176 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Apr. 



end of thousands of pounds of surplus honey. I am 

 careful not to take any except such as those I be- 

 lieve to bo honest and capable; men of native in- 

 tegrity and tact; and, as above stated, the main ob- 

 ject is to have help from some of these students, a 

 portion of which will perhaps desire for a time to 

 work for wages, thus putting into the arena that 

 long-felt want '— competent help. 



To conclude, I will say that I believe the time is 

 coming when the honey resources of this country 

 will be fully utilized; such is best for the country; 

 best for honey-consumers, and will work well with 

 the producers, provided the influx into our business 

 constituting this great growth is properly studied 

 and wisely managed by the present leaders of the 

 pursuit. 



There is no need of producers Intei-fering with 

 each other's interests, either in the tield or in the 

 market. Let us be educated in this very important 

 branch of our interests, as well as to how to care for 

 our bees. 



In next issue I will reply to James B. Mason, and 

 tell him why I use and prefer the case, to the broad- 

 frame method; also state what seems to me to be 

 clear objections to friend Walker's system of sur- 

 plusage, as well as his section. I may be mistaken; 

 but if I am, I will give him a chance to do me the 

 great kindness of converting me to a better way. 



Dowagiac, Mich., Feb. V, 1883. James Heddon. 

 I heartily agree with our friend Ilecldon 

 in the main, but I can not quite see that any 

 one has as yet urged people to take up the 

 business, who are unqualified for it. Nei- 

 ther can I find that very many localities 

 have ever as yet been overstocked. Patent- 

 hive men have, it is true, urged people to go 

 into the business, from selfish motives ; but 

 I can not remember having seen in any of 

 our bee journals any thing of the sort. 

 Where people are attracted to the business, 

 and want information, we are, of course, al- 

 ways glad to furnish it; but I believe we 

 have faithfully presented both sides. As 

 for myself, I have published the worst and 

 most discouraging letters I have ever re- 

 ceived, and have given them prominence, 

 too, for the express purpose of letting every 

 beginner know the dark side of the business. 

 There was one point in Medina County that 

 I have reason to think was, for a year or 

 two, overstocked ; but very soon several 

 gave up the business, and the most energet- 

 ic one of the lot (our old friend Shane) start- 

 ed another apiary a few miles away, and the 

 greater part of his yearly crop, which has, 

 you know, averaged large, has come from 

 the branch apiary. 



FRIEND DOOLITTLE'S LETTER. 



TWO THIN COMBS IN ONE SECTION, 



IP NOTICE on page 67 these words: " Has any one 

 ever had two nice combs of honey in one sec- 

 tion?" Well, not exactly; but In the instance I 

 will relate, the plan was the same as that proposed 

 by friend Hasty. When the 2-lb. sections first be- 

 came prominent before the bee-keeping world, Mr. 

 Ranney, of Elbridge, N. Y., conceived the idea that 

 honey could be more profitably made In the 6-lb. 

 Langstroth box, than in sections used with separa- 

 tors. As the 2-lb. sections brought about 5 ceutg 



more per pound in market, he proposed cutting two 

 grooves around the outside of the box (so as to near- 

 ly cut through) with a fine saw. After being filled 

 they were to be shipped to market whole, and tho 

 grocer was to separate it into 2-lb. sections by sim- 

 ply splitting apart with bis penknife. 



Mr. Roberts, of Syracuse, N. Y., who bought all 

 the honey about here for years, encouraged the 

 idea, and placed this honey in New York and else- 

 where, together with the regular 6-lb. box and the 

 2-lb. section. Upon asking him afterward about the 

 matter, he told me that ho could get no more for 

 honey put up in that way than he could for the reg- 

 ular 6-lb. box, which resulted in Mr. Ranney's aban- 

 doning the idea, and adopting the 2-lb. section with 

 separators. 



The reason given for their non-practicability was, 

 that when honey was plentiful, the bees would put 

 honey in the outside cells, next the wood, and cap 

 it over ; hence if the combs were not of equal thick- 

 ness (as was often the case when no separators were 

 used), the splitting of the box apart caused the hon- 

 ey to leak from the ruptured cells that overlapped 

 the groove. 



WIRE SCREENS, rOR WINDOWS TO THE BEE -HOUSE. 



Friend Fradenburg thinks, on page 70, that "Doo- 

 little's bees are not very smart." Well, let's see. 

 In 1873 I stored my honey in a small bedroom, plac- 

 ing the honey on shelves four feet from the floor. 

 This bedroom was on the further side of the sitting- 

 room, and the only means of access was through the 

 sitting-room, whi«h was 14 feet wide. The door to 

 the sitting-room had a crack under it large enough 

 to admit a bee. There were blinds r n all the win- 

 dows, which were kept closed to keep the rooms 

 dark. One Sunday after the honey was all stored in 

 this bedroom, and the honey season over, Mrs. D. 

 and myself went to church, leaving tho hired girl at 

 home. Soon after we started she thought to go 

 away, and in getting ready she left the sitting-room 

 door open a few moments. As the door to the bed- 

 room was slightly ajar, a few bees got a taste of the 

 honey before the sitting-room door was shut. On 

 my return I heard the shrill notes of robbing ; and 

 upon going to the house I found a stream of bees 

 going and coming out from under the sitting-room 

 door. Going to the back part of the house I entered 

 through another door, and, lighting a lamp, imagine 

 my surprise to see a stream of bees nearly 2 feet 

 wide marching on foot to and fro across the sitting- 

 room into the bedroom, half way across that, and 

 then up to the shelves. Well, without going into 

 further detail, suffice it to say that the bees " wia- 

 gled" into that room after that for nearly a week be- 

 fore I could get all the different places of access 

 stopped, which they would hunt up. Now, friend 

 P., were you not a little hasty in saying your bees 

 would get into that space behind the screen, above 

 the window, "quicker than you could say scat"? 

 Are not you and friend Root aware that in all the 

 instances you have given, the bees found those 

 cracks and key-holes from the scent of the honey, 

 and from nothing else? Bees don't know how honey 

 looks. If you don't believe it, can some up so that 

 none of the odor can get out, and not a bee will look 

 at the can, whether it contains comb or liquid hon- 

 ey; but make a small crevice, so the odor can get 

 out, and in time of scarcity your can will be covered 

 with bees from morning till night. Now, apply this 

 to your screen window. The largest volume of odor 

 poiftes tUrougU the screen, and hence the bees try 



