1876. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



25 



;i look at the house npiary to cheer up our feei- 

 t Ill's, we found that there was even trouble 

 there ; for th-ey had drawn the wool out of the 

 <'utrances, aud were getting- tangled in it, and 

 it really t?id seem for awhile that our work 

 was all a bundle ef failures. The worst of it 

 nil was that we didn't succeed in looking 

 pleasant either, until the hives were all set to 

 rights, robbing stopped, aud all flying merrily 

 from their own stands. 



Jan. ISth — It is warm and like summer again, 

 and right glad are we that our bees are all in 

 conditiou to fly freely. It is odd to get letters 

 <laily telling how the bees have Iteen bringing 

 in natural pollen iu midwinter, aud working 

 ou njeal, even in the Northern States. All who 

 hud )>ees in houses have been conijxilled to take 

 thenj out we believe ; but we have heard from 

 several having good cellars, who have been 

 iiblc to keep them quiet ({uriug the whole of 

 the winter, thus far. It seems peculiarly try- 

 ing for those who have laboriously put them 

 indoore again, thinking the warm spell over, 

 to be obliged to take tkem out a second time. 

 We fear friend Boliu is one of these ; he writes 

 as follows ; 



IJees on summer staiuis again. Theriuoinetcr in the 

 bee house ran up to G5' Jaji. 1st, and the little scamps 

 would keep stiil no longer. 1 would like to see any one 

 keejj my bees quiet at a steady tenii>enitiirc of 50'^ as some 

 :id\ise. Jaiies BOLIN. 



1*. S. — Jan. 4th. Bees nil in the house again, a.s nice as 

 Hiicc. West Lodi, ()., Jauuar.v3d, 1871). 



CANDY. 



Since taking all the burnt candy away from 

 the bees that were dying, the,y have recovered, 

 and a little research in our chemistries reveals 

 the fact that sugar on being heated beyond a 

 certain point, is converted into a substance 

 called caramel. This is the substance that 

 gives common molasses and our syrups their 

 dark color and taste ; and all the brown stigars 

 contain more or less of it. It attracts moisture 

 from the air aud Ijecomes wet and sticky, es- 

 pecially in damp aud cool weather; in this 

 condition it produces a malady much like that 

 occasioned by thin watery honey, among the 

 bees wlieu confined to such a diet in cold 

 weather. It may be wholesome in very warm 

 weather, we have as yet not been able to deter- 

 mine. In the process of rehning, the sugar is 

 entirely freed from caramel, aud hence the safe- 

 ty of white sugar, or what is still ahead of it, 

 rock candy; for nothing but the chemically 

 pure sugar will so crystalize. This rock candy 

 may be left anywhere, even iu a damp cellar, 

 and it never feels sticky to one's lingers, while 

 all other forms of candy or sugar are veiy apt 

 to absorb dampness from the atmosphere. The 

 brown sugar fed last fall has so far proved per- 

 fectly wholesome. 



Many are the conjectures as to what the ef- 

 fect will be of having tlie bees rear brood all 

 through the winter; and if it is really going 

 to l)e deleterious as many imagine. Tho.se 

 who have the spacious cellars with an even 

 temperature, will probably be the most fortu- 

 tunate. Should the frequent flying be produc- 

 tive of good rather than evil, it will result 

 somewhat in favor of the house apiary. Will 

 all our friends trj^ and give us facts in the case 

 without falling into tlie error of defending 

 some particular pet thtory of their own. Re- 

 member we want truth, and it makes little dif- 

 ference as to who comes nearest it. 



"wnO AVII.L CAKE FOE MoTUKE NOW?" 



L?^OE.SN''T the Dec. Xo. road a little as it' Novice 

 ' °'' was not defending extracted honey as valiantly 

 as I'oruiciiy ? I uelieve there is less danger o"f 

 overstocking the market with choice e.xtracted than 

 with couib honey. Honey is a luxury, and many who 

 are now compelled to give up the use of box honey 

 will buy extracted. Also, the market for comb honey 

 lasts but a short time while extracted properly jiut up. 

 is a standard shelf article during the whole "year. It 

 does not iiijiif' hij keepinr/. I kiwic that with us the 

 demand for li<jiiid honey has been better than lor box, 

 and that we could have sold several tons more withouc 

 soliciting a buyer. Liquid honey is out of the market 

 in San Francisco, and 1 think you would (ind it diili- 

 cult to buy much extracted honey in the principal 

 markets east. P. H. J^Ilwood. 



Starkville, N. V., Jan. 10th, 1876. 



Perhaps we had been listening too much to 

 those who were borrowing trouble ; we must 

 confess that since then, we have had very good 

 reason to feel that a nice article of extracted 

 honey will never lack a purchaser. We have 

 just now leceived a check from friend I^Iuth, 

 to \y& handed to a neighbor, for a barrel of 

 honey at lo cents, and we really must think 

 this a good price. We have perfect contidence 

 in the ability of our people to decide what kind 

 of honey they prefer, and we would simply ad- 

 vise our readers to give them their choice. 

 There is certainly no occasion to argue or 

 quarrel over the matter, more than there is to 

 dispute with a dairyman as to whether he 

 should sell his produce in tlie form of milk or 

 butter; if he makes a mistake he speedily gets 

 right without any assistance from outsiders. 



EDITOR of Gleanings :— My family try to persuade 

 me to sell all my bees, but I have not yet concluded to 

 to dp so. If I should regain my health, I would wish 

 no more ij'easant or more prolitable business than bee 

 business. Mr. Heddon's remarks to the contrary, not- 

 withstanding. Not counting the 1,400 colonies of bees, 

 <all hives, boxes, and other rigging on liand worth 

 anything, I cleared, iu years, little less than So(>,00(), 

 and consider myself in easy circumstances, having in- 

 come enough to support myself and family without 

 any more work. Have sold all my comb honey, little 

 over 7,00 lbs, for prices ranging from 'Joe per Iti, gross 

 weight, down to 20c net weight, for honey in largo 

 boxes. I liave nearlj* 10,000 lbs of extracted'honey on 

 hand yet, and would sell it, if all ordered by a respon- 

 sible party, for 12c. per lb, delivered at our depot. 

 What was sold went for from 13 to Itic. Bees seem to 

 winter very well so far. All mine are housed in V.\ 

 different cellars. Adam Giumm. 



Jefferson, Wis., Jan. 10th, 1876. 



Our bees stored a siu'plus the 9th day of August and so 

 on till the Dtli of Sejit., when the great honey harvest 

 was over. Our greatest yiekl in one day from one hive VX\ 

 lbs— :;0 Aug.; 5,500 lbs. from 57 hives, all extracted honey. 

 Jj.OOO in bbls which we offer delivered at the railroad for 

 13 cts. per lb. T, E. Hawkins & Bko. 



New Frankfort, Mo., Dec. 10, '75. 



Some body scolded about our sailing our 

 hats when we bee folks had found out any 

 thing jxtrticularly clever, and we have many 

 times been admonished to -'drive slow and go 

 steady," but when one has fussed and worried 

 and bothered to get good old "Dame Nature" 

 to go in some channel contrary to her inclina- 

 tions, and was obliged to give it up in despair ; 

 and then to see her in her unswerving and un- 

 l)ending way create forms of wondrous beauty, 

 who could help expressing his admiration and 

 thanks in some manner most congenial to his 

 feelings. Now friends Heddon aud Burch wc 

 know you will show that you have a true zeal 



