GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
At'otrsT. 
SC 
drowned and killed, if for no other reason. 
Those who are ailxious to increase the number 
of theircolonies in the fall, or to rear Queens, 
should keep them busy on the dry sugar, if 
possible just as soon as the yield of honey fails, 
for they are quite apt to make bad work when 
first disappointed in getting their customary 
daily stores, unless carefully watched. ’Tis 
true we must expect to feed our neighbors’ bees 
as well, but is not this preferable to having 
our bees annoy other neighbors? 
We do not think any method of feeding in 
the hive can answer the same purpose, for 
whatever is in the hive is theirs already, and 
'tis “bee like” to feel that “the more they have, 
the more they want.” 
“Now see here Mr. N., you have written as 
though ’tWere possible to make a one story L. 
hive hold a whole colony the season through. 
What is to done with the surplus bees and 
brood ?" 
“Why make new colonies when the hive gets 
too full, of course.” 
“But suppose the Apiarist has as many as 
he wishes already?" 
“Sell ’em.” 
“So you would have the production of new 
colonies always go hand in hand with surplus 
honey?” 
“Or rather we would simply make the sug- 
gestion.” 
“ ’Twere much better as a suggestion than 
given as a partof 'IIow to Conduct an Apiary.’ ” j 
In one case we are dependant on a single , 
Queen for the peopling of perhaps ‘10 combs, in 
l lie other only 10; now if a 80 comb hive gives j 
000 lbs. surplus, will not the other give safely ! 
100? in the former case the whole is depen- : 
dant on tiie caprice of a mingle Queen, and [ 
Queens ure capricious in regard to the number 
of eggs they lay, at least we find them so. 
Our Queens sometimes lay 2000 eggs per day 
for a short time ; but so far as keeping them at 
work at this rate is concerned, we have not 
been able to come any where near it. 
In conclusion we would say that we consid- 
er the Standard hive by all means preferable, 
when one is commencing anew and can choose i 
that as well as any other ; also, for a hive that 1 
can be used to allow all of the Queen’s proge- l 
ny to labor without increasing the number of 
stocks, we should give it the preference unhes- 
itatingly, over a two story hive. 
Friend Mut.li of Cincinnati, who has had 
much experience, advises that honey be run 
into large cans, milk cans for instance, and 
allowed to stand several days to settle, and al- 
low of what scum may rise to the surface being 
skimmed oft’ before barreling it. This will 
make some additional trouble, but may be 
quite an important item ; we have not as yet 
been able to give the matter a careful test, but 
will say this much, that our honey has always | 
had a bad habit of expanding when it candies, 
so much so that it generally oozes out around 
the mouth of the jars, in a very untidy and in- 
convenient way. If, as friend M. thinks, this 
can be remedied by allowing it to stand, and 
removing the scum etc., we should certainly 
do it. Will our friends please report. 
Again, wc last season recommended using 
half rosin with the wax for waxing barrels, and 
wc thought we had given it a thorough test, 
for the honey had no rosin taste even after be- 
ing several months in the barrel; but this 
spring having occasion to use a barrel that 
had some honey candied on its sides, wc found 
on pouring it out after it had been standing in 
the sun until melted, that it had a considerable 
taste of resin. In view of this we think bees- 
wax alone had better be used. If it is made 
very hot and not less than gallon used, 
’twill take lmt little to make alftight. 
OUK OWN APIABY. 
• 
WAD we not grown sober and steady of 
li i, late, we presume we should now be sail- 
ing our hat on account of the sudden, very 
welcome intelligence given us by the bees, that 
the basswood trees were loaded with honey. 
We had abandoned all hope of doing more 
this season than to build up our shattered coi- 
onies, but to-day, July 6th, we have taken more 
than half a barrel of nice thick honey, and 
during the whole time we were extracting, not 
a robber interfered with our work. It really 
seems like old times. Not even smoke was 
required until we came to our natural swarms 
of common bees. And by "the way, that re- 
minds us that we haven’t told about this same 
good fortune of ours. It was June 26th, and 
we were all intent on our July No. you see, 
when a neighbor persisted in wanting to see 
Novice. His first remark was, “Well Mr. N., 
if you were sick you would send for the Doc- 
tor would you not?” 
Novice replied that he probably should, men- 
tally feeling that he hadn’t time to be sick “no 
how” just then; but his face became genial in 
an instant when the Doctor — for he It was — 
suggested that ‘no one was sick, but that a 
huge swarm of bees were clustered on a bush 
in his garden and he thought the only proper 
thing to lie done was to send for—” 
“Are they hanging in the sun?” interrupted 
Novice, for the day was an intensely hot one 
and it was near noon. When informed they 
were, he waited only to get two perforated tin 
cases out of the wax extractors and started 
for the “big swarm of bees.” Alas for human 
hopes ; when he arrived at the bush, the bees 
had decamped and nothing remained but to 
go home again, mentally avowing that he 
would next time collect his scattered wits live 
miuut-s quicker when told a swarm of bees 
were to be had for the hiving. 
Worst? of all, he had planned just which emp- 
ty hive, in the shade of an especial grape vine, 
they were to occupy, and he couldn’t quite give 
it up ; so when informed after dinner that 
some workmen had hived a swarm in a box, 
and wanted to sell them to him, he made such 
rapid strides for them that, in less than half 
an hour he had them all fixed in their shady 
home, and rejoicing over their treasures of 
partly tilled combs, among which had been put 
one of unsealed brood, to lie sure they did not 
desert. The men who hived them were also 
rejoicing over $2.50 which they received just 
for putting them in an old box. Before dis- 
missing them, we may add that they have al- 
ready yielded in ten days enough honey to pay 
first cost, and so we may consider it a pretty 
fair investment. We at first considered this to 
be the truant swarm of the forenoon, but on 
