196 



GLEANINGS LX BEE CULTUKE. 



June 



Will you please explain of what blood a queen 

 raised from a hybrid stock is, when she is fertilized 

 by an Italian drcneV 



I have had six swarms up to date; three in April; 

 all Italians. I have native bees, but no swarms 

 from them vet. Wm. St. Martz. 



Moonshine, Ills., May 9th, 1S7S. 



I should call her bees f Italian, and yon 

 will tind such bees are often the very best of 

 honey gatherers. It is sometimes hard to 

 tell them by the markings, from pure Ital- 

 ians, but they are. usually, much harder to 

 handle. 



■OTien I wrote to you before, you said, "Tell me 

 more about that swarm you got for logging, and its 

 increase." Well, they were rather weak in the 

 spring, and I transferred them into the L. frames. 

 I concluded yovi knew best about the frames, so I 

 c-hanged. They swai-med July 1st. 



I sent to H. Alley for a queen; she was dead when 

 received. I sent back a card to that etfect, and he 

 sent me another, which arrived safely. I had de- 

 stroyed the queen cells in the parent swarm, and 

 she was nceepted by them July 2od. I like her pro- 

 geny very much. 



They are very lively workers. An old bee hunter 

 followed them about five miles, to see where such 

 funny bees lived or were owned. They are the 

 only yellow bees in this township. So j'ou see I 

 have two swarms. They are packed aroimd with 

 cut straw and chaff, in a good box. Father says, he 

 never knew bees to gather pollen in Dec. before. 

 The black ones don't bring any. Jf I keep bees, I 

 intend to keep Italians. Oris F. Bowen. 



Randolph, C'att. Co., New York, Dec. 2yth, 1877. 



do as I heard of a minister's doing because 

 I his tlock would not come on rainy Sabbaths; 



abuse those who did come, for the faults of 

 j the others. In regard to the extractor, I can 

 : scarcely think honey is throA^ii over the can, 

 j if the machine is the proper size for the 

 I frames. Where the size of the frame is not 

 i given, or is only partly given, we have many 



times no choice but to get at it, as best we 

 , can: and. in such cases, there is sometimes 

 j trouble of the kind mentioned. Xotwith- 

 1 st:\nding this, I can not think it best to 



make all machines so large as to take any 



sized frame, as some extractor makers do. 



any more than I would think of requiring 

 ' all to wear boots and shoes of one size. 



EXTRACTED VERSUS COMB HOSEY. 



We have to raise some honey in section boxes, for 

 customers; but, for our own accommodation, — our 

 own table use, baking, and easy holding over \vinter, 

 ^^•e prefer the iOO lbs. ban-el' of extracted honey, 

 collected from white clover and linden blossoms, 

 and well ripened by the bees before being extracted. 

 This is the most splendid food for an old soldier, 

 who had to undergo so many privations on long 

 marches and charges, during the late war of our 

 o'W'n national un^ileasantness, and who came home 

 from the battle field without his right arm. Cer- 

 tainly, I am the one who appreciates this most 

 splendid food, and give God the credit for all suc- 

 cess, the same as you do, according to your words 

 on page 11, Jan. number. Cokkad Dippel. 



Watertown, Wis., Jan. 2iSt, 1S78. 



Tour smoker came to hand all right, and does its 

 work "'tip top." I would not take §.5.1)0 for it. if I 

 cr)uld not get another. I should like a few seeds of 

 those big Russian sunflowers, if you think they will 

 not capture all the Egyptians, in these parts. Let 

 mo try them anvwav. " O. Grimsilvw. 



Ashley, Dls., May 7, '78. 



I have 11 stands of bees which I brought through 

 the winter successfully. I have had 13 swarms 

 from them this season: 8 first and 4 second. I had 2 

 on the 10th of April. By the aid of the A B C, I have 

 saved them all, while "the most of my neighbor's 

 swaiTns. (like friend .Joiner's) have "Gone West." 

 The white wood or tulip and white clover are in 

 bloom, and bees are making honey rapidly. 



