196 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



A. I. ROOT, Dear ,S'/r:— The difficulty now is, comb 

 loundations. Three out of four of mine bulge and 

 melt down. The heat of the weather and the bees 

 stretch the foundation to double its original size. I 

 have had foundations from several persons ; that from 

 King & Slocum, was heavier and thicker than others 

 and gave me more trouble. I have no difficulty in 

 putting it in the frames ; take heavy pasteboard and 

 cut just size inside of frames, losing beeswax and ros- 

 in to fasten it. The comb you sent mc from the bees 

 is the finest specimen I ever saw. Comb foundations 

 are a success, and will do wonders when we overcome 

 these small difficulties. It will not do to send by 

 mail ; that you sent me was broken wherever creased. 

 I do not complain of it for I used it in boxes. The 

 failures are more useful than the successcj: we rarely 

 hear both sides. 



Everybody and his wife are down on the hoop hive, 

 but the longer I use it the better Hike it. The sur- 

 plus arrangement (hoops on top) can not be beat. I 

 should put two or three hoops above the boxes for 

 ventilation. This hot weather is sure to melt comb in 

 boxes in the sun but an inch from a heavy board cov- 

 er. My bees have done well. I bought 20 American 

 hives from King & Slocum this spring and have them 

 about full. I like the size of the American frame, but 

 not the closed bar. 1 shall want 20 hives and an ex- 

 tractor next season, neighbours as much more. I do 

 wish we could decide on a universal frame. 



Docs it make any difference which way the cells 

 run, in putting in the foundations ? The strips I used 

 for guides in frames, work well ; they build straight 

 combs and lose no time. I secured one Langstroth 

 comb by leaving in the pasteboard ; they worked out 

 the other side which stiffencd.thc whole, with but lit- 

 tle bulge. I cut off the bottom bulge three or four 

 inches from the American frames. The foundations 

 then stretched enough to fdl the frame. I experiment 

 continually, and with some care. Twenty years of my 

 life were spent in practical chemistry. Prof. A. J. 

 Cook writes he lias no trouble. Nellis Bro's say expe- 

 rience is wanted with tlicm, to recommend a remedy. 

 If the old hands don't know, what may be expected of 

 us green hands ':! Cook is mistaken when he says any 

 one can make their own liives; no two will be alike. 

 I have never seen a mechanic and a genius made out 

 of one piece of stuff. Brains and tools are quite differ- 

 ent. Webster stated correctly, that the bottom was 

 lull of lawyers. How many bee-keepers are at the 

 top? Thy friend, Chas. J. Quinby. 



White Plains, N. Y., July 6th, 1S76. 



The specimen of comb built from the fdn. 

 that our friend admires so much, was prepar- 

 ed to send to the Centennial. A full sized 

 sheet was put in the frame, and we succeeded 

 in getting it built up with very little bulging ; 

 if we can be sure oi'pure white or even yellow 

 wax, we think we shall have no trouble in do- 

 ing this every time. When the latter is clean 

 and nice, we think it equal in every respect, 

 except in looks. 



DEAR NOVICE :— I am glad to see you say a word 

 in favor of Mr. Dadant and the dark colored Italians. 

 1 have none of Mr. Dadant's imported queens, but I 

 have a number of daughters from one of his imported 

 queens, and I am free to confess both tlie queens and 

 their workers are ratlier dark, yet they are quiet and 

 easy to handle and the queens are the most prolific, 

 and their workers are the most industrious and best 

 honey gatherers of any I have ever owned. I have a 

 number of as yellow queens as any one could want 



and their workers are beautiful to look at. But for 

 rousing big swarms and piles of honey give me the 

 dark leather colored ones always. 



White clover has been in bloom for nearly a montln 

 and bees have done well on it. I believe there are 50 

 acres of it \viLhin one mile of my home and so thick it 

 makes the hills look perfectly white. But the bee» 

 are now leaving it for basswood M'hich is just coming 

 into bloom. Should like to try sorae of the artificial 

 comb, but must wait till the bees earn it. Am looking 

 out for a big yield of honey from now until frost comes. 

 There are three or four acres of buckwheat sowed with- 

 in a few hundred yards of my house. Won't it be fun 

 when it begins to bloom. 



Hurrah for Master Ernest and the rake and all the 

 rest of the little folks for that was well done. How is 

 little Blue Eyes ? Shall want her picture again pretty 

 soon to see liow she looks. 



Ai>yxiED McMains, Chariton, Iowa, July 5ih, 76. 



I had fair success the past season in wintering my 

 bees, but some of them starved this spring ; I led 

 some of them but it was all the same, they soon 

 dwindled away. I often wonder how our most prom- 

 inent liee-keepers can recommend feeding early in 

 the spring, but when we look up their success year 

 after year, we lind they don't have large apiaries, nor 

 do they sell many bees. I had good swarms the first 

 of April that were short of honey. I gave them 

 sealed stores and in three weeks they were all gone 

 except the young bees (the same as Novice's) ; but my 

 large hives holding from 2500 to -1000 square inches 

 that had plenty of stores in the fall were hanging on 

 the outside of their hives the tirst of May. They com- 

 menced swarming May 12th, have had 70 swarms from 

 85 old stocks. 



If it keeps on raining we will have as much sour 

 honey as friend Heddoh usually lias, but I have never 

 yet had any extracted honey to sour. Now that re- 

 minds me of little circumstance that happened here 

 last fall. Mr. H. came through here selling honey at 

 30c ; he was told that it could be bought much cheap- 

 er near home but he linall5' persuaded his customers 

 to take his honey, lor he made them think that all 

 cheap honey was unripe and would sour. This honey 

 is on h.and yet and I am selling at from 10 to 15c and 

 making 200 per cent on money invested. Wouldn't 

 Mr. H. do better selling patent rights ? K. 



Saranac, Mich., July 4th, 1876. 



1 commenced in spring with four hives and have in- 

 creased to nine. The season has been a good one. White 

 clover is ]jlenty, more so than it has been for many years. 

 Which do you prefer, using the extractor or top boxes ? 

 Ctrus McQueen, Buena Vista, O., June 2itli, '7<5. 

 Depends altogether on what prices are offer- 

 ed for extd. The foundations now, seem to 

 promise a means by which comb honey may 

 be produced much cheaper, and with more 

 certainty than ever before. 



Our bees are doing splendidly on white clover ; we nev- 

 er knew a better crop than now and there's plenty of 

 honey in it. We have 18 colonies at this time, 9 of them 

 natural swarms. Last Fiiday we extracted 180 lbs. of 

 honey, and expect to get as much or more this week. 



Mes. Coats, Columbus, Ind., June 6th, '76. 



An average hive on my scales re-^istered 71 lbs. at Sis' 

 P. 31. yesterday and 77 lbs. today at 1>i P. 31. June 2d; 

 the best by Vi lbs. th^t I ever had an average colony do, 

 all white clover. H. F. Sjitsee. 



Windsor, 111, June 2d, 1370. 



