1883 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



523 



and drop him. yet I believe the fly beats the bee back 

 to the hive; leastwise, I don't find that they grow 

 anywise " beautifully less." Our climate and soil 

 seem peculiarly prone to the production of this pest- 

 iferous plague. They worry me dreadfully. I even 

 hate the sight of them, and they grow so fearfully 

 intimate with one, too I I have exterminated bil- 

 lions of millions of them with a patent '• fly-paper;" 

 but as 6 more seem to come in the place of one de- 

 stroyed, and as this tly-paper is quite costly, 50 cents 

 per dozen sheets, I come to you, or some of your 

 readers, to know what one may do to cheaply get rid 

 of the "varmints." My wife says when she was a 

 girl she knew a farailj' who gathered and boiled a 

 weed, which, when sweetened, the flies ate ravenous- 

 ly and died immediately. She has forgotten this 

 weed, its name, and even appearance. Wouldn't 

 Professor Beal come to our rescue, and tell us some- 

 thing of this valuable weed or plant? This may 

 seem frivolous; but let me tell you it is a serious 

 subject to us, down in this sandy, warm climate, 

 where the flies rear themselves all out of doors by 

 the shipload. If something can not be done, I am 

 either going to emigrate, or swear a terrible ven- 

 geance against flies, and devote the best thought for 

 the remainder of my life toward some method of 

 rapidly destroying these infernal marauders. "Sher- 

 man's march to the sea" is not a circumstance to this 

 fearful and tormenting incubus. Please help us. 



Every time we get into trouble, my better half 

 says, " Well, write and ask Mr. Root what to do." 



11. C. Taylor. 

 Wilmington, N. C, May 8, 1883. 



I am very mucli cibliged indeed, friend T., 

 to your wife for her great confidence in my 

 ability to help through all ills that flesh is 

 heir to ; but 1 am really afraid that she will 

 be disappointed this time. The idea did 

 suggest itself to me to advise you to m we 

 off to where flies did not so congregate ; but 

 on second thought, I am inclined to think 

 that such advice would not be just in accor- 

 dance with my previous teachings. It is my 

 impression, friend T., that there is something 

 in your vicinity that breeds flies of this 

 class, and that your flrst work would be to 

 stop the production of such undesirable in- 

 sects. After having seen to this point care- 

 fully, I would go on waging the war of ex- 

 termination. I presume our readers will 

 give you a score of fly-traps, and, very likely, 

 some fly-poison that won't poison bees can 

 be suggested. How is it, friends ? what 

 can you do for friend T. and his good wife ? 



DOES IT PAY TO OBLIGE BEES TO GO 4 TO 6 MILES 

 FOR STORES? 



There is something wrong somewhere when bee- 

 men write about bees going from four to six miles 

 from choice. My experience is different. Mr. W. 

 D. Hoskins has the second story of a Simplicity hive 

 lull of sections; and April 15th, at least 40 of the 

 1-lb. sections were filled, and bees swarmed— Italians 

 and blacks. Now, the difference between the said 

 apiary and the one belonging to myself is only m 

 miles. Here is what I got: No honey in the hives, 

 bees turning the drones "out to grass," I reckon, and 

 they tore down all queen-cells, and are standing on 

 the alighting-board waiting for me, I suppose, to set 

 mile-posts so they can tell how far they are from 

 home when one goes after honey to the woods. 

 Well, Mr. Hoskins lives close by the woods, and I 



live l'/2 or 3 miles from there in the prairie. I lost 

 13 colonies last year, and some the year before, and 

 now I am going to sell my farm and shall move to 

 the natural home of the bee, and then— look out! 



John W. Ross. 

 Velasco, Brazoria Co., Texas, April 25, 1883. 



I think you are in the right, friend R. I 

 would much rather have the bees within a 

 mile of the stores, any way. 



SETTING BEES OUT OF THE CELLAR. 



After reading friend Doolittle's remarks on set- 

 ting bees out of the cellar (page 250), and j^our com- 

 ments on the same, I should like to give you my 

 method, if you will accept of it. All I do is to num- 

 ber both hive and stand; arrange stands so they will 

 be ten in a row, say, and for one hundred colonies, 

 ten rows. Now, when you are carrying a hive out 

 of the cellar, look at the number on it; if it should 

 be, say, 25, go to the third row in the yard, and the 

 fifth stand, and you have the exact place the colony 

 stood the year before, which, I think, is quite impor- 

 tant. But suppose, as in Doolittle's plan, you should 

 set No. 2i out any where, perhaps on stand No. 5. 

 Now set No. 5 out on any other stand in the yard, 

 and you will fiad No. 25 will draw from No. 5 a con- 

 siderable — at least, so I find it; but the way I man- 

 age, you can set all or a part out at once, and have 

 no possible trouble. 



SWARMS GOING OFF WITHOUT CLUSTERING. 



On page 243 you ask if any of us have ever seen a 

 first swarm come out and go right off. Ten years 

 ago, I believe, I was watching the only colony I had, 

 expecting a swarm to issue, and about 9 o'clock it 

 did issue, and never stopped to say good-morning 

 either. The timber was about one mile distant in 

 the direction they went. Last season I had a second 

 swarm leave without clustering. 



ALSIKE, AND HOW TO SAVE THE SEED. 



I should like to trouble you or some of your read- 

 ers a little further. I have three acres of alsike; it 

 looks splendid, and I should like to save the seed, 

 but don't know how to manage it. Some say, pas- 

 ture it till June 10th; others say, mow it early for 

 hay, and cut second crop for seed; and still others 

 say, don't touch it until it is ripe. But there is no 

 one about here who really knows how. Will somp 

 one tell me how to manage it so as to get the flow of 

 honey from it in the best time for me, and also save 

 the seed? C. M. Goodspeed. 



Thorn Hill, Onon. Co., N. Y., May 7, 1883. 



Jf you want to save the seed from your 

 alsike clover, friend G., you must not cut it 

 off or pasture it ; but if you want hay and 

 honey, and don't care for the seed, you can 

 cut off the flrst crop just before or while in 

 bloom, and it will blossom a second time, 

 but will give no seed. Pasturing it off will 

 answer much the same as cutting it off. 

 The seed is always saved from the tivst crop 

 of blossoms ; and in order to get seed, you 

 will need to let it stand until the crop is 

 pretty much spoiled for hay. Eor further 

 particulars, see ABC book. 



STINGS. 



I believe most of my bees are hybrids, some being 

 brighter than others, and surely the nicest and 

 brightest are the Grossest I have; and right here let 

 me say I want some one like yourself to tell how 

 you can handle such without veil, gloves, smoker, 

 and every crevice about your clothing perfectly 



