1883 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE GULTUEE. 



193 



soon as my honey was off the hives I began trying to 

 obtain the names of responsible grocerymen in near- 

 by towns, and wrote to them, stating the kind of 

 honey I had, the weight of a crate, and the price at 

 my place. I had orders enough from those men to 

 take all my honey. I am still receiving orders for 

 more, and at an advanced price, but no honey to fill 

 them with. Evei-y man who ordered a sample crate 

 has ordered more. Not one found a word of fault 

 with the honey sent them. I mention the last, be- 

 cause I think it very important, in sending honey to 

 a groceryman, to send nice clean boxes, well filled, 

 packed in good neat crates; and if there is more 

 than one tier of Ipxes packed in the crate, one 

 above the other, there should be two or three thick- 

 nesses of newspaper placed between the boxes, so 

 that, if one of the top boxes leaks, the honey will 

 not daub the boxes below. Thos. Rotiiweli.,67. 

 Austinville, Bradford Co., Pa., Nov. 27, 188J. 



"SQUARE MEN." 



Many dealers in honey and apiarian supplies fail 

 to fulfill their contracts, and I have a list of them 

 which I had thought of sending you for publication; 

 but upon further reflection I concluded that it 

 would be better to send the names of those who do 

 fulfill their contracts to the letter, and more ton. 

 Chas. r. Muth writes to one of our apiarists (Oluf 

 Olson), "Your honey is first-class, and compares 

 favorably with the best Northern honey. I have 

 concluded to give you ten cents for it, instead of 

 eight, as agreed upon." All who have dealt with 

 Mr. Muth speak of him in terms of the highest 

 praise. So also of Merriam & Falconer, Jamestown, 

 N. Y. Now, friend Hoot, is this not the better way,— 

 give praise to those deserving of it, and those who 

 are not, give them a most severe letting alone? Will 

 not such a course be an incentive to others to be 

 more upright and honorable in business? "JS.rejn- 

 jjli gratia." Geo. J. Alden. 



New Smyrna, Fla., March 13, 1883. 



POINSETTIA IN ITS NATIVE HOME. 



On p. 123 there appears an article about honey 

 from Poinsettia pulcherrima. Friend Holtke is 

 getting pretty enthusiastic over it; but I am afraid 

 he will look la vain for any poinsettia fiowers in 

 summer. The poinsettia blooms in Mexico, where 

 there is no winter. They are an exceedingly beauti- 

 ful sight when in full bloom in a greenhouse. Thoy 

 bloom about Christmas time and New Year's. The 

 drop of honey is quite large, and is not an accident- 

 al phenomenon. They produce only one crop of 

 flowers in a year. Ants are very fond of working 

 on them. F. Hahman, Jr. 



Philadelphia, Pa., March 7, 1883. 



By referring to page 1L\3, it will be seen 

 that the plant in question was incorrectly 

 printed Poinciana pulchci-rima, for which 

 we beg pardon. It should be read as in the 

 heading; but we trust the honey will be 

 equally sweet in either case. 



WINTERING UNDER A SNOWDRIFT. 



I have kept bees for four winters, and have tried 

 the cellar and the summer stand, but have lost more 

 or less every winter. Last fall I placed my hives 

 along a stone fence running north and south, on the 

 east side, where they drifted under the snow very 

 evenly, and there has been two or three feet of 

 snow over them all winter. A few days ago I exam- 

 ined them and found them in splendid condition. 



They are the strongest and brightest I ever saw. 

 In the spring the snow had melted away from the 

 sides of the hives for a foot, but It was solid over 

 the top till a warm spell a week ago; then it thawed 

 so that I could get the cover off to examine them. 

 I had inches of chaff over the frames. The top of 

 the chaff was damp, but the bottom was dry and 

 very warm. There has been considerable loss in 

 bees in this section where they were in single hives 

 with no protection. 



ANOTHER HIVING-BAG. 



I was looking over the different arrangements for 

 hiving bees, but see none like mine. I take open 

 cloth, cheese-cloth is best, and make a bag a little 

 larger than a two-bushel grain-bag. I place two 

 hoops in it, one near the bottom and one about the 

 middle. To keep it open at the top I put a pair of 

 wire jaws, like a valise or carpet-bag, with hinges at 

 the corners, then sew the bag to the jaws, and it is 

 ready for business. Where the swarm is on a small 

 limb I put a ladder as near to the swarm as I can, 

 then take my swarming-bag, take a jaw in each 

 hand, and open it over the swarm and the limb it is 

 on; clasp it together, and give the limb a shake. 

 You can draw it off the limb, or clip the limb off 

 with your knife. You can now clasp the jaws close 

 together, and hang it in the shade while you look 

 after another swarm before you hive them. I have 

 one that is fixed on a couple of poles 12 feet long. 

 The poles are fixed to the jaws like a pair of tongs. 

 I can reach the bag up to a swarm, clasp the jaws 

 over it, give the swarm a shake, and draw it off the 

 limb, and get almost every bee. 



Clarkston, Mich., March 20, 1883. H. Fleming. 



FRIEND walker's "DOUBLE GIFT." 



In reply to your question, I would say that it is a 

 new partner in our firm — she who used to be Miss 

 Warren, and whom the school children (with whom 

 she is a great favorite) still persist in calling "Jen- 

 nie." She joined us about half way between Christ- 

 mas and New Year's, being a sort of double gift, you 

 see, and slightly changing her name; as a sort of 

 mutual accommodation, she writes for me by direc- 

 tion, out of sympathy for "ye typo," during her 

 spare moments, taken from her work as school- 

 teacher and housekeeper. Byron Walker. 



Capac, Mich., March 4, 1S83. 



You see I only asked him (very innocent- 

 ly) how it happened his articles of late are 

 so nicely written, phrased, and punctuated, 

 and the above is his answer. Friend \V., 

 may the time never come when you forget 

 to thank God daily iov such a "gift;" and 

 as you value your own peace of mind, see to 

 it that too many cares never make her old 

 prematurely. 



GETTING A START FROM A BEE-TREE. 



I have kept bees on a small scale about five years. 

 I found a bee-tree, and it had a good supply of hon- 

 ey and comb. I got an old bee-man, and he trans- 

 ferred them into a Langstroth hive. They did not 

 swarm any that season (August), but wintered well 

 in a dry-goods box packed with fine straw. The 

 next spring I bought two stocks in L. hives; in- 

 creased them to 16 hives; extracted about 400 lbs. of 

 honey; wintered in cellar; lost all but 8, from not 

 giving them upward ventilation. Last fall I put jn 

 cellar 21 stocks. March 11, 1 took out 20 in good con- 

 dition. A. Bryan, 



Oskaloosa, la., Mar. 17, 1883. 



