1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



565 



KNOWING TOO MUCH. 



. "What's the use of knowing so much, 

 when so much you know ain't so?" remark- 

 ed Josh Billings. Perhaps we might vary 

 the question a little by asking," What's the 

 use of telling so much, when so much you 

 tell ain't so?" Possibly this thought has 

 come to the subscribers of bee-papers after 

 testing some things recommended by editors 

 and correspondents alike. 



VENTILATION AND DRYNESS FOR BEE- 

 CELLARS. 



The reports are coming in now at a fairly 

 good rate, proving the value of dryness and 

 pure air, and lots of it, for indoor winter re- 

 positories, especially where there is very 

 much variation in temperature. Mr. J. E. 

 Hand, of Birmingham, 0. , who has just had 

 a very satisfactory experience in his house 

 cellar, says : ' ' Put me down for a warm dry 

 cellar with abundant ventilation." 



THE ALEXANDER ARTICLES IN BOOK FORM. 



Several suggestions have come in of late 

 to the effect that we have the entire series 

 of Alexander articles put into book form. 

 We should hke to have postal- card votes on 

 this point, from our subscribers. If we can 

 have a sufficient call we will have them put 

 into permanent form for easy reference on 

 your library shelves. Some of our subscrib- 

 ers have said that some single articles from 

 Mr. Alexander have saved them the price of 

 a year's subscription to Gleanings many 

 times over. 



uniting weak COLONIES WITH STRONG ONES 

 A LA ALEXANDER. 



We have received quite a number of fa- 

 vorable reports indorsing the Alexander 

 method of uniting a weak colony, with its 

 queen, to a strong colony with its queen. 

 Among the number is Mr. J. E. Hand, of 

 Birmingham, Ohio— a practical bee-keeper 

 who writes as follows: 



I heartily indorse what Mr. Alexander says, p. 354, 

 about uniting weak colonies with strong ones, preserv- 

 ing both queens. It simply means one strong colony 

 with two laying queens. It does away entirely witli 

 all weak colonies in the spring— no robbing out of weak 

 colonies. It is a system for which my shallow sectional 

 brood-chambers are especially adapted. I had 40 colo- 

 nies last spring, with two queens in each, laying right 

 along, and they built up very rapidly. J. E. Hand. 



Birmingham, Ohio. 



TWO QUEENS TO A HIVE FOR REARING BROOD. 



Mr. E. W. Alexander, in our last issue, 

 and Mr. A K. Ferris, in this number, both 

 describe two different methods for getting a 

 large amount of brood by combining the 

 forces of two colonies and the egg- laying 

 capacity of two queens all in one big colony. 

 That is to say, they both utilize, by two en- 

 tirely different methods, the heat of two 

 clusters and the capacity of two queens in 

 such a way as to secure powerful colonies 

 for the harvest when it comes on. Both of 

 these methods should receive the thoughtful 

 consideration of our subscribers. We should 

 be pleased to have reports later on. 



DEATH OF J. M. HAMBAUGH. 



We are very sorry to announce the death 

 of J. M. Hambaugh, late a director of the 

 National Bee-keepers' Association, as a re-- 

 suit of cancer on the neck. 



Mr. Hambaugh was the inventor of the- 

 Hambaugh roller for fastening foundation 

 to the top-bar, and a user and an admirer of 

 the Dadant-Quinby hive. He was for two 

 terms Representative in the Illinois legisla- 

 ture, during which time he left the strong 

 impress of his personality on the records 

 of that body. He was quite extensively en- 

 gaged in bee-keeping, being an old neighbor 

 of the Dadants. Ill health caused him to 

 migrate to California, where he has resided 

 for the last ten years. 



He was a man of marked ability, success- 

 ful as a bee-keeper, and influential in every 

 circle in which he moved. The bee-keeping 

 fraternity will miss a strong man by his 

 death. 



CONVENTION AND OTHER MATTER CROWDED 

 OUT AND AWAITING PUBLICATION. 



Notwithstanding our journal has been 

 nearly doubled in size by additional matter, 

 we have on hand enough good material to 

 fill up three or four issues. It begins to 

 look as if we should have to get out one or 

 two double numbers. These will be larger 

 than any thing we have ever gotten out be- 

 fore. Owing to this congestion we have not 

 been able to publish a lot of good matter 

 for weeks and sometimes months after it 

 has been sent in. The Hershiser and Dr, 

 Miller articles in this issue bear evidence on 

 this point. 



For a like reason we have not been able 

 to publish any convention matter, notwith- 

 standing the editor and his assistant have 

 taken notes at the late meetings in the ex- 

 pectation of placing them in these columns. 

 But in justice to writers who sent in com- 

 munications several months ago, we consider 

 it our duty to give place to these, rather 

 than to some new editorial matter gathered 

 by our editorial staff. It will only be possi- 

 ble to say that the Pennsylvania State and 

 Northern Michigan conventions were not on- 

 ly enthusiastic but successful meetings. At 

 some later time we may be able to give a 

 resume of some valuable papers and talks. 

 As it is we have had on hand a full report 

 of one convention for months, and at this 

 rate it may never be published. 



outdoor feeding. 

 Those interested in this subject will do 

 well to read carefully what Louis Scholl, of 

 Texas, has to say on this subject in the last 

 issue, p. 493. The feeder described seems to 

 be so arranged that bees will not have an 

 opportunity to struggle against each other, 

 otherwise they will wear themselves out pre- 

 maturely in "scrapping" over the feed. 

 The feeder recommended by Mr. Scholl is 16 

 feet long. This would make, approximately, 

 a line of bees 33 feet long by about one inch 

 wide. It will take a large number of bees to 