M. A. HUFFAKER. 



Eiverdrlo, Tenn., May 1st, 1878. 



Perhaps, as I live in what is considered the best 

 bee country in the United States, a few words in 

 regfird to the prospect for honey may not be amiss. 

 At present, our prospects are very favorable, and 

 we expect a great crop of honey. Bees find honey 

 so plenty now that they will not touch it when left 

 around in dishes; they would rather go to the flow- 

 ers for it. I have some working pretty lively in sec- 

 tion boxes, at the present time; and" this, notwith- 

 standing last season was the poorest ever known, as 

 we made no honey, and one-half of the stocks died 

 r.f want ; in fact, bee men here were a community 

 of 'Blasted Hopes." 



I keep 130 stands, and expect, this year, to average 

 100 lbs. of comb honey to the stand. We do not ex- 

 tract. If you have any good ideas in regard to in- 

 ducing bees to store in' section boxes, anything to 

 make them do the most work there possible, I wish 

 you would put it in your May No., if possible, or in 

 June. Our great yield of honey comes then, and the 

 comb is as white as milk, and the honej' as clear as 

 water. It does not candy. 



We have some big stories of great honey yields 

 here in good seasons; one gentleman told me he 

 took 18 section boxes, weighing 1.5 lbs. each, of comb 

 honey, from one hive in a season: and 1 think he 

 told the truth. If you wish any items of the coun- 

 trv, 1 will write again. Wm. McCain. 



Bernardo. Cal., April 2d, 1878. 



You will please send me a specimen number of 

 Gi.EANixGS. Bees are gathering honey rapidly 

 from 1 he poplar. The honey extractor I got of yoii 

 last season is not tall enough above the frame; 

 the horev flies over the top like fine cobwebs, ma- 

 king one's clothes sticky. Also, the handle is in the 

 way very olt^n, hut this is not a serious objection. 

 Bee-keeping is looking up in this countv, this spring. 



May 'Ah, 1878. E. K. KixG. 



Xow. my friend, as there v.as no sign of 

 any Jiddrcss. of any kind, on your postal. 

 Iiow in tlie world are we to answer youV As 

 yon a.sk for a specimen copy, you are proba- 

 bly not a subscriber, and so I do not know 

 how we are to get at you at all. We might 



FEEDING CANDY IN FRAMES. 



I hnvc 3 swarms of black bees. T bought them in 



July last, transferred them from old box hives into 



movable frame hives, and they hnd to make all their 



combs, and winter stores, after that time. They did 



pretty well; but, when I fixed them up for winter, I 



filled a frame, for each hive, with candy made ac- 



' eliding to your directions. It was as hard and 



j white :is ma'rble, yet, in a verj- little while, it all 



I melted nnd slid down in a heap in the bottom of the 



; hives. We had a great deal of rain, and damp foggy 



'■ vreather, all the fore part of the winter. I gathered 



up the candy, heated it again (over hot water so it 



would not bom^, filled the frames anew, and put 



I ihem in. In a week or two, they were down in the 



j bottom again. I have wintered on summer stands, 



packed in chafif. We have had a warm open winter, 



! and no snow. Warren Horton. 



I Waupaca, Wis., Feb. 28th. 1878. 



I The trouble is, without doubt, that your 

 ; candy v>'as not boiled enough. I have never 

 I had any such trouble, but liave had a simi- 

 ■ lar complaint from one lot we sent away. 

 I It seems there is a difficulty in getting the 

 : candy just right, for. if it is boiled too much, 

 it is burned, and if not enough, it is liable 

 i to melt down as you describe. I think the 

 I addition of the flour makes it stronger; that 

 is. it will Jje less liable to liquefy, even 

 though the weat4ier l)e damp. Some of our 

 ' first make was so soft that ^ syrup leaked 

 : from it, but our bees took care of it so fast, 

 I that it had no chance to fall. It seems, 

 'then, there is a disagreeable feature about 

 I candy feeding, as well as ii|»oi^t feeding liq- 

 ' uid food. 



