1882 



GLEAKIKGS IK BEE CULTUKE. 



137 



back is not a very profitable way of doing, in 

 any case. If they stay, they seldom work 

 much ; and, if I am not mistaken, it is gen- 

 erally thought better to humor them enough 

 to give them a new place to work. If a col- 

 ony goes out, and then comes back to the old 

 hive, 1 would take it as an indication they 

 were dissatisfied, and I would divide them 

 at once. Give the discontented bees a new 

 hive, with a comb of unsealed brood, and 

 just as soon as you can see queen-cells start- 

 ed on it, give them a queen, and then, if you 

 like, give them all the brood from the old 

 colony. You see, you can by this means 

 make a good colony of Italians out of " the 

 meanest hybrids "' you ever had in your api- 

 ary. Never let a colony waste its time as 

 you did, in any such "foolishness."' The 

 bees you mention might have stored nearly, 

 and may be quite, a hundred pounds of hon- 

 ey, while they were engaged in swarming 

 out those eight times. 



" WHOPPERS," ETC. 



I had almost made up my miud not to take your 

 journal. You would say, "Why not?" Well, be- 

 cause some report such— such— such— "whoppers," 

 that I think I am nowhere in the business. But for 

 all that, you will find inclosed one dollar for Glean- 

 ings. Send it on. I like to read big things. A little 

 about my experience with bees: In the spring of 

 1879 I bought two swarms. In the fall I had live, 

 wintered in the cellar. In the spring, they were all 

 dead. I then bought three in the spring of 1880; 

 that summer two swarms wont to parts unknown. 

 One I lost by transferring, which left mo six. Last 

 spring found me with 4 — one so weak it gave but 

 little surplus. The three, by artificial and natural 

 swarming, increased to ten. I have now 11 that I 

 call good, and had about 260 lbs. of cap honey. I 

 winter them on their summer stands, in dry-goods 

 boxes, packed in chaff. I am waiting for spring. 



Jacob Snkll. 



Prey's Busli, Mont. Co., N. Y., Jan. 9, 1883. 



Now, friend B., you must keep right on, 

 and presently you yourself will have a 

 '' whopper " to report, and then you will feel 

 better, you know. 



chapman's machine for piercing frames for 



WIRES. 



Having, the past two seasons, demonstrated the 

 superiority of wired frames over the unwired, I 

 have come to the conclusion to use no other kind. 

 Since the adoption of very fine tinned wire (No. 30 is 

 the best), we have no more of the trouble of brood 

 being killed where the wire passes through the 

 comb. But if the wire is not in the center of the 

 frame, and, consequently, of the comb, then we 

 have trouble; hence the importance of having the 

 holes pierced exactly in the center of the top and 

 bottom bars. With those who, like you, have steam 

 power, it is cheapest and best to pierce the holes 

 before the bars are ripped out; but as the majority 

 of bee-keepers have not the facilities you enjoy, and 

 as the labor of piercing the frames by hand is con- 

 siderable, as well as very slow, which is quite an 

 item, and as it is almost impossible to punch the 

 holes correctly, I think I am doing the brotherhood 

 a favor in calling their attention to the " bar- 

 piercer" invented by F. B. Chapman, and described 

 by him in Oct. No. of Gleanings, 1881, page 479. 



After piercing by hand over 2000 bars, each having 

 six holes, I concluded there must be some better 

 way to do it; and remembering the description giv- 

 en above, I asked friend C. to make me one of his 

 piercers, as I confess I was not (without one to work 

 from as a guide) equal to the job. He did so, and I 

 have found it all and even more than he claims for 

 it. It is simple, effective, practical, accurate (which 

 is one of its best features), and easily manipulated. 

 A boy of ten years can work it with ease. I pierced 

 over 600 bars with it in one hour, without fatigue. 

 It can bo arranged to fit any frame, to pierce any 

 number of holes desired, at one operation. Frames 

 can be pierced after they are put together, though 

 it is better to pierce the holes first. I could say 

 much more in its favor, but you "don't want long 

 articles." I do, however, advise all who make or 

 use wired frames, to get or make one of Chapman's 

 bar-piercers, and I am sure you will thank me for 

 calling your attention to it. E. T. Flanagan. 



Belleville, III., Feb. 1, 1883. 



DAMPNESS; HOW TO BANISH IT FROM BEE-Hn'ES, OR 

 anywhere else, IN A "TWINKLING." 



I proceed to give my plan for wintering bees. If 

 strictly followed, I would be willing to pay all losses. 

 In the first place, make bricks of common red clay, 

 two inches thick, and just long and deep enough to 

 fill the hive, and use them instead of division- 

 boards. Of course, the bricks must be burned like 

 those for building purposes. Now make bricks, of 

 the proper length to cover brood-frames; these 

 bricks must be slightly arched in the center, to al- 

 low the bees to pass over the frames; now have 

 your hives so constructed that you can remove the 

 bottom-board. Place your hive on a floor of hard 

 brick; that is, not directly on the ground— say on 

 rocks or wood, and have your bees surrounded with 

 hard brick, and I guarantee that no moisture can 

 ever be in the hive, for each one of these bricks will 

 absorb nearly a quart of water, without showing 

 the least signs of moisture. I learned this idea 

 from putting hard bricks in large bulks of wheat, 

 or damp corn, to save the trouble of sunning. Now, 

 if any of the friends don't believe this, just put a 

 few hard bricks in damp wheat, and see if it don't 

 absorb all the water very quickly. This will never 

 be patented, for it originated with me, and I shall 

 not charge any thing for it. I give it to bee-keepers 

 and wheat-growers, hoping thereby to be of some 

 benefit to my race, and nothing more. 



Atlanta, Ga.. Jan. 23, i883. A. S. Smith. 



Friend S, T feel more sure you have given 

 us something of great value for many gener- 

 al purposes, than I do that it is just the 

 thing for bees. You know Ave have had 

 several articles of late, strongly favoring the 

 idea that bees need water in winter. I am 

 sure it Avould effectually do away with the 

 dampness ; but I do not know how long it 

 would take the bricks to get saturated, so 

 they would have to be dried out. Take a 

 piece of porous sandstone, during a hot dry 

 spell, and by pouring on water slowly from a 

 pitcher, you will find the stone will take up 

 almost its own weight of water. Bricks 

 slackly burned would be comparatively warm 

 to the bees, and would take up an enormous 

 amount of water, without question* 



