104 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



The difficulty of securing glucose in small 

 quantities out in the country, and the dan- 

 ger of detection where " everybody knows 

 everybody's business," leaves but little in- 

 ducement for producers to " mix," when the 

 price of honey is so little above that of glu- 

 cose. It is just as I have already said, cheap 

 honey is the most efficient weapon with 

 which to light adulteration. 



If this project of a "trademark" were 

 put into execution, it would not 'prevent 

 adulteration, it would simply advertise it. 

 Very poor honey, pure at that, would be 

 sold under its cover, and the reputation of 

 this vaunted "trade mark" would soon be 

 "N. G." If a bee-keeper did not use the 

 "trademark" then /i/s goods might be li- 

 able to suspicion. The whole thing would 

 soon be in a muddle. 



Under the circumstances, the best thing 

 we can do is to just keep quiet, and bend all 

 our energies to raising honey so cheaply 

 that no one can afford to adulterate it. If 

 any of my readers differ from me, I shall be 

 glad to hear from them, and will make this 

 subject the special topic for May. 



EXTRKCXEO. 



Garniolans Are Prolific, Great Swarmers, 

 but Good Workers. 

 Dr. S. W. Morrison writes (Ueanings : — 

 "I am not now and do not expect again to 

 be in the queen-rearing business. Having 

 also sold my entire apiary of Garniolans at 

 Oxford, Pa., I can now give my opinion of 

 Garniolans as a disinterested person: the only 

 fault that has been urged against them with 

 any show of reason at all is, that they swarm 

 too much. Well, the same has been charged 

 to every other race with just as good reason, 

 as I well know from experience. I am very 

 sure it is a more prolific race, and they are 

 better honey gatherers. Give a colony 

 twenty, or, better, thirty brood combs in a 

 Simplicity hive about the middle of April, 

 and on the first of July extract all, and com- 

 pare with any other race as to honey gather- 

 ed ; and if the start was fair, the product of 

 the Garniolans will be ahead." 



Sheds for Shade. 

 Wm. G, Hewes, of Galifornia, advises per- 

 manent sheds for shade for bees and bee- 

 keepers. He writes to Gleaniwjs as follows: 



" One 5 feet high in the front, 4 feet at the 

 rear (which should be to the south), 3 feet 

 wide, and ir> feet long, can be built for 

 $5.50, reckoning lumber at 8 cents a foot 



and shakes at ,|;14 per thousand, allowing ^ 

 cents for the nails, and charging nothing for 

 putting it up, the roof to be one layer of 

 shakes. This makes enough shade, but 

 does not shed rain. By moving the hives to 

 the southern side of the shed in the spring, 

 they will get the desired sunshine. In sum- 

 mer, place them to the north side, and they 

 will be in the shade all day. Under sheds, 

 however, in order to economize, we are apt 

 to put our hives nearer together than is 

 good." 



Ventilation Not Needed in Bee Cellars. 



In telling the readers of Gleanings how 

 he built and managed his bee cellar, Mr. 

 Doolittle says : 



" When I built my cellar, I constructed a 

 sub-earth ventilator 160 feet in length, in 

 connection with a direct upward ventilator 

 of the same size. Either of these could be 

 controlled at will, and every change of 

 weather found me changing these ventila- 

 tors. After a little I began to leave the 

 upper one closed all the while for a month, 

 while the sub-earth ventilator was often 

 closed for days together. Not seeing that it 

 made any difference with the bees, I now 

 left them closed all the while ; and as this 

 gave me a more even temperature in the cel- 

 lar, neither ventilator was opened at all dur- 

 ing the winter of 1889 ; so this fall, when I 

 came to re-roof my cellar with flagging, I 

 left out the upper ventilator entirely, allow- 

 ing the sub-earth ventilator to remain, but 

 it has been closed all winter so far. In this 

 way I have no trouble with the temperature, 

 as it will vary only from 41' to 4o° during 

 the whole winter, or only two degrees." 



Whose Experience is Most Valuable T 



The editorial department of Gleanings 



has improved wonderfully of late. It is no 



uncommon thing now to be able to cut out 



wisdom in solid chunks like the following : — 



" We do not despise the small bee-keeper — 

 oh, no! He often gives us some of the best 

 ideas and short cuts ; but when a large bee- 

 keeper, who owns over r)00, GOO, or, if you 

 please, over 1,000 colonies, is enthusiastic 

 over a certain device, and he knows from 

 long, practical experience of its successful 

 working, we feel as if his statement could 

 not be lightly esteemed. Editors have been 

 accused of overlooking the little bee-keep- 

 ers, and seeking articles from the big bee- 

 guns. There is some truth in it, but they 

 naturally go where they can get the best in- 

 formation — that which rings with experi- 

 rience, and is redolent of the aroma of honey 

 and the wax, and the much-despised pro- 

 polis. If a man with his thousand colonies 

 finds a thing to be a success that is a money 

 maker, it will probably work pretty well, 

 even with as small a number as ten colonies ; 

 but, mind you, you cannot reverse this. 

 What gives good satisfaction with ten or 

 even a hunilred colonies may not necessarily 

 do for several hundred stocks." 



