GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



even after the available supply has been ex- 

 hausted. This has actually happened more 

 than once and the mistake should not be re- 

 peated. 



Better by far give the actual conditions, for 

 this has a tendency to steady the market. It 

 should be remembered that a steady market 

 with a slight uiiward tendency is far more to 

 be desired than one that jumps up sudden- 

 ly and then begins to fall, fall, fall, until a 

 low level is reached. No amount of bull- 

 ing the market after that will restore prices. 



in the meantime honey-men, having bought 

 largely at low prices, are well stocked; and 

 then if the market does advance, they get the 

 benefit, not the bee-keeper who has sold out. 



Send in your reports briefly on a postal 

 card, never writing more thaji two or three 

 sentences. If you send in long ones they will 

 be ' thrown into the waste-basket, for it is 

 simply impossible to summarize a large num- 

 ber of reports when bee-keepers write long 

 letters or mix their crop data in with other 

 business. 



A BACKWARD SPRING AND ITS EFFECT ON 

 PRICES. 



Not since 1881 has there been such a back- 

 ward spring over the country generally; for, 

 judging by reports, it seems to have been al- 

 most universal. The exceptionally warm 

 weather during March was followed by 

 chilly and cold weather, for nature seems to 

 have a fashion of striking a balance when 

 she gives us one extreme by giving us another. 



In our more northern States there were 

 cold rains, and snows to the depth of several 

 inches. In vain did bee-keepers watch for 

 better weather; but day after day the cold 

 spell continued, breaking all records except 

 those of the spring of 1881. Speaking of that 

 year reminds us that there was a heavy mor- 

 tality from spring dwindling— the heaviest 

 ever known, probably, in this country. The 

 lessons learned then showed conclusively the 

 value of protection in the spring as well as 

 during winter; of the importance of having 

 a first quality of honey, or, better, sugar syr- 

 up, as a winter and spring food. But for 

 the knowledge then acquired, the experience 

 of the spring of 1881 would have been dupli- 

 cated this year. 



We were fearful that the brood-rearing 

 that started during the warm weather in 

 March would cause a general consumption 

 of stores, and that cold weather following so 

 soon would be a serious setback, because the 

 bees in their efforts to protect the brood would 

 themselves be chilled to death as well as the 

 brood. We were expecting some very bad 

 reports; and while some few of them have 

 been coming in showing heavy losses in the 

 northern portions of some of our northern 

 States, the reports, as a whole, to say the 

 least, are not unfavorable. We were fearful 

 that we should find a large portion of our 

 own bees dead, but we were agreeably sur- 

 prised to find that spring dwindling was not 

 nearly as serious as we apprehended it might 

 be. 



Of course, the bees all over the country 



have had a serious setback; but the majority 

 of them have nearly held their own. As bees 

 generally wintered well, they are now. May 

 3, able to make a fair start; for it should be 

 understood that everything else has been set 

 back including our honey Mora, by about a 

 month. This will give the bees a chance to 

 make up for lost time, and the probabilities 

 are they will do so with proper care, stimu- 

 lative feeding, and the right kind of protec- 

 tion. 



But in saying this much it must not be de- 

 nied that there will be a largo number of bee- 

 keepers who will suffer heavy losses, and 

 who will hardly be in shape to gather a crop 

 of honey, even if the supply of nectar should 

 be abundant when the season opens up. 



As pointed out in our last issue, there is 

 not likely to be a glut of honey in any of the 

 markets of the East. Reports from Califor- 

 nia are still conflicting, some saying there 

 has been too much rain, and others that con- 

 ditions have been favorable for good crops. 

 In Central California conditions seem to have 

 been more favorable than in the southern 

 part of the State. The probabilities are that 

 both the northern and southern portions will 

 be able to send some honey to the East un- 

 less the season should be very unfavorable 

 during the time of nectar secretion. 



SOME LESSONS GLEANED FROM THE BACK- 

 WARD SPRING. 



This peculiar chilly April has laid strong 

 emphasis on some important factors for good 

 wintering and good springing. Many of us 

 have come to learn that it is one thing to 

 winter and another thing to spring bees. This 

 fact has been forced upon us this season if it 

 ever was. Well, what have we learned? 



VALUE OF PROTECTION IN SPRING. 



First, those colonies that were well pro- 

 tected in double-walled hives or in winter 

 cases, after being put out on their summer 

 stands fared much better than those without 

 such protection. Of course, we knew it be- 

 fore; but we don't always practice what we 

 believe. 



CLOSED-END VS. OPEN-END FRAMES. 



Again, other things being equal, colonies 

 on closed-end frames showed up much bet- 

 ter than those on open ends. Indeed, in our 

 own experience bees on the former single- 

 walled hives seemed to hold their own as well 

 as those in chaff hives with open-end frames. 

 While this fact has been demonstrated to us 

 before, it was never more clearly shown than 

 this spi'ing. 



We have had I'eports from quite a number 

 who originally opposed closed-end frames — 

 "wouldn't have the intolerable bee-smash- 

 ers." as they termed them, even if they 

 could "get them as a gift;" but after giving 

 them a trial they found them not only not so 

 disastrous to bee life as they supposed, but 

 exceptionally well adapted for springing the 

 bees. 



Claims for the good wintering and winter- 

 ing qualities of tne closed ends have been 



