages of black bees, 

 each containing a pound, and a black queen. I lost 

 the memoranda, but if I recollect aright, each built 

 up a good colony, and gave a swarm; and when I 

 was there the whole four were storing honey in sur- 

 plus boxes. Perhaps he gave each a couple of 

 frames of brood, but I am not certain. 1 think he 

 purchased them in May. It seems a little strange 

 that a pound of bees and queen should amount to 

 more than a whole swarm ordinarily does, but many 

 reports seem to indicate that they have done so dur- 

 ing the past season. I can think of no other explan- 

 ation, than that the owner took more care and pains 

 with them, just because a pound of bees in a wire 

 cage was a sort of new thing, and a curiosity, as it 

 were. You know it has been said that Italians pro- 

 duced the great results they have, just because they 

 were a new thing, and received extra care and atten- 

 tion. Friend Hunt's success with the "black lbs.," 

 would seem to encourage this idea. I presume many 

 of you remember the great things that used to be 

 done with a single strawberry plant of some wonder- 

 ful new kind. 



Moral:— Just take the bees and plants you have 

 already, and make believe they are some new, won- 

 derful kind; and if your faith (and energy) are sulB- 

 cient, you will find tltey really are. 



SQUARE MEN. 



My friends, I am not only willing, but glad, to 

 serve you in any way in my power, even to advanc- 

 ing money for you in a contingency, providing I 

 know you are square and true, to the extent, if you 

 should die, or meet with any other misfortune, your 

 wife, mother, grandmother, or any or all of your re- 

 lations, would have respect enough for your bright 

 name to see that every thing was straightened up, 

 "square" and true, right on the spot. There are 

 such men among you, and, I repeat, it is a pleasure 

 to me to advance money to them, on a few days, of 

 course, or recommend them to others, or to give 

 taem assistance in any way. Well, other folks are 

 wanting to know who these square men are, and 

 sometimes the square men ask me if I will please 

 say to somebody that I know them, and know they 

 are square. Well, now, I have been thinking what 

 a nice thing it would be to have a list of the straight 

 ones, and also a list of the crooked ones. Let it in- 

 clude, say, every one among our bee-men who ad- 

 vertises any thing for sale at all. It is not to tell 

 how much a man is worth, alone, but what his hab- 

 its are; for we have those in the ABC class, and in 



their teens, who are more prompt and true than 

 some who are worth their thousands. 



TAKING BEES THAT ARE TO BE BRIMSTONED, TO 

 FEED UP FOR^ WINTER. 



Many are asking if they can take bees that are of- 

 fered as a gift, or at a low price, and build them up 

 now by feeding. Yes, sir, you can do it every time, 

 but you must be about it at once. If this journal 

 reaches you after dark, and you have colonies that 

 are weak in bees, out of stores, and out of brood, 

 give them a feed of something before you go to bed, 

 and then have them taking feed continually, for the 

 next month. It is of the utmost importance that 

 you improve every hour of warm weather. You all 

 know by experience what it is to try to feed during 

 such weather as we had last April. While it is 

 warm with warm nights, feed will do wonders; but 

 you want to have it all over, before it gets to freez- 

 ing. Feed until the combs are full and bulging, and 

 little bits of wax are stuck on top of the frames, and 

 all over the hive. After you get the queen to laying 

 well, do not take out the frames any more until next 

 May. But let them build it all up solid just as they 

 have a mind to. Feed granulated sugar, if you can; 

 if not, coffee A. Cheap yellow sugarwill sometimes 

 answer, but it is very much more apt to cause dys- 

 entery. It will perhaps take 25 lbs. of sugar to feed 

 up a colony thus, having no stores, but it is cheaper 

 to give them the whole 25 lbs. and have them come 

 through strong, than to stop at 15 and lose bees and 

 sugar too. You want to feed until you get them 

 " hiioming." 



SEPARATORS, OR NO SEPARATORS. 



OuK neighbor Shane has had the most of his comb 

 honey made in the combined shipping and honey 

 crate (shown in our price list), without separators. 

 The crate is taken right from the hive, and carried 

 to market, without anj' repacking. The saving of 

 labor by so doing is of course immense; and as his 

 honey is straight enough to bring 24c per lb., whole- 

 sale, it certainly can not be very bad. I believe all 

 hands admit, too, that we get quite a little more 

 honey, when the bees can till the whole case with 

 solid honey, just as they naturally do, without any 

 separators of any kind in the way. The great draw- 

 back is, that you must leave the case on the hive un- 

 til CA-ery section is scaled; or at least it is a great 

 deal more trouble to select the first-capped sections, 

 and get them into a case, without having one sec- 

 tion mash into its neighbor. It seems much a ques- 

 tion of the time the bee-keeper has to devote to the 

 matter. Another thing: you must use separators, 

 if you expect to glass each section. If I am correct, 

 sections glassed are in some disrepute just now, be- 

 cause the public object to paying for glass at the 

 same price of honey. We have sold a great quanti. 

 ty of these cases, to be used without separators, 

 this season, and I would be glad to have reports 

 from them. We have bought tons of tin for sepa- 

 rators. Shall bee-keepers keep on buying them? I 

 once said I did not want any more section honey 

 built without separators; but it was before we got 

 up the case mentioned above. How is it, friends? 

 Let us hear your different experiences. I believe 

 friend Heddon has discarded separators. 



We have to-day, Sept. 2Sth, 4419 subscribers. Our 

 list seems to "stick" this year, when we get above 

 the foyrth thousand. 



