254 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



sure upon the foundation surface 

 will be uniform throughout. Tliis 

 can be done by planing off the 

 edges and sides until it is found 

 to be right. The wires not being 

 drawn real tight the wires are 

 bound to sag some when the board 

 is laid on and this rounding of the 

 surface is necessary for good work. 

 It is important that the wires be 

 not embedded too far or the found- 

 ation will be cut in two. And if it 

 does not cut it in two it may go 

 through far enough so that the bees 

 are inclined to gnaw the foundation 

 in two. This is true however of 

 the work done by the spur wire 

 embedder. I should say that the 

 wire should go into the wax about 

 one-third of the way, that is should 

 cut through the side wall of the 

 foundation but should not penetrate 

 far into the bottom of the cells. If 

 it does it may cause trouble. 



Rigging up my outfit cost about 

 four dollars, but it can be done 

 for less in some instances no 

 doubt. I have had about two thous- 

 and frames of foundation embed- 

 ded with the current and it is 

 certainly a pleasure to see the 

 way the wax melts around those 

 wires.— -W. F. 



An appropriation of $6500 for 

 Bee Culture Investigations, also 

 $12000 for a building for the Bee 

 Culture work is being asked, for 

 the Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington. D. C. Under date of 

 April 2 4th Director Carr writes that 

 he is in Washington, urging that 

 this bill which is in the Senate be 

 passed. The writer has the assur- 

 ance that both our Senators, Hon. 

 Wm. A. Smith and Hon. Charles 

 E. Townsend, also Representative 

 Hon. Louis C. Cramton will all 

 three support the bill, so if others 

 are as successful as we, the bill 

 will certainly pass. Another in- 

 stance where the National is a 

 help to bee-keepers, still some hold 

 back and ask "What good is the 

 National anyhow!" 



Woiidei'fiil FloA\" from Oi-ange 



The present spring has witnessed 

 the most wonderful flow from 

 Orange blossoms that Florida has 

 known for many years past. The 

 winter just passed had been very 

 favorable, just cool enough to re- 



tard growth, but not cold enough 

 to damage the trees at all, nor 

 even sap the vitality of the groves. 

 Rains came in good time, and when, 

 about the end of February (the us- 

 ual blossoming time) ihe small 

 white buds began to open on the 

 advanced groves, the weather, with 

 exception of three days, was all 

 that could be desired. I have often 

 remarked, that days too sunny and 

 warm, as well as too dry a condi- 

 tion of the atmosphere are both 

 alike fatal to best yields from 

 Orange. The blossoms are so open, 

 that the winds and sun quickly dry 

 up the nectar, if the sun is too hot. 

 and tlje air is too dry. This year con- 

 ditions in both respects were 

 ideal. The sun was partly obscured 

 for much of the day, for day after 

 day, and the air was almost wet 

 enough to wring out; as witness our 

 salt cellar! When the buds first 

 open there is seldom much nectar; 

 this year it was especially true; 

 but when after a week or ten days 

 cf blooming had passed, the honey 

 began to roll in. Never in all my 

 previous experiences have I seen 

 the hives gain in weight so rapidly. 

 T'he roar of the bees could be 

 heard by passers by, as the bees 

 flew over a road running along the 

 largest grove near us. And the 

 quality of the honey is finer this 

 year than it usually is. I do not 

 mean to say, that orange honey is 

 in itself finer one year than anoth- 

 er. Who knows? I DO know that 

 some years it is impossible to ob- 

 tain it in its purity. Either the 

 bees carry up honey from the brood 

 chamber, containing dark honey 

 from previous seasons, or else they 

 carry in darker honey from other 

 sources in bloom at the same time 

 as orange; among such are wild 

 cherry, cherry laurel, oaks (they 

 get honey as well as pollen from 

 Live oaks) and other less clearly 

 defined sources. But I am convinc- 

 ed that the greatest factor in dark- 

 ening the color, destroying the 

 flavor of pure orange honey, is the 

 dark honey carried up from the 

 brood chamber. This year, as I said, 

 there seems to have been none of 

 either; for the bloom was unusual- 

 ly abundant and rich in nectar from 

 orange and the hives as a rule 

 were light in honey, owing to a 

 poor year last season, in the reg- 

 ions where dark honey prevails. 



