1883 



GLEA2<fINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



261 



75 lbs. of box honey (this was my first season). I fed 

 the last and smallest swarm last fall; the rest wouldn't 

 eat any. I suppose they had plenty of honey. I win- 

 tered them on the summer stands; they all came 

 through the winter in good condition. I commenced 

 feeding in March again. That ig the small swarm, and 

 have kept it up till the present time. I see they are 

 bringing in pollen this morning at 10 A. m. already. 

 It is of a light yellowish color; where do they get it? 

 They are working on the soft-maple now, but I 

 thought that was of a reddish color. Need I feed 

 them when they get natural pollen? 

 Wyandot, O., April 10, 1883. J. T. Hoover. 



I think the pollen is from the maple, 

 friend H. I think when they get natural 

 pollen they also get some honey, and will 

 therefore not need much feed. 



FROM 6 TO 20, AND 200 LBS. HONEV. 



I will try to make out my report for last summer 

 and winter. I began last spring with 6 colonies of 

 bees (Italians). I ran them for increase mostly. I 

 increased by natural swarming to 20; sold 3 colo- 

 nies; got about 200 lbs. comb honey. My best colony 

 made me $M.OO in honey and increase, and have the 

 old hive left. We had a rather poor season; plenty 

 of flowers, but too much cold wet weather. I had to 

 feed a little in the fall. I went into winter quarters 

 with 17 colonies in pretty good condition; part in 

 cellar and part on their winter stands packed in 

 straw. I use tight-bottom hives (Simplicity). I don't 

 give any top ventilation; the entrance of my hives 

 is 6x'/^ incb, and a 1' j-inch hole in bottom, with wire 

 cloth tacked over it. I think this is ventilation 

 enough. I unpacked my bees yesterday, ani to-day 

 they are carrying in pollen. I take great pleasure 

 in watching the little fellows at work. I forgot to 

 say that I did not lose any bees in wintering. I find 

 every colony able to " clean house.' ' 



A. C. Williamson. 



Matamoras, Ohio, April 9, 1883. 



FROM 49 TO 141, AND 8 TONS OF HONEV. 



In looking over Gleanings I notice that a great 

 many bee-keepers give their reports for 1882. I will 

 give you mine as nearly as I can. As I had my bees 

 divided into two apiaries, and labored under consid- 

 erable disadvantage, I had to estimate the weight of 

 honey by the barrel. I started, spring count, 49 

 stands; I ran 5 stands for section honey most of the 

 season, or until I got about 500 lbs. of section honey. 

 1 then put on extracting-boxes, and ran them the rest 

 of the season for extracted honey. When the season 

 was over, I summed up the amount I had, 33 barrels 

 of extracted honey that would average 550 lbs. to the 

 barrel, or something over 8 tons of honey. 1 increas- 

 ed to 141 stands, and lost 5 during the winter, and 

 that through neglect. The rest appear to be in good 

 condition. My honey all sold principally in home 

 market, at an average of 8 cts. per pound; section, 

 20 cents. Jas. A. Simpson. 



Alexis, Warren Co., 111., April 8, 1883. 



FROM 50 TO 89, and 12,290 LBS. of honey. 

 My report for 1S82 is this: The first of June I had 

 50 colonies of bees, all told; increased to 89, and took 

 12,290 lbs. of honey, nearly all extracted, and all 

 white, except 250 lbs. of fall honey (the fall crop here 

 being a failure), being an average of very nearly 

 246 lbs. per colony, spring count. The above figures 

 were obtained by weighing one barrel of each dif- 

 ferent size; but as most of the honey is in 500-lb. 



bbls., the figures should be very nearly correct. I 

 should like to add a word about making reports, 

 that I should like to see adopted. If a person win- 

 ters, say ino colonies, and in the spring doubles 

 them together down to 75, saving the 35 queens in 

 nuclei, let him report the fact, and not overlook the 

 25 extra queens, as in a good season they mean a 

 good many pounds of honey. 



A big day's work of extracting. 



As several have reported big day's work extract- 

 ing, I will add mine. On the 25th of July last, I pressed 

 a young man into the service, who knew nothing of 

 the business. We drove four miles to a branch 

 yard, and extracted ninety gallons of honey, filling 

 two barrels, and left 60 lbs. in the extractor, making 

 about 1140 lbs. The brood-chamber of every hive 

 was examined, queen-cells removed, and frames of 

 hatching brood taken from those likely to swarm, 

 and new swarms built up with the brood taken. The 

 young man did all the extracting, and went home 

 feeling proud of his day's work, even if he did have 

 two or three pretty big fingers, that had shut down 

 on some unlucky bee. James Nipe. 



Spring Prairie, Wis., Dec. 8, 1883. 



S(^^ (ind ^mms. 



lifi OUGHT to add a postscript to my article; for 

 J'll since sending it I have contracted to supply a 

 man with 100 lbs. of bees, which comes from 

 my ad. in last June Gleanings. T. P. Andrews. 

 Farina, 111., April 19, 18&3. 



Photo is received; many thanks. I feel as if I 

 knew you better. Bees are swarming every day; 

 am extracting right along from poplar. 



Forsyth, Ga., April 21, 1883. F. N. Wilder. 



I will report my success (not failure) to you at 

 some future time; also the "Golden bee-hive" 

 swindle in this countiy. Omar P. White. 



Nebo, Cherokee Co., Tex., April, 1883. 



fig wort plants 9 feet high. 

 Last summer we had figwort stalks over 9 feet 

 high, and M. O. spider plants feet high. 



Charles L. Swartz. 

 Rinkerton, Va., Mar. 3, 1883. 



NEW honey. 



The honey-knife and Gleanings came to hand all 

 right. I like them both very much. I have taken 

 1000 lbs. of very nice clover honey from 30 hives — 

 extracted. H. B. Morris. 



Franklin, La., April 13, 1883. 



ASPARAGUS FOR BEES. 



I have nearly half an acre of asparagus, and bees 

 work on it for weeks until the seeds set on it. 



John H. Myers. 



Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Feb. 9, 1883. 



I began with 10 colonies of bees last fall; lost 4. 

 You may be sure I had the blues some. 



Charlotte, Mich., Mar. 14, 1833. T. Rickerd. 



[Why, friend R., I wouldn't have the blues be- 

 cause I had lost four out of ten. With those left 

 you can get them back in no time.] 



