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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



Our fricucis Shaw & Sou, aiKl Mr. Daniels 

 and his neighbors, have taken all their surplus 

 with the extractor. Mr. Daniels is situated 

 near the swamp we have before spoken of, and 

 it has now been pretty well demonstrated that 

 it pays to move the bees foi" several miles 

 around, into this vicinity in the fall ; and we 

 found tive ditlercnt apiaries located in Mr. 

 Daniels' door yard. Mr. D. has from the 

 stock reported on page 194, extracted since, of 

 fall honey, 55 lbs, making Sil in all, besides 

 making one new colony from it. We examin- 

 ed the stock, and did not find it as populous 

 as many of our own now are. All agreed in 

 calling the double width hives less conven- 

 ient than the two story for the extractor; and 

 that there was no particular advantage in 

 them. If we are not m-istaken, all agreed that 

 it would be about, or full as well, To extract 

 only from the upper stories. The swamp hon- 

 ey is from the Spanish needle, and although 

 the strong flavor is very pleasant to many, "it 

 does not please generally as well as the clover 

 and linden. Our friends are now retailing it 

 at 10c. A brother of Mr. Daniels, has suc- 

 ceeded in making three new colonies, and 167 

 lbs. of honey from one colony of blacks ; this 

 will make a very good item for Mr. Heddou, 

 with the exception" of the movable frames and 

 the extractor which he used to do it. 



It seems pretty evident that bees do, occas- 

 ionally at least, go as much as three or four 

 miles, for Mr. Shaw finds bees coming home 

 from the swamp — recognized on account of 

 the peculiar yellow dust, just as we know 

 when they commence on the" touch-me-not by 

 the white spot on their backs, etc. — laden, and 

 going to the spot where their hive stood be- 

 fore removal. Now the swamp was estimated 

 at not less than four miles, and the bees could 

 not have gone from there home, had they not 

 been in the habit of going there before remov- 

 al. The bees at home do go to the swamp, 

 but the amount of honey gathered, is not 

 nearly equal to that gathered by those within 

 >o mile of the flowers. Mr. Shaw makes all 

 his hives with a view of taking them to the 

 swamp in the fall, and he has also a wagon 

 constructed for the purpose. 



We have purchased about 140 bushels of 

 chafl' at about 5c. per bushel. A part of it has 

 been run through a fanning mill at an expense 

 of about 2c. more, and this is by far the nicest, 

 as it is freed from all dust and heavy particles. 



ISlh — Our house apiary is supplied with 

 chaff cushions, and we are rejoicing to tiud 

 them answering the purpose so well. These 

 cushions are made of two pieces of Indian 

 head muslin 17x21 joined by a band 6 inches 

 wide, so that we have a box of cloth as it 

 were ; we prefer to use the band, as it leaves 

 the ends and sides square, making a close fit 

 to the sides of the hive, or to each other when 

 placed in the house apiary. They were all put 

 on in a very few minutes, and any hive can be 

 readily opened by simply raising the cushion 

 that covers it. The night they were put on, 

 the temperature outside was down to 400. iu 

 the house GO", and a thermometer put under 

 one of the quilts for a few minutes, showed 

 809. If you slide your hand under the quilts 

 that cover even the weak colonies, it seems 

 like putting it into a warm bed. Now all this 



animal heat was passing off continually 

 through the one thickness of cloth, last spring 

 during the spring dwindling, and we fear this 

 has been the case with bees put into cellars 

 and beehouscs to a considerable extent. 

 Before putting on the cushions a pretty strong 

 hum was heard during cool nights, but now 

 we hear not even a "whisper." We shall see. 



Wth — It is a very pleasant piece of fiction that bees 

 have a In guage of ilitir own, and can commnnicate to 

 their fello ws where plunder is to be had, etc., but we 

 opine their vocabulary must at least be raiher limited. 

 Yesterday, the dcor ct' the honey house by some means 

 got open, and at noon we found them doing a "land olttee 

 business" on our sections of comb honey. The door was 

 closed until they were all on the glass, and then opened 

 Just long enough to let them out. As a fresh army rushed 

 in at every opening, it was some time before all were out, 

 and as each lot rushed laden info the hives, a swarm of 

 w orkers came out and made straight for the door way. 

 At night they had given u]) buzzing around the door, and 

 a feeder was jilaced in front of a hive which wo watched 

 until a few bees were ready to go irrside witha loadof 

 honey ; almost as soon as they were out of sight, a lot 

 came tumbling out, and went straight to ilie door ot the 

 honey house. More kept coming, and we finally were 

 convinced that they only know when a bee comes in laden, 

 that he has obtained his load somewhere, and that the 

 only way they have of lindins;' it, is to scatter about in ev- 

 ery direction until they lind it. 



WiarXERINti BOXES. IlVTROUrCING 



Qi'EEIVS. 



,.* S to comb fdn. I can not say enough in its praise, 



for it works to a charm where it is properly 

 used. I got some from Perrine and first filled 

 some frames too full for such warm weather, 85^ to 

 90^, and it stretched so as to double up at the bottom. 

 It also spread laterally and waved, but as I tried only 

 a few this way it made but little diil'erence. I then 

 filled the frames leaving about one inch each side and 

 from one to five or six inches at the bottom and got 

 some splendid combs. I put some in hives at S o'clock 

 r. Ji., looked at them at S the next morning and found 

 the cells about }i inch deep aud in 12 hours more egg 3 

 and honey in them. Perrine's fdn. was very thin. 

 We got 37 sheets 12x19 inchco for 8 lbs. and we got 38 

 sheets from you in 12 lbs. ; so you see Perrine's gives 

 more surface for same number of lbs., but I would 

 have no choice between the twfl as both work well. 

 Perhaps yours would work best in very hot weather 

 and strong stocks. At all events it is a great help, 

 Heddon to the contrary. By the way, 2 plus 2 make 

 4, and I think friend H. can prove his theory as to 

 humbug fdn., box hives, and black bees, just about as 

 easily as he can prove that 2 plus 2 equals 8. 



Now I will tell you my plan of wintering (don't tell 

 any one, as I intend to get it patented a la Gillespie). 

 I am indebted to Mr. A. Simmons of Fairfield, Iowa, 

 for it. I have been at his place several times during 

 the past five years, and while he lost a great many 

 bees by other modes of wintering, he has rrever lost 

 one by this. It is as follows : 



Make a box or outside hive with good bottom to it, 

 large enough to take the hive in and leave 5 or 6 inch- 

 es space all around and on the top ; make a good tight 

 cover, and let the cap or roof project over 1)4. inches. 

 Xow bore one or two holes through side or rim piece 

 of cap just under the projection and tack wire cloth 

 on inside. This will give ventilation over the top of 

 the hive. Make an entrance to the outside box to 

 correspond with the one iu the hive, and a "chirte" 

 or passage way from one to the other. Also make a 

 slide to shut up the entrance in outside box, which 

 should be kei t closed to )i inch during winter. 



Now pack all arouud and on top of the hive with 



