1874 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
135 
that, instead of 10 ? We think lie would, judg- 
ing from appearances. 
The Doctor’s wife furnished a moral to this 
long story by relating that by great care she 
had succeeded in rearing about 200 chickens 
at one time in the spring. As they were valu- 
able stock she gave them extra care until they 
began to die at the rate of a pailful a day; 
finally she became discouraged and in despair 
concluded they might all “slide.” “Slide” they 
did into the woods and pastures, and by 
“scratching for themselves” or for some other 
reason, they became strong and healthy, and 
no more died. 
For fear some of our friends may accuse us 
of being contradictory we will say that we 
understand Old Dame Nature means us to read 
the moral thus : “Be diligent industrious and 
faithful, but beware how you by mistaken 
kindness upset the natural course of thiugs.” 
Attempting to rear brood in a Green house 
may be like the “chickens” so perhaps our 
friends had better wait until we have tried 
“Glass” one season before they invest much 
in it. 
P. S. — The colonies mentioned were not par- 
ticularly strong, in fact two or three were 
rather weak in numbers; had there been a 
cider mill near by, in full blast four months in 
the year, as there is near us, we opine ’twould 
somewhat disturb their “torpidity.” 
• J. G. Sough of Shelby, O., has just paid us a 
visit and among other things, mentioned that 
a neighbor had a barrel of cider that was leak- 
ing, and as the bees seemed willing to save it, 
lie allowed them to do so, but to “save” the 
bees after this diet, was more than he was 
adequate to. 
^ l | l » 
[For Gleanings.] 
THE SECRET OF GETTING SURPLUS 
IlONEY. 
II Y G. M. DOOLITTLE. 
^(^JiUIEND NOVICE We sec from your remarks 
,<N J under our report in Nov. No. that you, and per- 
"j haps most oi the readers of Gleanings, are la- 
boring under a mistake in regard to our increase. 
You will see by referring to said report that the 3(571 
lbs. box honey was taken from 37 old stocks in the 
spring, and a part of our increase came from them and 
were boxed oi course. Now for our method with our 
small hives holding 0 Gallup frames, and we would use 
no larger. In the spring (as soon as the llrst of April), 
we Jill our caps with straw pressed in with a follower 
as tight as our weight (which is 243 lbs.) will press it. 
This brings the straw on the quilt pressing it lirmly on 
the frames and by the next day, if we raise the cap 
and put our hand between the quilt and straw, it will 
feel somewhat like putting it in an oven, while with- 
out the straw the quilt is as cold as a stone. This sets 
the Queen to laying and the bees will hatch the eggs 
unless we have winter all the while, as we did last 
spring. Now if you know each stock has a Queen ana 
plenty of honey,' let them alone until pollen becomes 
plenty which is with us, from the llrst to the tenth of 
■May, then go to each hive, and if the bees will bear 
spreading a little more without danger of chilling the 
brood, take a frame of honey from tne outside, break 
the sealing by passing a knife flatwise over it, and 
put it in the centre of brood nest. In ten days go over 
with them again and so on and when warm weather 
comes, in June, go over with them every four days 
putting one frame in the centre each time, and you 
will And the Queen will Jill it every four days besides 
keeping all the empty cells filled which are daily va- 
cated by maturing brood. By the way, I his has proved 
more satisfactory to us than any or all the methods 
given for feeding to stimulate "brood rearing. Don’t 
commence to spread the brood unless you are willing 
to <lo all in your power lor the well being of your bees, 
we have known a certain bee-keeper to carry all 
swarms that he in any way suspected would suffer 
from over spreading, during a cold snap, into a warm 
room until it became warm again. But to return, by 
the2otli of June, every available cell should be filled 
with brood and the liive full of bees. By this time 
white clover is at its higlit and if your bees swarm 
they do well, and those that don’t swarm do better. If 
they arc getting honey to any amount put boxes on 
all tbat do not show signs of swarming in a few days, 
but keep the boxes off the rest, unless they are getting 
honey quite freely. At this season of the year we al- 
ways' like to put boxes on when the hive is so full of 
brood, and the bees so anxious for some place to put 
honev, that they will commence putting honey in the 
llrst "boxes before we have the last ones on. When 
basswood appears put on all boxes, and by this time 
your new swarms should have their hives two-thirds 
full of comb, and the old stocks their young Queen 
just commencing to lay. Those that have not swarm- 
ed will have some boxes ready to take off, and will 
get nearly as much honey alter this as the old ami 
new together if they had swarmed. It is no trick at 
all to get8 lbs. of honey put in boxes in a day if you 
have your hive full of brood and bees, and honey is 
plenty. They have got to put it in the box or nowhere. 
