1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



473 



honey is 35 cts. per lb.; and at Montreux, 

 Switzerland, the price of honey is actually 

 60 cts. per lb. He says the latter is for a 

 very fine honey which is rare, and eagerly 

 sought for by purchasers. We should like 

 to know something about this honey — what 

 dower does it come from? 



Some time ago the French held an inter- 

 esting exhibition of colonial productions at 

 Marseilles, with a view to showing what the 

 different colonies could do; and one of the 

 most interesting features was the exhibits of 

 honey and wax. French Indo-China did not 

 exhibit much; but Madagascar and Reunion 

 did, as bee-keeping in both islands is inter- 

 esting. The great colony of Algeria did not 

 seem to do much: but Tunis made an excel- 

 lent exhibit, and carried away several gold 

 and silver medals. We do not usually con- 

 sider Tunis much of a bee country; but it is, 

 and practically all of Africa is a sort of bee- 

 keepers' paradise — no "wintering troubles" 

 there. 



The French paper. Journal (V Agrhmlttirc 

 Trojncale, has an article on the culture of 

 suntiowers, in its January issue, which is 

 worth reading. No one seems to make a 

 success of cultivating suntiowers but the 

 Russians, who, in the government of Sara- 

 toff, cultivate it in large quantities profit- 

 ably. It is also cultivated to some extent in 

 Bokhara. It is said the amount of oil se- 

 cured from it there averages 21 per cent, 

 but that is from varieties specially selected 

 for the production of oil. The residue is, 

 of course, valuable for feed or fertilizer, just 

 as cotton-seed meal is. Where the condi- 

 tions are favorable the sunflower is popular 

 with the bees. If there is any place where 

 sunflower culture will ever prove a success 

 in this country it is Kansas. The article 

 mentioned states that the yield of seed is 

 greatly increased by applying a dressing of 

 nitrate of soda. Probably the only reason 

 sunHower culture does not succeed in this 

 country is because we do not have time to 

 study its peculiarities and culture. 



In UAjncidteur for January a bee-keeper 

 living in Tunis raises the question for scien- 

 tists to answer: " What is granulated hon- 

 ey? " He thinks its analysis is somewhat 

 different from that of licjuid honey, and he 

 instances the fact that old honey is different 

 from new honey by chemical analysis. This 

 matter will probably come up before the 

 National Pure-food Commission sooner or 

 later. One thing we are sure of, only a 

 part of the honey really granulates: the oth- 

 er is frozen or held in suspension by the 

 Granules. Slowly melt a quantity of solid 

 oney, and the dextrose and levulose can be 

 separated very readily. The latter I'uns 

 away from the dextrose, which is in the 

 form of finely granulated sugar. The writer 

 of the note has evidently studied honey 

 somewhat, for he states that honey two or 



three years old has lost all its sucrose (cane 

 sugar) by invei'sion. He evidently thinks 

 fi'eezing or granulation causes a similar 

 change; but, does it? 



.£> 



Ij'^Ajiiculteur remarks "Hum" to the as- 

 sertion that the Arab race of men are famous 

 for their vigorous physique, and that they 

 prefer honey as a sweet in their food. As a 

 matter of fact, the Turks, Arabs, and Syri- 

 ans are splendid specimens, iuany of them," 

 in rugged physical ability. In the Southern 

 States, Cuba, Haiti, San Domingo, Jamaica, 

 and elsewhere they may be seen carrying 

 heaty loads all day long beneath a broiling 

 sun, and that, too, in a moist atmosphere. 

 They eat but little meat, and seem to prefer 

 bread, dried fruits, sugar, honey, and simi- 

 lar foods. It has been proven, also, in Eu- 

 ropean army maneuvers, that sugar is an ex- 

 cellent food for soldiers on the march in 

 heavy marching order. This is contrary to 

 general opinion, and even to the teachings 

 of science. Honey is even better, as it re- 

 quires practically no digestion, and is taken 

 up rapidly by the human system. Honey 

 leaves practically no residue, and therefore 

 the stomach, spleen, kidneys, and liver are 

 untaxed? Do you see the point? 



LAYING QUEENS. 



Is it Practical to Have Two or 3Iore in One 

 Colony During the Summer Season ? 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



[If a besrinner or some old bee-keeper unknown 

 were to write along the lines in the subjoined article 

 the average apicultural editor would be inclined to 

 turn it down and say that such writer had, perhaps, 

 better get a little more experience before wading out 

 so far into deep water. But Mr. Alexander is no 

 novice in the honey business. His annual crops go 

 up into the carloads, and his experience covers a life- 

 time. He has given us a great many valuable hints. 

 We hope, therefore, that the reader will not be ready 

 to exclaim " Impossible! absurdi nonsensel" 



If our correspondent had .said any thing about per- 

 forated zinc separating each laying queen from every 

 other one in a separate hive-body or hive-section, the 

 scheme would not seem to be such a departure from 

 common knowledge and practice. Perhaps he does 

 use it; if so he does not say so. But even a plurality 

 of queens separated by zinc in two or more hives has 

 proved to be a failure with some. As it is, we hope 

 our correspondent will not drop the matter right 

 where it is, but go more into details; for most of us 

 have come to believe that is impracticable to have 

 more than one queen in a hive except in a few in- 

 stances where Nature apparently is departing from 

 her usual rule and allows mother and daughter to 

 work under the same roof. 



If any other correspondent has succeeded along these 

 lines of plurality of queens in one hive, without zinc 



