THOUSAND ANSWERS 65 



Q. Would you advise deep or shallow covers? 



A. For my own use I prefer the flat cover (I have no trouble 

 with rain beating in,) although some good beekeepers prefer deep 

 covers. 



Q. I have a lot of telescope covers 11 inches deep. Will it be 

 all right to put them on in winter, or will they keep the bees too 

 warm? 



A. No danger of keeping too warm. 



Q. What do you think of the "Colorado" cover? 



A. It's a good cover. 



Q. Are metal-roof covers for hives with inner covers better 

 than wooden covers? If so, why? 



A. Their chief advantage is that they are always rain-proof. 



Cow Peas. — Q. Do bees gather honey from cow peas? We 

 had about three acres of cow peas here last year, and it appeared 

 that all our bees worked on them for three of four weeks, as it 

 seemed there were thousands, and the queer thing to me was 

 that they did not work on the bloom, but on the joint just below 

 the bloom or young pea. Was it wax or honey? 



A. Cow peas are counted honey-plants. There are different 

 plants which, at least at times, secrete nectar elsewhere than in 

 the blossoms. When you see bees working as busily as you say 

 they were on your cow peas, you may be sure they were getting 

 either nectar or pollen. If you see no pollen on their legs you 

 may be sure they are getting nectar. They don't gather wax, 

 they secrete it; but they gather bee-glue. 



Cucumbers. — Q. How is cucumber as a nectar-yielding plant? 

 How many colonies could be kept at one place to the best advan- 

 tage, when the farmers raise one-quarter to two acres each? 



A. Hard to tell. Depends somewhat upon size of farms. If 

 each farmer plants half an acre, you will readily see that there 

 will be four times as much pasturage if the farms average 40 

 acres as if they average 160 acres. I should guess that 100 colo- 

 nies might do well with one acre in every 100 in cucumbers. 



Cushions, Chaff. — Q. What is the best way to make chaff 

 cushions for hives to winter bees in? 



A. Make a plain bag a little larger than the size of the re- 

 quired cushion closed on all sides except enough for an opening 

 on one side to admit "stuffing." At each corner sew a straight 

 seam as long as the depth of the cushion. Don't sew it with the 

 bag lying flat for that would spoil the shape of your cushion. In- 



