1870. 



GLEANINGS i:^ BEE CULTURE. 



51 



they can carry away, from now — they are at it 

 like good fellows to-day, and the queen in the 

 Universal hive has a large circle of eggs and 

 Iji-ood ir. all stages — until the llowers call tlieni 

 away. After fruit blosooms, if they will take 

 it, they shall have the loaf sugar again, and so 

 on whenever they can do no better. 



OUR OWN APIAKV. 



'^ifjl^B. Sth — It is warm again now, but we 

 -]*[: have just Inid a zero spell, and our colony 

 tTiat we purposely left with neither sides nor 

 cover to their defenceless lieads, except the 

 cover to the upper story to keep otf the rain, 

 for the first time this winter seemed to be the 

 worse for sucli treatment; in fact, about one- 

 half were cold in death, nurtyrs to tlie cause 

 of science. "So Lk-cs do really free/.e" thought 

 we ; l)ut an examination showed that they did 

 not Ireeze, they (jnly starved alter all; for on 

 one side of the comb where there was no hon- 

 ey every one was dead, but on the other where 

 there was an abundance of stores, they were 

 all alive. There was plenty of honey in all 

 the combs except where the dead bees were 

 found ; in this there was none for several inch- 

 es, and to get what there was they were 

 obliged to go out in the cold or over the top of 

 the comb, neither of whioh they could do du- 

 ring zero weather. Now it may be said that 

 winter passages in the coml)s would have 

 saved them: but even if it would, it will be 

 cheaper to liavc plenty of bees, a good gener- 

 ous sized quilt tucked np nice and warm over 

 their heads, and a division i)oard to reduce the 

 size of the hive as small as we can get it for 

 wintering, consistent with an ample supply of 

 food. All the rest of our colonies are in fair 

 trim, and those in the house apiary, scarcely 

 seem to have as .yet passed any winter. 



Feb. 1th — We have just put a colony into one 

 of our Universal Hives; and their extreme 

 lightness in liandling, would of itself be a 

 sullicient argument in their favor. As to their 

 cai)ability of standing the weather, keeping the 

 contents dry, and drying otf quickly after a 

 storm, actual test will determine. We have an 

 opinion that they will accomplish the latter 

 more perfectly, if uupaiuted ; in this stale they 

 ai)proach nearer to the old straw hive than 

 anything we have ever before seen. 



Feb. 12th — Bees working on meal ; we believe 

 it is the first time we ever fed. meal in Feb. 

 We have just had some drenching rains, and 

 today tlie sun has been very hot on the cover 

 of the Universal hive. Although the metal 

 holds the ends true, the middle does bulge in a 

 little in its desire to warp, so that v;e think it 

 best to have the covers painted. Otherwise 

 the hive is as simple and ellicient as one could 

 wish ; the sun and rain have no effect on the 

 hoops wliatcver. One colony is dead in the 

 house apiary; they died of starvation while 

 there were combs containing several lbs. each 

 on the other side of the hive. We left a few 

 witliout contracting the hive by means of the 

 division board, and this was one of the num 

 ber. It was quite a good colony, but tliey 

 were clustered on new cambs, and were next 

 the door ; the door was left by the carpenter, 

 with "^ome rather bad joints, and we intended 

 to tack on soraj listiu", but didn't. Had the 



I heavy combs been placed next the cluster, or 

 had the hive been squeezed up until it would 

 just hold llie Ijees, or had we even fixed that 

 door. We might have now been rejoicing in 

 posses^ion of the wliolc t]0. 



l^erliiining," to Bee Oiiltxiro. 



[We rcsiii'cl fully solicit the aid of our friends in 

 coiiducl.iiii;' Ihis ileiiavtiiiciit, anil would consiiler it 

 a tavor to liavc lliuiu send u.s all circulais lliat liavc 

 a (leccptivo ai^pearance. The greatest caro will bo al 

 all times maintained to i)ix'vent injustice being tlonv 

 any one.] 



