758 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



BEtKEtPINO IN THE SOLTHWESt 



BY LOUIS H.SCHOll.COlLECE STATION TEXAS 



Provide water for your bees so that they 

 will not bother your neighbors. It is very 

 annoying to the neighbors to be bothered by 

 your bees, especially where they "water" 

 at the stock-troughs and bother stock. A 

 little attention to this matter will save you 

 trouble and friends. 



Starvation during last winter and spring 

 is the cause of a short honey crop in many 

 localities this year. Carelessness on the 

 part of the bee-keepers left many strong 

 colonies short of stores. The season opened 

 too wet to enable the bees to gather new 

 stores; and, later, the sudden dry weather 

 cut off the bloom. The bee-keeper who 

 helped his colonies came out ahead in the 

 deal. Another example has been set; but 

 how many of these same bee-keepers will 

 take heed? 



At a meeting of the Business Men's Club, 

 of San Antonio, the date was set for the 

 next annual meeting of the National Bee- 

 keepers' Association. The date is Oct. 28 

 to Nov. I. This will be during the time of 

 the International Fair, and the Fair Associ- 

 ation has designated Oct. 28 as "Bee-keep- 

 ers' Day" at the fair. Flans are being 

 made to make exhibits of hives, honey, bees- 

 wax, and all sorts of things of interest to 

 bee-keepers. In addition to an interesting 

 convention it is proposed to entertain the 

 delegates in San Antonio manner, and take 

 them to visit the great bee county, Uvalde. 



Basswood yielded heavily in some parts of 

 East Texas this season, but the flow was ac- 

 companied by heavy and continued rains. 

 The nectar, as it came into the hives, was 

 the "thinnest and most watery" the bee- 

 keepers there had ever seen. Horsemint 

 was also in bloom, and yielded heavily at 

 the same time, and it, too, was watery. 

 The weather remained damp and cool, and 

 ' ' the honey acted in the combs and swelled 

 out the cappings until they burst. That 

 which was extracted after it was all sealed 

 over and ripe (?) in the combs could not be 

 kept secured, even in strong iron-hooped 

 barrels. ' ' 



The Texas Bee-keepers' Association meets 

 in annual session July 25, 26, 27, at the Ag- 

 ricultural and Mechanical College, at Col- 

 lege Station, during the time of the meet- 

 ing of the Texas Farmers' Congress. The 

 meeting promises to be a good one. The 

 number of de'egates to the congress is in- 

 creasing every year. From 250 delegates at 



the first session several years ago, it grew 

 to over 1200 last year. Cheap excursion 

 rates over the railroads should bring many 

 bee-keepers together. A good program has 

 been made out. One of the addresses will 

 be entitled " The Duties of each Member of 

 this Association when the National Associa- 

 tion meets in San Antonio next October." 



For many years there has not been a 

 rainy spell in the summer, such as we are 

 having this month. The rainfall since June 

 21 up to to-day, the 27th, has been 13J in., 

 and it is still showering. The rain was bad- 

 ly needed. The severe drouth of several 

 weeks has been broken, and prospects are 

 much better. The season was too wet at 

 first and too dry later, when the drouth set 

 in. In consequence very little honey was 

 made except in a very few favored locali- 

 ties. The rain is too late for the earlier 

 yielders; but cotton is yielding now, and a 

 fall flow may be expected in some localities. 

 On the whole, however, the Texas honey 

 crop will be short. 



SLEEPLESSNESS AND HONEY. 



Honey for sleeplessness I have found to be 

 very helpful. It acts much as a soothing- 

 syrup does. Many times, when I was still 

 at home and it was impossible for me to go 

 to sleep, I would get up after tossing about 

 for several hours late into the night, and 

 take a spoonful of honey. Many times I 

 would grope my way down stairs in the 

 dark to get it, and the " medicine " was ef- 

 fective. I have made it a practice, wher- 

 ever I could do so, to finish my supper with 

 some honey, and sweet milk if I can get it, 

 as I am very fond of these. To persons who 

 are troubled with sleeplessness I have rec- 

 ommended a light supper of bread, honey, 

 and milk. When granulated honey can be . 

 had it is simply used as is sugar. In my 1 

 boyhood days I used to think there was 1 

 nothing nicer than a tumbler of rich sweet 

 milk into which bread was broken, and this 

 sweetened with a "great big" spoonful of 

 well-flavored granulated honey. Such a dish 

 is relished even now, and it "comes in " to 

 "make out " my supper quite often. 

 /sr 



FOUL-BROOD WORK IN TEXAS. 



Two years ago a foul-brood law was pass- 

 ed by the legislature of Texas, but no ap- 

 propriation for carrying out the work was 

 made. A copy of this law was given in May 

 1st Gleanings. Through the urgent re- 

 quests and agitation on the part of the bee- 

 keepers, with the help of others in securing 

 a sufficient appropriation, the legislature at 

 its last session this spring provided for a 

 sum of $800 per year for two years, to be 

 used for the work of foul brood and other 

 contagious diseases of bees. This fund will 

 not become available until September 1 of 

 this year; but preparations for the work are 

 already being made here in the Department 

 of Entomology, where the work will be un- 



