654 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Oct. 



tract 300 lbs. from one hiv^e. There are two varieties 

 here — the white and the pink. The white does not 

 secrete much honey, but the pink scents the whole 

 atmosphere, and the honey can be seen and tasted 

 very plainly in the middle of the day, and every fine 

 day it is just swarming with bees. 



Samuel L. Stevens. 

 Beatrice, Gasre Co., Neb., Sept., 1883. 



I received the smoker and queens all right. I 

 transferred the colonies, and introduced as prescrib- 

 ed, and they were received all right, and in 25 days 

 had young hybrids flying. One colony, when I trans- 

 ferred, must have been queenless for 6 weeks or 

 more, and did not have a queen-cell orany thing that 

 looked liked it— not an egg, but 3 cards filled with 

 pollen (the cells half full). Did you ever have any 

 such experience? Do bees store pollen for winter 

 use? 



I bought an A B C book last spring, and 13 swarms 

 of bees, for S50.00, in box hives, and have sold box 

 honey this fall to pay for them, and have 29 swarms 

 now, although one of my best swarms and 20 lbs. of 

 box honey walked off a few nights ago to parts un- 

 known. 



My bees are set 4 inches from the ground, and I 

 wish to winter on summer stands; we have a large 

 amount of snow almost every winter. Would it be 

 best to raise them one foot from the ground? Some 

 in this part of the State winter in corn-stalks. 

 What do you think of it? Did you ever use a goose- 

 quill for brushing bees in hiving, or from combs? I 

 think It the best thing I ever used or heard of. The 

 quill should be from the wing quills. 



Fairdale, N. Y., Sept. 33, 1883. R. B. Perkins. 



Six weeks is a pretty long time to have a 

 colony queenless, friend P. — Yes, bees do 

 store up pollen so it often remains in the 

 hive over winter; but in your case it accu- 

 mulated because there was no brood to feed 

 to use it up.— I do not think I would put the 

 bees any higher from the groujid than they 

 are now. The snow keeps ofC the cold wind, 

 and is quite a protection ; but be sure to 

 have the ground so the -water will run off 

 readily when the snow melts. — We have 

 used goose-quills for brushing bees ; but a 

 brush with some sort of vegetable fiber is 

 considered better, as it does not irritate the 

 bees as anything approaching hair and ani- 

 mal fur does. You know, bees are a natural 

 born enemy to bears and many other furry 

 quadrupeds. We prefer the yucca brush. — 

 We are glad to know you got your money all 

 back, and a little more. 



REPORTS ENCOURAGING ALL AROUND. 



The imported queen received in splendid condi- 

 tion, and safely introduced, and is laying now. I 

 will raise a lot of queens from her yet this fall. I 

 have been extracting honey this week. Bees are 

 storing it very fast from fall aster (or stickweed); 

 the honey is lighter in color than the clover honey 

 taken early in the season. We have a fine blue-eyed 

 boy 4 weeks old, which is quite a new advent to our 

 mountain home, as he is our only son. 



J. H. Thornburg. 



Chattanooga, Tenn., Oct. 8, 1883. 



Last spring I bought 5 stands of bees. They were 

 quite weak. I put Italian queens in them, and from 

 them I got 25 stands more, besides 300 lbs. of honey, 

 and they are in good shape for winter. I bought 



$25.00 worth, and sold this fall $125.00 worth of bees 

 and honey. D. H. Hasker. 



Cambridge, Iowa, Oct. 9, 1883. 



a 



99 



Or Department for duties to be attended to 

 tlii^i niontb. 



WHAT SHALL FRIEND DONNELLY Do WITH HIS BEES? 



BHALL I let my bees die, or fet d up 50 swarms ? 

 and how i-i it most easily accompli-hfd? BeeS 

 have not made any honey since July, and have 

 used up nearly all to raise bees. 1 have plenty of 

 bees and young queens; but how to save them, 

 please tell me, or it will be too late— how to feed and 

 how to make it— candy or syrup, if sugar is used. 



L. C. Donnelly. 

 Valmont, C .1., Oct. 7, 1883. 



By no means let them die, friend D. It is 

 true, it is pretty late in the season to get 

 them right for winter now; but I think you 

 can do it, if you set right to work. Feed 

 them sugar syrup whenever the weather is 

 warm enough to permit them to take it. 

 The pepper-box feeder or the tea-kettle feed- 

 er will, perhaps, be your best way to do it. 

 Double them up till the colonies are so 

 strong that they can keep the hive warm un- 

 der the influence of the heavy feed. Of 

 course, if the weather is too cold to feed 

 them liquid feed, then you will have to go 

 back to the old plan of feeding candy, as de- 

 scribed in the ABC book. Give them 

 three or four lumps, the size of a hen's egg, 

 or perhaps a little smaller, and cover them 

 up warm with woolen cloths or chaff cush- 

 ions. As fast as the lumps are used up, 

 give them more. I would not give them a 

 gieat quantity at once, lest it chill them too 

 much in their efforts to work it up, for it 

 must be warmed up by the heat of their 

 bodies before they can use it. They will 

 surely in the spring be worth enough to pay 

 for all expenses and trouble ; and doubtless 

 you will have a good season next year. Al- 

 though the matter has not been very fully 

 tested, I feel quite sure that candy from 

 powdered or granulated sugar and honey 

 will be as safe as any thing. Knead it up 

 like dough, and work it up into little bis- 

 cuits, as I have before described. Do not let 

 tliR bees die. 



OBITUARY. 



DEATH OF OUR OLD FRIEND J. OATMAN. 



I* IT H much sorrow we have to inform you of 

 J the death of our dear father, on Oct. 1st, in 

 (I his 71st year, passing home as he had lived, 

 in perfect faith in his Master. He began his experi- 

 ence with Italian bees and modern management in 

 1871 having made a splendid success of the business, 

 and lovrd it more than any other interpst, givinff his 

 whole time and attention to it— left 600 colonies at 

 his death. Very truly, Oatman Brothers. 



Dundee, III., Oct. 5, 1883. 



This is indeed sad news. Priend Oatman 

 has long been one of the veterans in bee cul- 

 ture, and his name was among the first 

 among bee-men when Gleanings was start- 

 ed. Although he had his ups and downs in 

 bee culture, like the rest of us, he held on to 

 it undaunted, and eventually obtained his 

 reward by becoming one of the most success- 