The 25 receipts lor making candy did oomo to hand after 

 all ; but the eniire sheet does not contain as inutrh matter 

 as does tills pairs. Tlvi entire 25 are but repjliuori.s with 

 slight variation, of the I'ollo wiii'j selected fiom among them : 



Common Twist Cr/itJ/y.— Boil 3 pounds of c^nmon su- 

 sar and one pint of water over a slow lire for h ilf an hour, 

 without skimmiii!?. Wlien boded enough take it oil' ; ruh 

 the hauQs over with butter; take thit which is a little 

 cooled, and i)ull it as you would mol isses candy, until it is 

 white; then twist or braid it, and cut it up in strips. 



Mrs. Cotton seems to be quite fortunate in getting hei' 

 adroit arlicles published in many of the a-;ricultural pa- 

 pers; and one of her "reiwrts" has even found its way in- 

 to the )''eb. Macjazinc. Please send for her circular if you 

 think us too severe. We are patiently waiting for tint 

 "wonderful book" yet. 



Mitcliel' seems to be prosperiag for he is flooding: our 

 readers with "speci-d ciirils" with yellow slips attached. 

 It is ])orfe('lly s;ifc to read tliem, if jou are smart enough 

 to kei.'ji troiii haviuj: your n;ime added to the already large 

 list that he is going to send hives and queens to'"aficr 

 awhile." 



SOLD I'Oll TEN nOLLAES. 



EDITOR GLEANINGS— i>c«r Sir:— I would lik3 to 

 say a few words through your vahiable journal, in rogird 

 to a woHilerf ill hivg tlviit is made \>y thi^ sune Mrs. Cot- 

 ton you spa ik of, as having that wouilerful book wliich is 

 not printed yet. About one ye.ir [\m 1 saw an article in 

 the Poi'i land 7'/'«»sc'r i/j^ written by her, in which she 

 told ot the wonderful results obtained by the use of jier 

 Confriit'i'jlc Hire. 1 at once wrote her, making some in- 

 quiries about the hive, and received in answer to my let- 

 ter, that sh;i would sail me one of those wonderful Jjives 

 for iirelcc dollars; or would let me have one for a good 

 stock of bees, to be delivered a^ her order. In reply 1 

 made her this oiler : If she would send me one of thos); 

 hives I would put a good strong swarm into it, try it until 

 fall, and if it proved as good as she ivcommended 1 would 

 pay her the twelve dollars; and if I thought it would not 

 do for me, 1 would return it to her with the stock of bees 

 in it, at my own cost, in reply, sli.^ said she would not do 

 that, but that she had coucliuled to let me have one f jr 

 ten dollars; and 1 was foolish en(jugh to send the money. 

 After waiting two or three months, it came. I was at the 

 station when ic arrived. 1 did not at lirst know whit il 

 was, but seeing may name on the top I examiaod it close- 

 ly, and found ail entr.-ince at the bottom. I made up my 

 mind it was no' hiii-- il i.iii;eroiis. I got a man to take hold 

 of one side, I takinn' the other, and we started for my 

 house which was on the other side of the village, iiut t*> 

 tell the truth i was ashamed to have any one see it. I got 

 ii into my stable out of si,dit, and got the other man otT 

 out of the way. Now 1 could inspect the wonderful 

 thing. But 1 will not go into dvjtails. I was confounded, 

 for such a hutched \\{i i)icce of work I never saw foi" toi 

 dollars. It had (! frames IDiXS'i inside measure, only one 

 1)0 .V (ami that a .second hind one with the glass out,) when 

 there should have been thirty to make out ten dollars 

 worth — at least i thought .so. 



But, Dear Novice, I wish you could see those frames. 1 

 have been tomiited to send you one by mail; and 1 would 

 if it were possible to get ii, to you whole. But, it would 

 fail to pieces before I could get it done np. Soeiug I could 

 not use the hiv(! I gave it to my boy to keep a pair of owls 

 in. It made a. vi;ry good owl cage, but rather expensive. 

 It was made of f stiiif mosilv, with one light coat of wddtt! 

 paint, pie on 1 should think with a broom, and a green 

 h md at that. 



I have ten stocks of bees; all have had a sjilcndid fly 

 to-ilay. It his been the mildest winter 1 ever saw in 

 Mtiine. S. H. Hutcui:sson. 



Mechanic's Falls, JIc., Feb. Sth, 187G. 



