612 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



name it has here Is prickly ash. It comes in bloom 

 the 20th of August, and Is now in full bloom, and 

 will last 10 days longer. It grows in small trees 

 about 6 inches in diameter, and about 12 feet high. 

 I see them grow here In different soils, and wild, 

 rough places; the older stalks sends up numerous 

 sprouts off from the main tree, which bloom the 

 second year. The pod resembles that of sumac, 

 only much larger. They get as large as a bushel 

 basket, and the bees work very strong on them from 

 morning till night. The pod produces seed. I never 

 tried whether the bush could be raised from it or 

 not, but I should think it might. S. P. Roddy. 



Mechanicstown, Md., Sept. 9, 1883. 



I have been wanting to write to vou for some time; 

 and when we read you had a six-M-eeks-old baby, 

 the temptation was too great to be resisted. I con- 

 gratulate you, with all my heart. If there is any 

 one thing I have a liking for, it is a little soft sweet 

 baby. We have one almost three years old. She is 

 a great admirer of little Blue Eyes in the ABC 

 book. My husband takes Gleanings, and we both 

 read it very thoroughly. I tell him your views are 

 sound on the subjects of temperance and religion, 

 and we would be made better by knowing you. We 

 have about 30 swarms of bees; have taken off over 

 100 lbs. of section honey, and, " there's more to fol- 

 low." I am not a bee-womann, or ever want to be, 

 their stings hurt me so; but my husband does not 

 mind it, even when they sting his nose until it looks 

 like an elephant's trunk. 



A SUr.GKSTION ABOUT CANNING IN GLASS. 



One thing I will mention about putting honey or 

 fruit in glass cans for canning. Just wet a cloth in 

 lukewarm water, and wrap around the can, and you 

 can pour boiling hot sauce or honey in without any 

 danger of breaking the can. It has saved me lots of 

 trouble heating cans, and it may help some one else. 



Rupert, Vt. Mrs. L. Sheldon. 



A FEAV WORDS FROM THE SUMMIT APIARY. 



Great dearth in the honey supply. Bees have 

 barely honey enough to live on; drones by the thou- 

 sand. If anybody had wanted drones I could have 

 supplied him with a large amount. 



drones; can their rearing be stopped? 



I went out to the apiary a few days ago about sun- 

 down, and saw quite a large bunch of bees near the 

 entrance. On examination I found them drones. 

 Not having the password, they could not go in. 



Clio, Mich. Jas. a. Shelden. 



To be sure, the raisings of drones can be 

 stopped, friend S. Since the advent of fdn. 

 the matter is easily under our control. Give 

 the bees all worker combs, and you will lind 

 it a very ecreat savinar of money, compared 

 with killing them after thev are full grown 

 and fat and lazy, or even slicing their heads 

 off when they are in a state of capped brood, 

 as we used to do^ 



two queens in the same HIVE. 



No new subject, I hear you say. Not at all. I 

 have even had three old queens to remain for sever- 

 al weeks in the same hive that had. with their bees, 

 been united in the spring of the year. But I never 

 saw two young qaeens abide in peace in the same 

 colony. On my way a few weeks ago to visit the 

 Shenandoah Valley, Va., with a view of learning 

 something about the honey resources of that far- 

 famed place, I ftiet a fi-iend, Emerson Henderson, a 



young man of quite a little experience in bee cul- 

 ture, who related the following : " I had three second 

 swarms come off about the 4th of July, which were 

 all hived together. Some days after, I examined to 

 see if the young queen was all right and laying, and, 

 to my wonder and surprise, discovered, on the same 

 comb, two plump young queens busy depositing 

 eggs. I often look to see how they get on together, 

 and frequently see them meet and pass, showing no 

 disposition to disoute the sacred ground." It is not 

 at all rare to find an old (jueen and daughter harmo- 

 niou-ly dwflHna'. for a time, together. Whether 

 both at the same time are in a normal condition, I 

 have not yet decided: but T think this case reported 

 by friend H.. of two young queens in an apparently 

 normal condition living harmoniously tcflgether, is a 

 new departure. It is to me, anyhow. 



J. A. Buchanan. 

 Holliday's Cove, W. Va., Sept. 19, 1883. 



from the ROANOKE APIARY. 



As I see letters from a great many of the ABC 

 class, I concluded to write one too. I began bee cul- 

 ture in July, 1882; bought 3 colonies in old box hives; 

 found 3 trees, and cut and saved the bees. I have 

 taken i colonies on shares, all in box hives. During 

 this summer I got two swarms only, making in all 

 12. Bees did not do well this year. In the spring, 

 when bloom was plentiful, the cold, high winds kept 

 the bees housed, so they lost nearly all the honey 

 crop. When it got warm and still, it turned off dry, 

 and has been so ever since, and now they can't get 

 any thing at all, only as they get it at our table when 

 meal time comes. You may guess they then get 

 their share, although the.v drive me and family out 

 and take possession of the table until I get Mr. Cold 

 Blast after them, and then "you bet" they scatter, 

 and we get a sip once in turn with them. 



I took 75 lbs. comb honey from my bees when I 

 transferred; sold at Ifi^iC. I sent to Mr. Root for 

 two f 1.00 queens. I think I can raise queens for all 

 my colonies, then T shall raise some for sale if they 

 prove purelv fertilized. I raised some queens this 

 summer, and think it easily done by one who under- 

 stands the business. I am using the Simplicity hive 

 and metal-cornered frames. W. J. Crowley. 



Roanoke, Texas, Sept. 14, 1883. 



CORN HONEY. 



On page 62.'5 of Gleanings for Dec, 1882, in reply 



to Mr. T. M. Fort, you came nearer being a scientist 



than you thought, perhaps. Why? Because, on the 



8th and 9th of this month there was frost enough 



here to kill almost every green thing. Corn was 



frozen badly, and farmers went right to topping and 



cutting it up. Now comes the bee part. One man 



told me that his cornfield looked as though there 



was a swarm of bees in it, after he had cut his corn 



up. The bees were at work on the starch in the 



stubble, "turned to grape sugar by the frost," as 



you put it. Bees worked 4 days here on the above 



plan. 



grapevines for shade. 



I have often thought of trying your plan of having 

 grapevines for shade; but when I go to a hive I 

 like to be able to get all around it, if I wish to. 



The stones represented in the picture, on our 

 shade-boards, are about one-half the time left off, and 

 the same nhade-board is the cover to our winter 

 packing-boxes, so you see they answer two pur- 

 poses. W. H. SHIRllEy, 



Glenwood, Mich., Sept. 18, 1883, 



