1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



nil 



below, where the old ciueen was laying. In every 

 case the old queen was found dead within twelve 

 hours. So, too, the same thing happens when a queen 

 returning from her mating-fiight goes into the wrong 

 hive, and, just as you say, there is not one chance in 

 a hundred that the intruder will not be accepted. 

 But it is quite different when a strange queen is let 

 into the hive. She is not allowed, in nine cases out 

 of ten, to get a chance at the reigning queen, but is 

 promptly balled. The reason for this should be ap- 

 parent to any posted bee-keeper. Lately I have been 

 requeening by placing the cell-starting board over 

 colonies, and then introducing virgins to a weak nu- 

 cleus above; and, as soon as they were mated, remove 

 the zinc and let them go below. It has proven a sure 

 shot every time so far. 



I also note you want reports on the building of burr 

 and brace combs between the tops of bars % and 

 thinner. With 30<K) % top-bars in use I never see a 

 burr or brace comb. I have often been puzzled to 

 account for such complaints as, bees will not go up 

 into supers, or they build burr and brace combs, etc. 

 I can not but feel that something is wrong with bees, 

 man, or hive, when these conditions prevail. 



Vigo, Texas, Aug. 15. J. E. Chambers. 



GETTING THE BIG RAILROADS TO REFRAIN 



FROM CUTTING SWEET CLOVER WHILE 



IN BLOOM ALONG THEIR TRACKS. 



The Southwesteru Ohio and Hamilton Co. 

 Bee-keepers' Association appears to be an or- 

 ganization that is very much alive. It has 

 not only been active in legislation in matters 

 relating to the subject of foul brood in Ohio, 

 hut it started out on a course of action that 

 should meet the hearty approval of bee-keep- 

 ers everywhere. Last year this organization 

 requested all the railroad companies whose 

 lines run into Cincinnati and vicinity to re- 

 frain from cutting down sweet clover during 

 the time of bloom. Strangely enough, a ma- 

 jority of the companies complied with the 

 request, with the result stated — "a great 

 gain to bee-keepei's " along those railroads. 



This is a move that may well be imitated 

 l)y other organizations. If the great railroad 

 i-orporations can be swayed by a compara- 

 tively small number of bee-keepers in one 

 locality, those same corporations would be 

 equally willing to heed the request of organ- 

 ized bee-keepers in other places. 



The Southwestern is now preparing to 

 stir up a sentiment among bee-keepers in 

 favor of an anti-spraying law in Ohio (at 

 least not spraying while the trees ax'e in 

 l)loom). It is, perhaps, not generally known 

 that there is no such law in Ohio, and the 

 bee-keepers of Cincinnati are very anxious 

 that such a measure shall be put on the stat- 

 utes-books of this State. They urge the co- 

 operation of bee-keepers all over the State. 



honey to allay the sourness anl> bit- 

 terne.ss of this world. 

 Doubtless among oitr readers are many 

 who admire Nathaniel Hawthorne; but prol> 

 ably very few of them are awai'e that he 

 ever had any thing to say on bees. Our ad- 

 vertising man, glancing through a volume of 

 Hawthorne the other day. came across a 

 gem which he thought so good that it ought 

 to be placed before the bee-keepers of the 

 «'ountry. The sentiment is so lieautiful that 

 we all can read it with profit. Here it is, 

 right from the pen of Hawthorne: 



Multitudes of bees used to bury themselves in the 

 yellow blossoms of the summer squashes. This, too, 

 was a deep satisfaction, although, when they had laden 

 themselves with sweets, they flew away to some un- 

 known hive which would give back nothing in requital 

 of what my garden had contributed. But I was glad 

 thus to fling a benediction upon the passing breeze, 

 with the certainty that somebody must profit by it. 

 and that there would be a little more honey in the 

 world to allay the sourness and bitterness which man- 

 kind is always complaining of. Yes, indeed! my life 

 was the sweeter for that honey. 



Pity that some of the western ranchmen 

 who complain because their neighbors' bees 

 gather the nectar from their alfalfa-blossoms 

 could not look at the matter in the same 

 broad and liberal manner. Pity, too, that 

 there is some sourness in this world that even 

 honey won't sweeten. 



Yes, the bee, every time it appropriates a 

 sip of nectar, gives back something in re- 

 quital that it takes from the garden. It per- 

 forms a service (cross -fertilization) that is 

 often vital to the perfect growth of the fruit. 

 If this were not so, nature would not have 

 put the nectar there to entice the bee. 



THE USE of CONCRETE IN THE CONSTRUC- 

 TION OF BEE-CELLARS. 



Mr. Hutchinson, in the last issue of the 

 Bee-keepers' Eeview, discusses the question 

 of building I)ee-cellars and how best to do it. 

 A good deal will depend on the locality and 

 the cost of building-material; but in sandy 

 soils, by all odds the cheapest way is to mi.\ 

 Portland cement with the sand, 'and some 

 broken stone or gravel if it can lie obtained. 

 If sand only is available, mix the Portland 

 cement and sand in the proportion of any- 

 where from one to five to one to eight. Do 

 the mixing dry; then turn on the water, and 

 mix thoroughly again. Pour this into a 

 trench or a wooden form. 



I expect to illustrate the full process of 

 making concrete walls on a plan that any 

 one can follow, in an early issue of Glean- 

 ings, for we are now putting up a concrete 

 building, and have gained some experience 

 in this line of work. 



FALL FLOWS OF HONEY. 



In our own immediate vicinity, in differ- 

 ent yards the bees on certain days have been 

 working on red clover or smartweed as 

 heavily as any day in June or July on white 

 clover. At one yard the honey seems to be 

 almost exclusively from second growth of 

 red clover. At another yard, where there is 

 no red clover, but along' near the river, is a 

 very luxuriant growth of swartweed. Some 

 days this yields honey quite heavily. 



It is m'any years 'since I reme'mber anv 

 honey from smartweed in this locality: bu't 

 nearly every year we get a little honey from 

 a second growth of red clover in the vicinity 

 of the yards where it grows. Our neighbor, 

 Mr. Vernon Burt, who has been educating 

 the farmers in his locality for yeai's on the 

 value of clover crops, gets q'uite a little 

 honey from second-crop red clover, for much 

 of it is grown near him. 



