1883 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



135 



in tbe county. The season or circumstances 

 may have had something to do with it, but I 

 watched very carefully, and even took bug- 

 gy-rides out into the country, to decide the 

 matter, and, no matter which way we went, 

 the Italians grew scarcer and scarcer on the 

 clover-heads, and finally disappeared alto- 

 gether, after about such a distance. I may 

 have forgotten exactly what the distance 

 was, but it seems to me we found none 

 further than 2i miles from our apiary. 



Bees have done well here this year. My 24 hives 

 averaged about 50 lbs. to the hive. 



MATRIMONY VINE. 



I have a shrub growing in my garden that I think 

 is the best honey-plant in the world. It is called the 

 willow jessamine (I don't know its botanical name); 

 it blooms from April till October, and the bees work 

 on it from morning till night, and in wet or dry 

 weather. The bloom is about the size of barberry, 

 and the color of lilac; it ripens but few berries; it 

 suckers quite freely. J f you are not acquainted with 

 it I will mail you a sprout, if you desire it. I have 

 tried most of the honey-plants, and think this the 

 best. Don't think I am trying to humbug; I have no 

 plants for sale. S. S. Johnson, 



Hudson, Mo.. Dec. 26, 1882. 



From your description, friend J., we pro- 

 nounce the plant the matrimony vine, which 

 we have several times mentioned, and have 

 growing in our garden. It does at times 

 furnish quite a little drop of honey, but I do 

 not as yet see how it can be profitable, culti- 

 vated as a honey-plant. 



REPORT OF AN A B C SCHOLAR. 



The January Gleanings has arrived, and I am de- 

 lighted with it. As there are a great many reports 

 in it, I send you the following taken from my ac- 

 count:— 



By 15 colonies, . . . 

 By 37314 lbs. honey, - 



Total receipts. 



To 2 old colonies in April, - 

 To 3 swarms in J une. 



To hives, 



To sections, frames, etc.. 

 To queens, and comb fdn., - 



Total expenses, 

 Balance profits. - 



f 150 48 



I have counted the bees at $5.00, but could not buy 

 them for that, as they are in large hives, and are 

 heavy. The honey was all in the comb, mostly in 1- 

 Ib. sections. My best colony made 130 lbs., and the 

 most made in 24 hours by one colony was 8J4 lb3. 



AGE AT WHICH BEES GATHER POLLEN AND HONEY. 



Will bees gather pollen and honey at the age of 

 Ave days? 



I have used neither tobaccr>, liquor, nor profane 

 words for nearly live years. Chas. Vail. 



Michigan City, Ind., Jan. 28, 1883. 



You will see by referring to p. 57, 1882, 

 that friend Wiltse decides they do not at- 

 tempt to gether honey until about six days 

 old, and no pollen until about the eleventh 

 day. I am inclined to think, however, that 

 young bees do sometimes gather pollen at a 

 much earlier age than his experiment indi- 

 cated. Glad to know you are a "clean" 

 man, friend V. 



A HONEY-BEARING HONEYSUCKLE. 



1 have a plant, a kind of honeysuckle, that blooms 

 in midwinter; and last February, when I brought 

 my bees home, they covered it from morning till 

 night, and got large quantities of pollen and honey 

 from It. I do not know the name of it, and have 

 raised it only from layers as yet. 



T. L. Washington. 



Nashville, Davidson Co., Tenn., Dec. 5, 1883. 

 Friend W., we should be very much 

 obliged for a small slip of this plant. Can 

 any of the brethren tell us more about it? 

 Why shotddn't a "honey" suckle bear 

 honey, I should like to know ? 



FROM 3 TO 14, AND 400 LBS. OP HONEY. 



I commenced with three colonies— one Italian and 

 two hybrids. I had 8 natural swarms In May, and 4 

 in June, making 12 in all; two went to the woods for 

 me, so I have now in all 13 colonies, all strong in bees 

 and honey. My bees made me a little over 400 lbs. of 

 nice comb honey, and the brood-combs were nearly 

 solid with honey besides, after the honey season. 

 My hybrids yielded me more honey than the Italians, 

 but they paid me well for it by stinging me much 

 oftener. All things considered, I like the Italians 

 better. I never have a bee-veil, nor any protection 

 about me, when 1 work with the bees. 



W. R. DcM, 3. 



EUiottsburg, Perry Co., Pa., Jan. 29, 1883. 



CELLARS AHEAD, WHEN IT IS 60° BELOW ZERO. 



We are having the coldest weather here ever 

 known. Jan. 22d the thermometer marked 60° be- 

 low zero; the mercury went into the ball here; the 

 air was as white as a heavy fog; every thing was 

 snapping. I think bees will not winter very well 

 here this winter, especially those out of doors. I 

 have 5 packed in chaff, outdoors; they are diseased 

 some now. I don't expect to get them through the 

 winter, safe. I have got 29 in the cellar in apparent- 

 ly fair condition. If this cold weather holds on long, 

 I do not think outdoor wintering will succeed very 

 well in this part of the country. G. W. Wilson. 



Viola, Kichland Co., Wis., Jan. 23, 1883. 



FROM 6 TO 17, AND — NO HONBT. 



I had six hives of bees last spring^, from which I 

 got 11 swarms by the old method of swarming. We 

 did not get much surplus honey here, as we had a 

 very rainy spell in June and July. There was plen- 

 ty of white-clover blossom, but very little honey. I 

 am now wintering 14 swarms; 10 of them in frames, 

 and four in boxes. Two of my frame hives are two- 

 story, something like the Simplicity, and I like these 

 better than any I have seen here; they are so con- 

 venient for holding the small sections, and they 

 come out cleaner than by any other plan. The bees 

 can not get at the outside of the sections to cement 

 them. I find that we could get hives and sections 

 from the U. S., but our national policy, as it is 

 called, puts 35^ duty on hives, and that stops us. 

 William Mowbray. 



Lambton, Ont., Can., Jan. 33, 1883. 



I presume you already know, friend M., 

 that I would not be in favor of duties, any 

 more that I would be in favor of patents, or 

 any other kind of monopoly. I like to see 

 all men have a fair chance, and believe it is 

 with nations as it is with children. The 

 fewer rules and restrictions we have, the 

 better, providing always we do not let liber- 

 ty run into license. 