Gallup gave us the secret in the A. li. J. years ago 
when he said “get the bees and they will get’ the hon- 
ey if there is any to be had.” Keep an eye out, anil 
do things in the right time. 
If we nail waited (5 or 8 days longer this year before 
putting on our boxes we should have got nothing. 
We have come to this conclusion in regard to profit in 
bee-keeping and consider it perfectly safe ; that each 
old stock in the spring that has a quart of bees will 
make 80 lbs. of box honey if the season is good. If 
they swarm the two will make that, and if they do not 
they certainly will. One man can with ease tend one 
hundred stocks worked for box honey. Now allowing 
every other season a poor season, so’ that the bees do 
nothing, (if they make some honey you sell it to buy 
sugar to feed them with) and you have two tons of 
honey for each year. Twenty five cts. is the lowest 
price for nice box honey so you will have $1000 each 
year as an income. I am speaking of an Apiarian 
whose knowledge is equal to 100 stocks and not of one 
to whose knowledge two stocks are equal. 
Borodino, N. Y. Nov. 10th, 1874. 
P. S.-We never saw basswood secrete honey as it 
did this year. By taking two stems of blossoms and 
joining them in the palm of vonr hand you could 
turn 3 or 4 good thick drops of Honey out of it. 
Many thanks friend D., but we fear wc have 
not more than a half dozen readers who can 
accomplish the result you mention with box 
honey , simple as it appears as you state it. 
We have repeatedly tried nearly the same plan 
and yet have now only half filled or empty boxes. 
We have used straw over the quilts but not 
pressed down, which is very likely an impor- 
tant point. Why not keep this packed straw — 
which is equivalent to a straw mat and much 
cheaper — on the hive all winter as well ? 
BEE-KEEPING^ CALIFORNIA. 
1IY GKO. 11. WALLACE. 
M I. ROOT & Co. Since my arilvul hero one 
year ago, fhavo not had the pleasure of read- 
ing Gleanings and now my thirst for old 
friends is my apology for this missive.’ One year ago 
1 arrived here with’ 4 Italian Queens in Langstroth 
nuclei. Wintered them and with the help of an apia- 
ry here, I succeeded in rearing one or more Queens 
every month during the winter. In March I started 
business with 48 stands of bees laboring against many 
unfavorable circumstances, such as the want of sur- 
plus hives etc. In consequence many a line swarm 
took leave for the tops of the mountains. Now for the 
result: 1 have taken over six tons of choice honey by 
extracting and now have between 30 and 40 hives, two 
stories and full, but will leave them until another year 
strengthens my courage. We have now formed a Go. 
of three persons and have 300 stands; have 3 apiaries, 
each containing 100 stands and have built long sheds 
covered with shakes, and wide enough to contain two 
rows of hives which front outward on each side with 5 
ft. alley in centre for wheel room. We have employed 
a cooper to make 2T>0 bis. of Fir timber, which we think 
will not require to be waxed. If you desire I may at 
some time give a description of the manner of handling 
bees in this country. Send paper to Arrow Head 
Mountain Bee Go., San Bernaruino, Cal., Nov. 0th, 1874. 
