26 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



bottom and sides right on the earth, being 16 x 20 ft. 

 at bottom, and sloping to the surface; that above 

 ground is frame, lined with brick, and cemented. A 

 track runs from the apiary through the cellar. This 

 I write in reply to friend Flanagan, p. (il5, Dec. No. 



I have about 20 stands of bees in double-walled 

 hives, and 183 in cellar in Laugstroth, all in good 

 shape. My report for this year is about 5000 lbs., 

 about half extracted and half comb, in H^-lb. sec- 

 tions. If this description of a honey-house strikes 

 your judgment as beneficial to any bee-keeper, you 

 can publish it ; jf not, lay it tenderly in the basket. 



Cedar Falls, la., Dec. 7, 1883. A. J. Norris. 



We shall not lay it '• tenderly " in the bas- 

 ket at all, friend N.; but, on the contrary, 

 thank you for giving us a chance to lay it 

 before our readers. 



THAT HONEV-nOUSE. 



In reply to E. T. Flanagan's inquiry on p. 015 of 

 December number, I would say that 1 have a honey- 

 house, and I consider it a very necessary thing in 

 connection with bees. It stands in the middle of my 

 apiarj'. It has a window on each of three sides, and 

 a door on the other. The sills and plates are 4x4- 

 inch oak, halved at the corners, and spiked together. 

 It is sided up with pine boards one foot wide, planed 

 on both sides, and battened. There are two ribs, 1 x 

 4-inch oak, between plate and sill, to nail the siding 

 to. The floor is maple, covered with oil cloth. It Is 

 covered with a hip roof, shingles and tin, and is 

 painted ; scroll-work under the cornice. The house 

 Is painted inside and out. It is ceiled overhead 7 ft. 

 from floor with boards, furnishing a place above to 

 put cushions in summer; ventilated with screens in 

 windows when necessary. It is furnished with a 

 stand, lounge, chairs, and shelves. It is used for 

 handling bees in, storing honey, and implements 

 used about the apiary; also for entertaining bee- 

 keeping visitors in, to talk up the subject. 



A person keeping 200 swarms, I should think, 

 would want a house 14 x 14 feet on the ground, and 

 10 feet to top of plate. F. C. White. 



Euclid, Cuy. Co., O., Dec. 0, 1883. 

 I like the idea of the chairs and lounge, 

 friend W., for you can, after showing the 

 visitors the honey and all the sights, set 

 down with them and have a friendly chat; 

 that is, when " biz " will reasonably permit. 



REPORT FROM OLIVER FOSTER. 



BEES, AND BUSINESS PERTAINING TO BEES. 



^A^OV. 1, 1881, found me with 56 colonies and 3 nu- 

 J^^ clei, all packed on summer stands, except 3 

 — ' colonies in cellar. Lost l,sold 3, bought 9. and 

 began '83 with 63, several of which were very weak. 

 The spring was very cold and backward. Dwindling 

 and starving were the order up to June 10th; but 

 with a little sugar, and much watching, wo "bridged 

 the chasm." White clover yielded only enough to 

 keep up breeding. From July 1st to 15th, basswood 

 did fairly. Nothing then until about Aug. 15th, when 

 darker honey came in slowly untill frost. I think 

 this was from a kind of "smartweed" which grew 

 in abundance in poorly attended cornlields, etc. As 

 I was obliged to slight the honey interests to supply 

 customers during the busy season, my report is not 

 what It might have been. 

 Aside from my own apiary I took 17 very weak 



colonies in the spring to handle on shares for half 

 the honey and half the increase, which gave me 195 

 lbs. comb honey and 4 colonies. Here are the figures 

 for the season's work:— 



DR. OR. 



$390 00 

 50 00 



By 58 colonies in fall of '81, at $5.00 

 By 9 colonies bought, - - - 

 By hives, sugar, and supplies In 



geuei-al, . - . . . 

 By Adv'g, circulars, and postage, 

 By hired help, . . - - 

 To 135 colonies now at $5.00, - 



To bees sold, 



To queens sold, 



To 1460 lbs. section honey at 18 c., 

 To 2115 lbs. extr'd honey at 11.8 c. 

 To 800 extra L. combs, containing 



say 1 lb. honey each, at 30 c. per 



comb, -..--- 

 To 25 gall, honey vinegar at 20 c. 

 To 195 lbs. section honey from bees 



on shares, at 18 c, - . - 

 To net profits on fdn. machinery. 

 To net profits on comb fdn., - 

 Received for other work, - 

 By net gain,! 



Average honey per colony, spring count, 70 lbs,; 

 average profit per colony In honey, queens, and 

 bees, $16.63. 



The 156 colonies, including 31 that I have on share?, 

 have about 35 lbs. each for winter; 3 are in cellar (to 

 keep frost out); 29 are in my old chaff hives; 14 are 

 in house apiary, and 110 are in L. hives, packed in 

 piles of 8 each. The latter method of wintering is 

 the one I prefer. The honey is about half sold, at 

 and near home, at the average price given. 



Oliver Foster, (S3. 



Mt. Vernon, Linn Co., la., D.=c. 13, 1882. 



So it seems, friend F., that you, besides 

 doing a good business with your bees, also 

 turn an honest penny making fdn. ma- 

 chines. Well, a great many are going to be 

 wanted ; for as wax gets scarce, a simple 

 machine that can be used at home gets to be 

 all the more desirable. 



THE STATISTICAL TABLE. 



AX EASY WAY TO GET IT, IP WE ALL TAKE HOLD 

 AND HELP. 



M T the last meeting of the North American Bee- 

 Jr%. Keepers' Society, a committee was appointed 



' to obtain statistics relating: to bee culture. 



Upon consultation the committee have decided to 

 ask, through the various papers devoted to the in- 

 terests of bee culture, for information directly from 

 the bee-keepei-s themselves. Will you, therefore, 

 please requ2St each bee-keeper to report his name, 

 postofiice. State, the number of colonies he had in 

 the fall of 1881, the number in spring of 1883, the 

 number in fall of 1883. the number of pounds of 

 comb honey taken in 1883, the number of pounds ex- 

 tracted, and the number of pounds of beeswax? Let 

 it be written on a postal card, like the followingr:— 

 F. Torrens, East Liberty. Pa. 

 31 colonies fall of 1881. 

 18 " spring of 1882. 

 35 " fall of 1883. 

 400 pounds of comb honey. 

 300 " extracted " 

 3 " beeswax. 



No date is needed. Send the postal to " Dr. C. C. 

 Miller, Marengo, 111.," and as soon as they can be ob- 



