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GLEAKIKGS IK BEE CULTURE. 



June 



Here sits Jernmie. What say you? " Mother's state- 

 ment is correct. I saw them g-o, and they were not 

 long about it either." Now I can give you more 

 testimony that they did go to the woods without 

 clustering, if necessary; but this, I think, is suffi- 

 cient. I followed the course; they went two miles, 

 and I think I know just where they are, if they did 

 not die last winter. I have two cases of bees get- 

 ting eggs for queen-cells that were never laid by a 

 queen in their hives. Do you really think they steal 

 them? I have some doubt about it. 

 Findlay, Ohio, May 15, 1883. D. C. Routzon. 



We have good evidence, friend R., that 

 bees carry eggs from one comb to another ; 

 but the question, whether they ever carry an 

 egg from one hive to another," is not yet es- 

 tablished. Many facts seem to indicate that 

 they do ; or, at least, eggs are found in hives, 

 and no other explanation can be found as to 

 their presence there. That these eggs are 

 not laid by fertile workers, we know, be- 

 cause they hatch out genuine queens. Who 

 can tell us how they get there? 



1 have 43 colonies now in good condition; 12 of 

 them have the top stories on, full of nice honey. I 

 lost one during the winter. The imported Italian 

 queen I got of you last fall had 16 dead bees in her 

 cage, and was on the I'oad 5 days. The bees were 

 exceedingly pleased when 1 turned them loose on 

 the combs, and in 30 minutes were out after water 

 and stores. They are doing well now. 



Rape is the only honey-producing plant that will 

 pay to cultivate here, according to my experience. 

 It grows finely and will bring 2 or 3 crops per year 

 when it is seasonable. J. H. Roderick. 



Dodd's City, Texas, Feb. 19, 18g3. 



TEXAS, ETC. 



Are you really two months behind in your work? 

 That is really too bad, Bro. Root. If you don't do 

 better, I don't know but we shall have to have you 

 locked up in one of those flre-proof rooms in that 

 new factory, and give the whole business over to the 

 girls. But please send the extractors just as soon as 

 possible, for my upper stories are all sealed, and I 

 am having to divide my bees in order to get empty 

 frames for them to work on. Texas against the 

 world for honey. James L. Waller. 



Benton, Texas, May 11, 1883. 



"■J.'hank you, friend W., but 1 hardly think 

 the girls, or boys either, for that matter, 

 would get on any faster by having your hum- 

 ble servant locked up in the vaults. It is 

 very seldom that we can not send extrac tors as 

 soon as the order is received. In your case, 

 you did not send the order directly to us, 

 which caused some delay, and it had been 

 gone some time when the above letter 

 reached us. We are very glad indeed to 

 hear that Texas is still against the world. 



DRONE OK WORKER FDN. TOR SECTION BOXES. 

 WHICH SHALL WE USE? 



Although we have been selling both kinds 

 of thin fdn. for several years, I don't know 

 that we have had any very positive reports 

 as to which is better. I am pretty well sat- 

 isfied that drone is worked out faster, but 

 several have complained that the queen is 

 more apt to go up into the boxes and start 

 drone brood. Others declare the coarse 

 drone comb does not make the honev as at- 



tractive looking as the smaller worker cells. 

 Still, others claim that worker is worked out 

 just as fast, if not faster. Perhaps only one 

 or two have taken this latter ground, how- 

 ever. Here is a friend who is most emphat- 

 ically in favor of drone comb for starters. 

 Here is what he says : — 



Gloves and foundation received all right; but I 

 can't see why you sent w.rlicr, when I told you 

 I must have drone. Now send me 3 lbs. of drone 

 starter or drone fdn. forl-lb. sections, thin, and nice- 

 ly nailed up in wood box. Is this plain enough? If 

 I did not say drone before, all right; but if I did, 

 what shall I do with this? I want drone, and must 

 have drone right off, and that must be thin, and 

 fresh made. I am quite sure that I told you drone 

 before, as I would use no other if it were given me. 



I started in last winter with 40 stands of bees on 

 summer stands, or in chaff hives. Of course, I have 

 got 40 yet, and shall use chaff hives, for it is cheaper 

 and better than a cellar for wintering bees. 



Jackson, Mich., May 5, 1883. W. D. Higdon. 



Friend II., will you please give us your rea- 

 sons for being so emphatic in wanting droneV 

 No doubt you are right, and I presume you 

 have tried both kinds; but the rest of" us 

 want to know about it, you see. 



ladki' §^p,arh^mi- 



EN your April Gleanings, p. 166, Is a letter from 

 W. S. G. Mason, which tells my case exactly. 

 All the names are like Latin and Greek when 

 you don't know any thing, and I didn't. I had 3 hives 

 to start with last spring; had 11 swarms and about 

 SCO lbs. of honey; some I doubled up; put ten in the 

 cellar; all came out right but one, which had dysen- 

 tery, and got so weak the others robbed it while I 

 was from home. All they cost loe last summer was 

 $9.37 for hives and honey-boxes. Vour bill of ne- 

 cessities looks very formidable. 



ARE bees respecters OF PERSONS ? 



I had no smoker, and Iriedapan of chips; but I 

 thought the more I smoked them the madder they 

 got. I had a bee-man here last week to look at my 

 hives, and he smoked them very little, and those 

 very bees that would have gone after me like furies 

 seemed just as harmless as house flies. He hunted 

 out the queen and took up the bees in handfuls, and 

 I and the children all around, and every bee seemed 

 to have forgotten that it had a sting. 



BEE-KEEPING FOR WOMEN. 



I feel as if I wanted to shake hands with Mrs. 

 Harrison for what she says about bee-keeping not 

 being too hard work for women. I am trying it; and 

 if I succeed, others may be encouraged to try. I 

 have partially lost the use of one hand through 

 blood-poisoning. It is over three months since it 

 happened, and I can use only my thumb and first 

 finger. I had my other hand hurt by being thrown 

 out of a buggy, so you see I have two lame hands; 

 but I can watch the bees, and do the light work ; and 

 when it comes to any thing heavy 1 can call the 

 boys. The difficulty would be with some, they may 

 not have " the boys " to call. I like tending my bees 

 better than any thing else, and I thought perhaps 

 they had not much honey, and needed feeding; sol 

 and "the boys" weighed the hives, and concluded 



