288 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 1 



weather is warm enough; for when bees 

 have become very restless and uneasy in ear- 

 ly spring, admitting the fresh or outside air 

 causes great excitement; and, while they 

 quiet down in time, I believe this excite- 

 ment, if repeated very often, is harder on 

 their vitality, and causes the loss of more 

 bees than to set them out early, 



I have at different times, when it became 

 necessary to cool a cellar by admitting out- 

 side air at night, gone in and remained for 

 some time to note the effect. In some cases 

 it caused such an uproar and disturbance 

 that thousands of bees left the hives and 

 were lost. Where bees have become very 

 restless and uneasy owing to bad air or the 

 warmth of the cellar, I think cold air should 

 be admitted gradually, or more harm than 

 good may be the result afterward in spring 

 dwindling. If bees have become so restless 

 that it is difficult to remove them in the day 

 time without many being lost they can be 

 set out in the evening; though many suppose 

 that, if bees are set out at night, they will 

 fly the next day, no matter what the weath- 

 er is. Such is not the case. They will not 

 fly until the weather is suitable, except a 

 few which would have flown out if they had 

 been left in. But cellar-wintered bees, if 

 removed in the day time, will fly, no matter 

 how cold it is — that is, a large part of them 

 will. I have in previous years removed or 

 set out a good many in the evening, for then 

 when they do fly they do not come out with 

 such a rush, and mix up as they do some- 

 times when large numbers are set out on a 

 warm day. But of late I have removed 

 most of them in the day time, and practiced 

 the plan of smoking each colony as soon 

 as it is removed from the cellar. If this 

 is done, and the entrances contracted, there 

 will be but little if any trouble by mixing 

 up or deserting hives. 



Southern Minnesota. 



HOW CAN WE SECURE' MORE HONEY OF 

 THE BEST QUALITY? 



Alsike Clover vs. Alfalfa. 



BY WM. M'EVOY. 



This is the all-important question, and I 

 am well aware that nearly every one, if he 

 answered, would say, ' ' By increasing and 

 moving the bees to where they can gather 

 honey from clover." This can be done; but 

 with the increase of bees will it not lead to en- 

 croaching on other bee-keepers' rights? It 

 certainly will if the parties moving the bees 

 from place to place don't provide for their 

 share of the pasture. Almost any locality 

 can be made a good one by seeding down 20 

 acres each year for three years with alsike 

 clover. I am going in for increasing, and 

 starting out- apiaries in places where no bees 

 are kept, and will supply enough alsike clo- 

 ver seed to seed down 20 acres each year for 

 three years. It will cost me only about the 

 price of 300 lbs. of extracted honey each 

 year; and for this little outlay I shall be im- 



mensely paid with a fine quality of the best 

 honey. 

 Woodburn, Ont., Can., Feb. 12. 



[When we consider I do not remember 

 that any accurate experiments have ever 

 been made showing what 20 acres of it put 

 in every year for three years would do in 

 keeping an ordinary bee-yard busy. If the 

 suggestion had come from a lesser bee- 

 keeper than yourself I am frank to say I 

 should not have thought very much about 

 it; but inasmuch as you mention the acre- 

 age it occurs to me that you know whereof 

 you speak. Well, now, if there is a possi- 

 bility that the profits of one yard can be 

 very materially increased by the sowing of 

 20 acres of alsike for three consecutive 

 years, we may well try the experiment, for 

 there would not be much risk, because the 

 price of the seed itself, or hay either, for 

 that matter, will pay for the crop even if 

 the bees should get no honey from it. By 

 whatever amount the honey crop might be 

 increased, there would be just that much 

 clear gain. 



I have often gone into localities where 

 bee-keepers claimed they secured almost no 

 honey from white clover, but considerable 

 from alsike. Next to alfalfa, alsike is the 

 great artificial-pasturage plant that a bee- 

 keeper can work at all to advantage. But 

 alfalfa will not grow and yield honey in the 

 East, while alsike will thrive almost any- 

 where in the humid regions or rain-belt of 

 the North, and yield honey. We are almost 

 tempted to put 20 acres near one of our own 

 yards, and get our neighbors to put in as 

 much more as possible.— Ed.] 



IF I WERE TO START ANEW, WHAT 

 STYLE OF FRAMES, SUPERS, AND AP- 

 PLIANCES WOULD I ADOPT? 



The Importance of Having a Hive that will Give 

 a Large Control of SwarmiDg. 



BY R. F. HOLTERMANN, 



[In the Dec. 15th issue of Gleanings we promised to 

 furnish for the current year a series of articles from 

 our best writers on the subject " What Hives and Fix- 

 tures would I Adopt if I were to Start Anew?" We 

 have selected from among our correspondents men of a 

 wide range of experience, some of whom are using 

 standard factory good-?, and some of them special hives 

 of their own design. It is not the purpose of the editor 

 to take any part in this discussion, and he will probably 

 attach no footnotes to any of the articles, leaving each 

 one to stand on its own merits. At the close of thp dis- 

 cussion he may or may not prepare a general summary. 

 The first of the series which we have to offer is from 

 Mr. R. F. HoUermann, of Canada. This will be fol- 

 lowed by others, so that, as the series goes on, the care- 

 ful reader will be able to draw on the experience of 

 some of the best men in our ranks. After Mr. Holter- 

 mann described his hive and system at the National 

 convention in Chicago, the editor of this journal re- 

 quested him to enter into this discussion. The article 

 which he has furnished, though long, is full of interest 

 and valuable hints, for Mr. H. is an extensive as well aa 

 a successful bee-keeper.— Ed.] 



The above question is one which confront- 

 ed me five years ago, I had sold out every 

 thing, and had the rare opportunity to begin 

 anew; and the question was, what to get 



