1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



869 



pects, but the average per colony thus far 

 secured. Confine your statements to one or 

 two sentences on a postal card. 



THE DOOLITTLE METHOD OF CONTROLLING 

 SWARMS. 



The following, from Mr. F. A. Salisbury, 

 will be self-explanatory: 



To-day I have shaken bees out o la Doolittle on two 

 colonies on the Doolittle plan of non-swarming. They 

 are good colonies. If they do not swarm out from the 

 solid combs of honey I expect to get good results. 



Syracuse, N. Y., June 21. F. A. Salisbury. 



WHAT SHALL THE HARVEST BE? 



Conditions have not materially modified 

 since our report in the last issue, page 794. 

 Southern California, with the exception of 

 San Diego Co., will fall far short of the ex- 

 pected crop. No definite reports are in yet 

 for the central parts of the State, but it will 

 probably have its usual quota of honey. 



Indications are still rather unfavorable 

 for Texas and Colorado. The conditions a 

 hundred miles each side of the Mississippi 

 have not been favorable— too much drouth 

 and cold; Missouri and Nebraska, however, 

 send in all kinds of reports— good, bad, and 

 indifferent. Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa have 

 been having too much drouth and cold; but 

 recent rains make it possible for portions of 

 those States to do better than was at first 

 expected. 



Wisconsin and Minnesota, at the present 

 writing, are so much later with their honey- 

 flows that the recent rains may enable them 

 to secure their usual amount of honey. 



Michigan, likewise, sends in all kinds of 

 reports. In some ports of the State it is 

 reported there has been the largest yield of 

 honey ever known; and in other portions 

 there is fear that there will be no crop. 



Ohio is in the doubtful list. The recent 

 rains are toning things up very much. 



The entire Eastern States, especially the 

 southeast, send in generally favorable re- 

 ports, although a number of bee-keepers 

 from all these coast States have reported 

 no crop and no prospect of any. 



Pennsylvania seems to come to the fore- 

 front with a generally favorable report; 

 then follows New York and the New Eng- 

 land States. While the East has been ju- 

 bilant over the prospects, and honey already 

 secured, the final returns may show a con- 

 siderably reduced average. 



The estimate above given is based on our 

 branch office and agency reports, and on the 

 individual reports of bee-keepers, which 

 confirm very largely the statements already 

 made by our men in the field. As these 

 postal- card reports help us to supplement 

 our own findings, we shall be glad to have 

 our subscribers continue to send them in 

 from now on. Please report not only pros- 



A SEQUEL TO MY CHICKEN STORY. 



Some time ago, when Mr. Frank McGlade 

 showed by some cartoons and some refer- 

 ences to his own experience that the chicken 

 business was a poor one in comparison with 

 that of bees, we received so many protests 

 to the effect that our correspondent was not 

 fair to the American hen, I immediately em- 

 barked in the chicken business, and bought 

 an incubator and brooder. 



In addition to what I have already stated 

 I may say I got a hatch of 47 out of 130 

 eggs. I put the 47 chicks in a brooder, and 

 lost from two to three a day, until I had on- 

 ly four survivors that seem to be none the 

 worse for the experience. They are about 

 half grown now, and seem to respect their 

 foster parents (my wife and I) as well as 

 any chickens ever loved the old mother hen. 



Josh Billings said experience teaches a 

 dear school, but the tuition is rather high. 

 If Josh had in mind the chicken business he 

 hits my case to a dot. At all events I think 

 I have learned where my trouble is, and 

 propose to repeat the experiment just for 

 the satisfaction of knowing that I can mas- 

 ter the situation, and that I can hatch chick- 

 ens, and raise them in brooders if other peo- 

 ple can, as I know they do. A. I. R. said 

 that the old hen was the best hatcher and 

 brooder ever invented. * After my hatcher 

 and brooder experience we (wife and I) put 

 a setting under an old hen. Results, rats 

 stole some of the eggs; hen smashed some, 

 and now she has deserted the nest. 



OUR BASSWOOD PLANTATION UP TO THE PRES- 

 ENT DATE. 



I MIGHT explain to our newer readers, that 

 34 years ago I got the basswood fever and 

 planted ten acres to basswoods taken up 

 from the forest. Some of the trees are now 

 a foot in diameter, and most of them are 

 bearing blossoms more or less. As they 

 bloom at different times we shall have three 

 or four weeks of basswood honey. The first 

 blossoms will be open about July 1. An 

 electric-car line now rims just on the edge 

 of this apiary and also right in front of our 

 factory, thus making it very convenient. 



The twin nucleus hives that I spoke of on 

 page 718 are located in this apiary. Well, 

 this morning, June 22, Ernest and I looked 

 over things there. Mr. Pritchard, who has 

 charge of the apiary, showed us a single col- 

 ony of bees that had been given 72 cell cups, 

 and they had accepted and were finishing 

 out in fine style 69 of the 72. This might 



* Ernest is not quite fair. My remarks were intend- 

 ed mainly for the month of June, and especially for 

 his particular experiments. I would not think of say- 

 ing a word against incubators and brooders in the 

 hands of an expert or one who makes it a business. 

 Ernest has too many grave responsibilities on his hands, 

 not only every day, but almost every hour in the day, 

 to think of managing an incubator or even a sitting 

 hen successfully. 



