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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



all localities with all bee-keepers, yet it will 

 cost nothing to carry out tfta plan, for the 

 bee-keeper will not have to change his hives 

 or plans one iota; and right here is where 

 the value of the system lies. If it should 

 fail to work, there will be no extra cost for 

 outlay for the plan; but if it does work, he 

 will be immensely ahead. We hope to pub- 

 lish each article in time so that the method 

 can be put into effect this season. 



THE EDITOR TO BE PRESENT AT THE PENN- 

 SYLVANIA STATE CONVENTION. 



I EXPECT to be present at the Pennsylvania 

 State Bee-keepers' convention, at State Col- 

 lege, Center Co., Pa., on the 29th and 30th 

 of this month. I have never yet had the 

 pleasure of attending a meeting of the Penn- 

 sylvania bee-keepers, and it will, therefore, 

 give me great pleasure to meet our friends 

 there. 



A 9|-LB. SWARM IN MARCH. 



Udo Toepperwein, one of the leading 

 bee-keepers of Texas, writes us that he had 

 a 9^-lb. swarm a few days ago in the form 

 of a baby boy. He reports that both moth- 

 er and boy are doing well. Although this 

 swarm was a 9^ pounder, yet it was a sec- 

 ond swarm; for, be it known, Mr. Toepper- 

 wein is the proud papa of two boys. Glean- 

 ings extends its congratulations and best 

 wishes. 



By the way, that last swarm in Rootville 

 is prospering finely. The youngster is a 

 genuine little A. I. Root, although we are 

 not permitted to call him by that name. 

 Many a time when I go home tired and per- 

 haps somewhat cross, "that tired feeling" 

 is banished utterly by a smile that will not 

 come off— from the small boy. 



MOVING bees SHORT DISTANCES. 



We are often asked how to move bees a 

 short distance, say from front to back yard, 

 or to some other point within a quarter of a 

 mile if more desirable. As is well known, 

 it is difficult to move bees such short distances 

 in midsummer without a considerable loss 

 of the old flying bees that go back to their 

 old location. In the case of cellar-wintered 

 bees, when they are first set out and before 

 they fly they can be placed anywhere after 

 their long winter's sleep or confinement; 

 and right now is the best time of all the 

 year. When the winters have not been too 

 mild, outdoor bees can be similarly moved. 

 It all depends, of course, on whether they 

 have had a flight within six weeks or two 

 months. 



A GOVERNMENT BULLETIN ON QUEEN-REAR- 

 ING. 



The United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, Bureau of Entomology, has issued 

 Bulletin 55, entitled "Rearing Queen- bees," 

 by E. F. Phillips, Ph.D., Expert Apicultu- 

 rist at the government apiaries. It contains 

 30 pages of matter, detailing some of the 

 best methods of rearing queens, particularly 

 those adapted to the average bee-keeper. 

 Dr. Phillips has selected the best methods 



and practices from several of the best breed- 

 ers in the country, including those of Swarth- 

 more. The work is clearly and concisely 

 written, and is one of the best if not the 

 best short treatise on queen-rearing that has 

 ever been issued. 



Dr. Phillips spent a part of two seasons 

 at Medina doing some scientific investigation 

 work. Durmg that time he could not but 

 become familiar with all our methods, and, 

 what was more, he taught us a number of 

 new tricks of the trade as he had gleaned 

 them from Swarthmore. 



Since Mr. Benton's absence he has had en- 

 tire charge of the queen- rearing work at the 

 government yards; and this, together with 

 his scientific training, makes him eminently 

 fitted to prepare the woik he has. 



OUR $1000 REWARD OFFER FOR SO-CALLED 

 MANUFACTURED COMB HONEY. 



This offer, originally offered some 17 years 

 ago, and broadly advertised through all the 

 bee papers, and many of the magazines and 

 newspapers, is still good. In all these 17 

 years no one has attempted to take up with 

 these conditions of the reward except one 

 party. He sent us a sample of what appear- 

 ed to be a cake of paraffine with boles melt- 

 ed or bored in it. These he filled with glu- 

 cose, then smeared over the top a thin film 

 of frosting sugar. When we received it we 

 did not know what it was— neither would 

 any one else. Of course, such a specimen 

 did not fulfill the conditions of the offer. It 

 required that the bogus article should have 

 some semblance to the genuine product from 

 the hive. 



We will cheerfully mail cards containing 

 the conditions of our offer, just as we have 

 been doing for 17 years, to any one; and 

 those conditions are not exacting except 

 that they require that the manufactured 

 article shall be so nearly perfect as to de- 

 ceive the ordinary purchaser. A bungling 

 imitation that will fool nobody can not be 

 offered as proof that there is such a thing 

 as manufactured comb honey on the market. 



the HEPBURN PURE FOOD BILL PASSED BY 

 THE SENATE. 



The unexpected has happened. Year after 

 year the lower House has passed a pure- food 

 law; but when a measure of that kind reach- 

 ed the Senate it would either be killed in 

 committee or by a direct vote on the floor. 

 That this august body should now pass a 

 good pure-food bill almost unanimously is a 

 matter of no little surprise. The measure 

 has not yet become a law, because it will 

 have to go to the House and afterward re- 

 ceive the signature of the President. While 

 it is presumed, of course, that the lower 

 body will pass it, it may amend it, so we 

 would request our subscribers to write to 

 their Representatives, asking them to sup- 

 port the Hepburn pure- food bill as passed Dy 

 the Senate, without amendment. If amend- 

 ed it will have to go back to the Senate where 

 it may be killed. Perhaps it will be well to 



