392 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



PURE HONEY, AND FRIEND MUTH'S "PLATFORM." 



The following letters explain tbemselves 

 without comment: — 



Mr. Chas. F. Mulh:—We have an inquiry from Mi- 

 lan, Italy, asking us to name the most important 

 manufacturers of glucose in this countrj'. We pre- 

 sume that you arc the best posted gentleman in the 

 United States on the glucose question, and write to 

 ask if you can give us the names of a few to trans- 

 mit to our Italian friend. T>. Landreth & Sons. 



Philadelphia, Pa., May 9, 1883. 



Reply, by friend Muth: — 



Gcjifs;— Your favor is at hand, asking mc for the 

 names of the most prominent manufacturers of 

 glucose. I am a dealer in pure honey, and never 

 purchased a pound of glucose; consequence is, 1 

 have sold more than 300,000 lbs. of honey since last 

 October, without the aid of a drummer. New York 

 and Chicago honey-dealers are better posted in re- 

 gard to glucose manufacturers. It appears that our 

 European cousins are acquiring the same tendency 

 to corruption that we possess. I am sorry that we 

 can not accommodate you, and remain yours truly, 



Cincinnati, O. Cuxs. F. Muth. 



CHICKENS IN THE BEE-YARD. 



The question is asked, if any of the fraternity 

 have ever tried keeping chickens in the same yard. 

 The question is answered, but not positively, by 

 yourself. I have let my chickens run at will amongst 

 my bees. One evening last summer my wife called 

 my attention to the act of an old biddy gobbling the 

 bees going out and coming in at the entrance of one 

 of my best hives. I looked too and saw her take and 

 eat them as fast as she would have eaten corn. I 

 called "Fancy," our little terrier, and it was but a 

 short time till that hen was caught and killed, and 

 we found plenty of bees in her crop. 



GOING OFF "WITHOUT CLUSTERING, AGAIN. 



I can stand up, and hold both hands up for the 

 truth of it— two cases of it before I took Gleanings. 

 1 have had several go off without clustering, and one 

 I very well remember I watched for sometime, know- 

 ing before it came it would be a large swarm; and 

 being anxious to save it, I watched diligently. Well, 

 it commenced to come; and as fast as it came it also 

 went, in spite of all the rattle of tin pans and cow- 

 bell. Off she went with the whole family with her, 

 and I after her; but they flew faster than I could 

 run, and "you bet" I was considerably out of fix 

 about losing it, after such a hard run. Since I have 

 taken to clipping queens' wings, I never lose a 

 swarm. W. IT. Feruguson. 



Bloomdalo, Wood Co., Ohio. 



A good word for hybrids. 

 If T could get any and all bees as good as one 

 swarm of hybrids i have, I should be fully satisfied. 

 They stick to the combs nicely, and are gentle to 

 handle, and such workers I never saw. They just 

 pass in and out, and never stop to tell stories, but 

 work and talk at the same time, and you know that 

 with us, where there is so much to do at all times, it' 

 we stop about the door to talk, we shall be .iust so 

 backward with the thousand and one jobs that must 

 be done to make a success. I think it's something 

 so with the bees. I am going to breed one batch of 

 queens from this swarm for my own use, and see 

 what they will be. Of course, they and their proge- 

 ny will be dark, but I shall look for light honey from 

 them. I should like to have you see that swarm. 



You could look them over without smoke or gloves 

 either. The queen is 3 years old, but does her own 

 housework the same as ever, having 7 Langstroth 

 frames nearly full of brood May 34, and also about 

 ready to take boxes. Don't you think I have one 

 stock to feel pleased with? E. P. Churchill. 



North Auburn, Me., May 21, 1883. 



HIVING-BASKETS, ETC. 



Seeing quite a little said about hiving-baskets, 

 etc., let me give you the kind I have used for the 

 last five years. It is a common market-basket, one 

 that is made out of round willow, such as almost any 

 grocery store keeps. They hold about three pecks, 

 and are made oblong, with flaring sides. To prepare 

 them for bee use, I line them with cheap cotton 

 cloth. After cutting off the handle (they usually 

 have a handle on them) on one side, attach a piece 

 of this factoi-y cloth, large enough to cover over the 

 top. The one Mr. Heddon describes as using is too 

 large; it lets the bees spread out too much. Little 

 things go to make up larger ones in a season's work, 

 and those who haven't any thing better may, if they 

 choose, try my kind of a hiving-basket. 



Glenwood, Mich., May 24, 1883. W. H. Shirley. 



THE SYRIAN BEES; SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM. 



Some time ago I wrote to D. A. Jones for particu- 

 lars about the Syrian bees, but have not heard from 

 him. In what estimation are they held to-day by 

 disinterested parties? Are they better than any 

 other imported bees, and in what respect? Are 

 they better workers than the Italians? Arc they 

 hardier or larger? Are they docile? 



Piqua, O.. May 26, 1883. J. D. Kruschk. 



Friend K.,if you will read over the re- 

 ports in our back numbers for the past two 

 or three years, you will see that very diverse 

 and conliicting views are held. While some 

 have decided them to be in many respects 

 better, others have decided right the other 

 way. I believe all are pretty well agreed on 

 at least two points, however. These two 

 points are, prolificness and temper. They 

 will rear brood faster than Italians, without 

 question, and, as a rule, they sting worse, 

 especially where one does not know just how 

 to take them. Tliey are little if any larger, 

 and, as a rule, I do not believe they are 

 hardier. 



PRESSING THE WIRES INTO THE FOUNDATION. 



I press wire into fdn. with an instrument like a 

 traeing-wheel. I took a spur-rowel for the wheel. 

 The points should be about '/4 inch apart, and at 

 least ig inch wide across the wires, and just wide 

 enough the other way not to cut the wires; have the 

 points creased a little, so they will not slip off. I 

 think this an improvement on the carpet-stretcher. 

 My sheets are drawn out over the wires so nicely, 

 with not a cell changed, that if you could not see the 

 wires you would not know where they are. Try it. 



H. A. Harriman. 



Grand Lake, Aik., May 21, 1883. 



Friend II., the wheel is an old device, and 

 was described in our back volumes some 

 time ago. We have used one, but it bother- 

 ed some by not going up close to the frame, 

 and we think it does not work as well, nor 

 as rapidly, as the carpet-stretcher. Since 

 adopting the latter, we have had little if any 

 complaint about frames shipped by freight 

 or express, filled with foundation. 



