41 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
Ai'nrr,. 
gave but verv few eggs compared with ours, 
iiud they almost invariably froze, as did the 
combs and feet of the fowls, besides. 
II (i in bu^s si it cl S iv indices 
Pertaining to Bee Culture. 
[We respectfully solicit the aid of oiu- friends in 
conducting this department, and would consider it 
a favor to have them send us all circulars that have 
a deceptive appearance. The greatest care will be at 
all times maintained to prevent injustice being done 
any one.] 
flMHERE ! that’s just our luck. Lizzie Cot- 
Jgji ton has been offering her $15.00 Controla- 
bte hive for seven dollars , blit the magnificent 
offer was only to remain open until Feb. 24tli, 
and we didn’t get the circular until March. 
After above date, price is positively be as 
heretofore $15.00. This hive is not patented ; 
oh no! but if $7.00 gives a profit we yankees 
would like to know— There ! we wonder if the 
$10.00 Honey receipt isn’t offered for less than 
half of its value too, for a very few days. 
Very few patent hive circulars have come in 
of late, yet there are other swindles in tire bee 
business that need ventilating. Foremost 
among them comes our Queen-rearing friend 
of Kellev’s Island, who writes letters using the 
terms “ thee” and “ thou,” we’re sure we don’t 
know for what reason, for he can’t be a Quaker. 
They wouldn’t advertise as lie has done, at 
extra prices, and then send those reared else- 
where. A gentleman who will come forward 
if need be, tells us there was not a single Queen 
reared for sale on the Island last season, and 
that our “thee" and “thou” friend did not 
reside there. Worse than all, the real genuine 
Foal Jirood, is raging there badly, and he was 
informed, they had been unable to stop it, 
even though they had tried burning, burying, 
and all prescribed remedies. As there are but 
few colonies there, could not our Ohio Bee 
Keepers afford to bitty them, and have them 
entirely destroyed until such a time as the 
Island shall have become free from contagion. 
Those who have had experience can tell that 
the disease is no trifling matter. 
Would it not be better in shipping Queens, 
to use only sugar or candy, and to destroy all 
combs received with them. It really seems no 
more than just that every locality where the 
disease has prevailed should be given publicity, 
even should it occasionally result in pecuniary 
loss to single individuals. 
If any facts can be brought to show we are 
in error in regard to the Island, we shall he 
most happy to publish them. 
Another class of evils cries out for a remedy ; 
the following extract will Illustrate it. We 
stand ready to furnish all names when neces- 
sary. 
DEAR NOVICE:— I am much obliged to yon for 
vour service in the matter between me ana- r* 1 
shall write for him to return the money and should he 
tlo ho, you may withhold the complimentary notice l 
gent you, as 1 should dislike to do any body an injus- 
tice, and am willing to give him the benefit ol his 
explanation* , though its hard for me to believe. 
About the same time (1872) I sent the money to — — , 
I also sent ($10.) to for two Imported Italian 
Queen Bees, I still hold their acknowledgement ol the 
receipt of the money, but the Queens have not come* 
to hand, nor have they returned the mone> ; they 
wrote me once that they would send me some ot their 
wares , or any thing else they had to sell, but 1 do not 
want their wares, nor the bees now, as I have rec d 
Queens from other parties. 1 have's© informed them., 
but the money is not forthcoming. Money is as scarce- 
as “hens teeth” down here, the use of the would, 
have been worth $5.00 to me lor Che time they have- 
. ii. -I. 1*. L* A lllv Kit — 
Alamo, Temu March 5th. 1874. 
Tlic remedy we should suggest for such, 
cases would "be to send directions with the 
order to have the money returned unless the- 
order could be filled inside of 10, 30, or 90 days* 
as the case might require. Parties who can- 
not comply with such a simple request are not 
deserving of patronage, and should be held up 
publicly to warn our friends and neighbors. 
R «>• p Ol’tM K 11 <* O n i» si £*• i II ti : . 
, j AST season was a splendid honey season here, 
ill , One Italian stock gained 6 lbs. in a day, and 
±MI built the comb. A new Italian swarm came out 
June Uth, and tilled a frames of comb, each mime 
to x 14 outside measurement, and 45 11 >s. surplus ; the 
suvitlus was removed and the rest lelt lor winter, anti, 
they are ail tight to-day; the 35 lbs. were all sold at 
(to cts. a lit., giving me cash money S2U10, how is that 
10 L?mti!!oi't. ? Pa. Thos-F.Wu.tmas, 
FRIEND NOVICE My Bees (35 colonies) have all 
wintered all o. K., 16 on pure loaf sugar. Kent m 
house built on same principle as yours. 1 funk, the 
sugared ones, the most dormant. All had a good lly 
on March 2nd. Hard work to wake up the Italians, 
particularly those we fed on “-sugar syrup.” All the 
blacks 1 have (5 colonics) were quite uneasy anti hive* 
slightly soiled, but colonies strong. I now think that 
a warm house, (not below 40° F.) “Sugar syrup,” and 
Italian Bees, combined, make wintering a certainty. 
Raised over S8U0. worth of honey from 16 colonies, 
last season, and expect to fill the cellar, the coming 
year. Don’t much expect to revolve quite so much 
can, the coming season as we did last. 
1 think the cause of my success is, that I made api- 
culture a specially. Do not think farmers should 
keep bees, any more than run a carpenter’s shop, or 
saw-mill. For a good job, one Iron in the lire at 
a time. James Hkduon, 
Dowaginc, Mich. March 13th, 1674. 
Now friend H. you have certainly hit the 
nail on the head in one thing, and by the way 
it hits us pretty squarely on the head too. 
There may be a difference of opinion in regard 
to farmers keeping bees, but ’tis morally cer- 
tain that one thing done well affords more 
pleasure and profit too, than a dozen things 
done in haste and of course poorly done. We 
really believe our present loss in wintering 
was on account of the “too many irons,” for 
we really could not find time to do, what we 
earnestly insisted on having our readers do, 
viz : build up our colonies strong in the fall. 
We have a desperate determination now o! 
giving our whole time to Gi.eanings and the 
bees, and if some of the pesky “ irons” don t 
get scattered right and left regardless of the 
loss entailed it will be— well, if the conse- 
quence should be that we don’t earn more than 
25c. a day, we’ll make onr expenses come under 
24, and we’ll just enjoy ourselves, having fun 
with the bees, and writing letters to such 
pleasant friends as yourself Mr. II. and the 
rest of our bee acquaintances. Wc have made 
our Journal larger this month just on purpose 
to have a “ big talk,” without feeling we were 
crowding something, and to allow our corres- 
pondents to compare ideas more freely also. 
