GLEANINGS IN BEE CtJLtURE. 



33 



same way, that is, other than by natural swarming, 

 it seems to me that the question, when boiled down, 

 is about this: Which pays best, for me to buy un- 

 tested queens, and test them myself, or pay some 

 other bee-keeper for testing them for me, whose 

 test might not suit me after all? Although I am not 

 as fully informed on the subject as I hope to be, 

 with my present knowledge of the subject I think I 

 am in favor of cheap, or dollar queens. With the 

 great number of reports of large yields of honey 

 that are coming in from all over tbe country, and 

 the success of apiarists generally, taking into con- 

 sideration the great numbers of cheap queens sold, 

 I can not see how a man can stand up before the 

 bee - keeping public and say that dollar queens 

 are hindering the success of our favorite pursuit. 

 Queen-breeders should rear their queens in the 

 most approved manner, and deal with their custom- 

 ers as they would wish to be dealt with, and the 

 queens will speak for themselves, and their patrons 

 will receive the worth of their money. 

 St. Clairsville, O., Dec. 19, 1883. R. M. Denham. 



Why, my good friend D., what have I ev- 

 er done to merit such kind words from one 

 who has been, until to-day, a perfect stran- 

 ger. Perhaps I am doing wrong to let it 

 come out in print at all; but 1 wanted what 

 you said about dollar queens ; and then your 

 whole letter runs on so neighborly like, it 

 seemed too bad to spoil it, more than to put 

 stars in place of those kind words you quot- 

 ed from friend Cook. Don't you know such 

 complimentary speeches shoiild never be re- 

 peated right to one's face? Well, well, the 

 next letter I get that cuts and hurts, I will 

 place alongside of yours, and then try to let 

 one balance the other, and so manage to 

 look happy still. 



CHAFF CUSHIONS; SUGGESTIONS IN KEOARD TO 

 MAKING. 



My cushions, which I consider superior to any I 

 have ever used, I make as follows: I use a frame 

 of Yi or % in. stuflf by nailing or dovetailing the 

 corners together, just large enough to fit the inside 

 of the hive, easily making the frame as deep as the 

 thickness of cushion desired. I prefer about two 

 inches. Tack a piece of burlap on the frame, with 3- 

 oz. tacks, for a bottom. Set it on bench, and fill 

 with chaflf; tack on another piece of the same ma- 

 terial on top, and the cushion is completed. Use %- 

 in. strips of thin leather or oil cloth to tack through. 

 It prevents heads of tacks from pulling through, 

 and holds cloth firmly to the wood. Tack on side 

 and end, then stretch the cloth firmly each way 

 while tacking the rest, and it makes a nice smooth 

 job. Perhaps these frames may be a trifle more ex- 

 pensive than those without frames; but after a 

 thorough trial I consider them enough better to 

 much more than pay the extra expense; they hold 

 themselves and chalf in much better position in the 

 hive, and bees are prevented from crawling up at 

 the sides on top of the cushion, which is sometimes 

 attended with considerable loss, especially in sud- 

 den changes of weather. H. V. N. Dimmick. 



Hubbardsville, N. Y., Dec. 18, 1883. 



Thanks for the idea, friend D. If we un- 

 derstand you correctly, your plan is simply 

 a box with the depth of cushion desired, 

 having for its top and bottom burlap tightly 

 stretched over, and fastened. This box, 

 filled with chaff, gives two good features: 



First, it insures good ventilation, and also 

 prevents the bees from getting above. Right 

 here we might mention that friend Drum, 

 at the Ohio State Fair, showed us a cushion 

 similar to the one above. He also gave it as 

 his opinion, that a cushion with a depth of 

 two inches is better than those of other di- 

 mensions. This he says he has verified by 

 experiments ; first, at a depth of one fool ; 

 then six inches, and afterward of other di- 

 mensions, until he decided on two inches. 

 At these dimensions he found his bees win- 

 tered the best, coming out in the spring 

 strong, dry, and healthy. Friend Drum left 

 the top open. 



RAPE AS A HONEY-PLANT. 



Now a little about rape. I sowed a little strip 

 about 13 feet wide and 10 rods long, after early po- 

 tatoes and peas were harvested. I think it was early 

 in August. Although the weather was dry for some 

 time, it did well, and was yellow with blossoms long 

 after severe frosts came; and every time that a bee 

 dared to risk himself outdoors he would go for the 

 rape; and when it was warmed up so they could fly 

 freely they were as thick on it as they could be on 

 buckwheat, and seemed to gather both honey and 

 pollen quite freely after it had frozen so hard that 

 it had commenced to fall down. The little balls of 

 pollen I could see, and could see the bees busily 

 sucking honey from the flowers. The 8th of Nov. 

 they worked thick on it, since which time they have 

 not been out any. Now, would it not be very nice to 

 have a good patch of it to keep up brood-rearing 

 very late in the fall, and thus have plenty of young 

 bees for wintering, and also to keep them out of 

 mischief after other sources of honey are cut off? 

 But on the other hand, how would so much pollen, 

 gathered late, affect the wintering? and how bad a 

 plant is it to get in the land? or, rather, how much 

 of a job is it to get it out of the land? I was rather 

 glad that mine froze and did not fill, for I felt rather 

 afraid of it. I should think it would be a good crop 

 to plow under for manure. 



RAPE FOR FORAGE. 



And rape is good to Help out short pasture. My 

 cows ate it readily, and a bull that I keep up was 

 extremely fond of it, and would eat it up clean, even 

 the stalks that were half an inch through. If we 

 sowed early enough for the seed to ripen, what 

 could we use the seed for? Would it do to grind 

 with oats or corn for feed? E. Z. Green. 



Montague, Mich., Dec. 1, 1883. 



I think rape is going to prove an excellent 

 feed for bees and live stock, especially if 

 sown as late as yours was. I should never 

 think of calling rape a weed, even if the seed 

 may live over, and come up next year. One 

 of our "young Canadians" says they raise 

 rape in Canada, on purpose for pasture; and 

 I am inclined to think it would pay well, as 

 it can be raised in the fall, without interfer- 

 ing at all with any other crop. We have 

 made arrangements to furnish the seed at 

 lower prices than formerly. Will those hav- 

 ing seed for sale send samples, and say what 

 they will take for it ? 



STATISTICS ON BEES AND HONEY. 



I was in hopes the subject of collecting statistics 

 for the use of the National Bee-keepers' Soc'y would 

 be discussed at the Mich. State Convention last 



