538 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



stations over the counti'y ai'e all agreed that 

 no good (but generally harm) is done by 

 spraying while the bees are gathering pollen 

 and nectar from the blossoms. Show Mr. 

 Fruitman that, from his otvn standj)oint of 

 fruit production, he can not afford to injure 

 the blossoms when the organs are in such a 

 delicate state. 



This is an old matter that we have to 

 bring up every year; and where there are no 

 laws against spraying in blooming time our 

 friends will have to use moral suasion, and 

 such suasion should be reinforced with five 

 or ten pounds of choice honey. The strong- 

 est argument that a bee-man can use is to 

 " sweeten " his neighbor into being good. 



MAETEELINCK NOT AN AUTHORITY ON API- 

 CULTURE. 



The editor of the Pacific Rural Press asks 

 the question, "Can it be possible the great 

 Maurice Maeterlinck has made a mistake?" 

 He refers to the statement in Harper''s Mag- 

 azine for March, in which he states, " Trans- 

 ported to Australia or California, our black 

 bee completely alters her habits. After one 

 or two years, finding that summer is perpet- 

 ual, and flowers for ever abundant, she will 

 live from day to day, content to gather the 

 honey and pollen indispensable for the day's 

 consumption, and, her recent and thoughtful 

 observation triumphing over hereditary ex- 

 perience, she will cease to make provision 

 for her winter." 



All we need to say is, Maeterlinck is some- 

 what of a romancer when he writes about 

 bees; that is to say, he indulges in a good deal 

 of poetic license at times. His book on bees, 

 from a literary standpoint, is unsurpassed, 

 and is worth reading; but the author does 

 not claim to be a practical authority. 



Another writer, who posed for a long time 

 as an authority on bees, is Sir John Lub- 

 bock (now Lord Avebury), when, as a mat- 

 ter of fact, his knowledge of bees was very 

 small — not equal to that of most bee-keepers. 



TOO MUCH RAIN IN CALIFORNIA; HONEY 

 CROP THERE PUT IN JEOPARDY. 



The following, from a correspondent in 

 Central California, would seem to indicate 

 that what promised, earlier in the season, to 

 insure a honey crop (the rains), may prove 

 too much of a good thing, and ruin all 

 chances. California may not, therefore, be 

 able to send any honey eastward after all; 

 if so, the markets will be firmer. Here is 

 the letter: 



It is still raining in Central California, where there 

 are unprecedented floods and Inundations, and stop- 

 page of traffic in many places. Generally over Cali- 

 fornia this has been the heaviest winter the State 

 has had in forty years. No one can predict at pres- 

 ent what the ultimate effect will be of such a long 

 rainy season. All lines of agriculture are demoral- 

 ized, and a complete change must be made in crop- 

 ping. Lands that should now be producing are either 

 completely under water or are too wet even to seed. 

 The apiarist in many localities is similarly upset in 

 all his bee-work. Where nectar should be coming in, 

 it is simply being washed away by continuous rains. 



Around San Francisco we have had but a day or two 

 of sunshine at a time for three months. Snow has 

 fallen here once — aoout a year ago — a very rare occur- 

 rence. The honey crop will certainly be a light one. 



In the southern (or dry) counties it may prove to be 

 a record year yet. but all depends on the weather a 

 when the flowers are in full bloom. In the central " 

 counties, or those around San Francisco Bay, we pre- 

 dict a late and very small flow of honey. 



San Francisco, Cal., March 25. Sojourner. 



CAN COMBS ON WHICH BEES HAVE DIED 



DURING WINTER BE GIVEN TO HEALTHY 



BEES IN THE SPRING? 



Every year about this time a good many 

 inquire whether it would be safe to put live 

 bees on combs from which bees have died. 

 We should have no hesitation whatever if 

 they are not badly soiled with dysentery 

 stains; and there would be no danger even 

 then after settled warm weather comes on. 

 Even if the stores were so inferior as to be 

 responsible for the death of the colony dur- 

 ing winter, such stores would probably do 

 no harm to bees that are permitted to have 

 a flight one or two days in a week in early 

 spring. Combs very badly soiled with dys- 

 entery should be set aside and not used un- 

 til the bees can fly every day; and even then 

 we would not give more than one to a colony 

 at a time. If they are well sealed and badly 

 spotted with dysentery, a bee-brush dipped 

 in water should be used to clean them up 

 before giving them to the bees. 



MALTED HONEY. 



We have been favored with a jar of malt- 

 ed honey put up by Dr. Hamilton T. Mason, 

 of Wenonah, N. J., evidently with a view to 

 getting our opinion of its merits. Some, 

 perhaps, would not care for it, as the malt 

 gives it a sort of burnt flavor which is not 

 appreciated by most lovers of good honey; 

 and it is an' open question with us whether 

 any thing can be done to improve honey in 

 any way. But it is well known that honey 

 does not agree with every person, particu- 

 larly with some whose digestion is so poor 

 that food sours or ferments in their stomach. 

 We know the digestion of food is promoted 

 by cei'tain enzymes, or ferments; and the 

 addition of malt to a food is supposed to 

 take the place of these in weak stomachs 

 where the proper ferment is not present, and 

 because of the lack of which an uncomforta- 

 ble and oppressive feeling after eating is ex- 

 perienced. Our strenuous, exciting mode of 

 life produces many cases of this sort, and for 

 them malted honey may prove a blessing. 



It may be observed the consumption of 

 malted lioney will lead to the partaking of 

 ordinary honey, and at present malted foods 

 are quite fashionable. Malting the honey, 

 by the way, is a preventive of granulation, 

 and this feature may be valuable. 



It should be understood that malt itself is 

 not an alcohol, and its use to change certain 

 foods to make them more easily assimilated 

 in no way induces alcoholism, although the 

 fei'ment may be used, as in the manufacture 

 of beer, to make an intoxicating drink. The 



