478 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



OCT. 



spokes are made of two pieces of pine board, 8 in. 

 wide and 44 inches long. Ttiey cross each other at 

 the center, and their outer ends enter mortises cut 

 in the inside of the rim of the wheel. At the cen- 

 ter, where they cross, is a 3x3-inch square, mortised 

 for the main shaft, which is a 3x3-inch scantling 



4 ft. long, to pass through. The wheel is held in 

 place upon the shaft by a key which holds the 

 spokes firmly against some pieces of planks that 

 are spiked upon the sides of the shaft. Around 

 each end of the shaft is an iron band, and in each 

 end is driven a gudgeon of U round iron, and upon 

 the end of each gudgeon is a 2-inch crank. That 

 part of the treadle upon which the foot is placed is 



5 ft. 2 inches long, and comes up hclitml the operator. 

 To each end of this is fastened a bar of wood 4 in. 

 wide, 1 inch thick, and 5 feet 3 inches long. These 

 last-mentioned bats extend to the back part of the 

 frame, and are fastened to the lower ends of the 

 " hind " legs of the machine, where they turn upon 

 the bolts with which they are fastened. These bars 

 pass directly under the cranks upon the ends of the 

 shaft, and are connected with them by pitman?. 



To the top of the framework, and at the back side. 

 Is fastened the saw-table proper. Through one of 

 the 3x3 pieces that support the saw-mandrel, ex- 

 tends a screw with a Crank upon its lower end. This 

 screw is to raise or lower the table. From the floor 

 to the top of the saw-table it is 4 feet 6 inches. As 

 this is too high to work with ease, there is a bench 

 13 Inches high to stand upon. The treadle, when it is 

 the lowest, is on a level with this bench. 



For making a few hives, or for light sawing, or 

 odd jobs, foot-power saws are all right; but for 

 heavy sawing^ or for making matiy hives, they are 

 too lianl on the lerjA. I am thinking quite strongly 

 now of building a home-made windmill on top of my 

 shop, with which to run my saw. 



WINTERING BEES IN CLAMPS. 



1 had such good success in wintering my bees in 

 clamps last winter that I shall bury at least 35 colo- 

 nies the coming winter. Upon a dry sandy hill I dug 

 a trench 6 ft. long, 2 ft. wide, and 2 ft. deep. This 

 trenCh I filled with-straw. I then laid sticks across 

 the trench, and upon these sticks I placed the hives. 

 The bottom-boards of the hives were removed. I 

 then built a pen of rails, and pieces of rails, around 

 the hives. The space between the hives and the 

 sides of the pen was about one foot. This space 

 was filled with straw, and straw was also placed over 

 the hives to the depth of one foot. Rails were then 

 placed over the straw that covered the hives, and 

 the whole pen was then covered with straw to the 

 depth of one foot. Earth was then thrown on to the 

 depth of about 18 inches. No holes were left for 

 ventilation. 



THE NEW FEED FOK QUEEN-CAGES. 



Since last I wrote I have had no more losses in 

 shipping queens. Friend Hayhurst wrote me for a 

 sample cage. I sent him one containing a queen 

 and ten bees; here is what he says about it:— 



Friend J?.;— Yours of the 12th inst. is received, 

 also the cage of bees, in excellent condition. About 

 one-third of the feed was taken out. From the 

 amount of dry sugar in the cage, I judge that the 

 bees lick up the honey, and let the sugar " slide." I 

 will write you further in regard to the matter. It is 

 late Saturday night, and I am awful tired. Please 

 accept thanks. E. M. Hayhurst. 



Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 16, 1883. 



That is it, friend H.; they squeeze out the juice 

 and spit out the "shucks." Honey soaked into su- 



gar does not dry up, become " gummy," and sour, as 

 it does in a sponge. 



TIN pails for HONEY. 



The 320 little tin pails came the other evening, and 

 each of our little girls went to sleep with a little new 

 pint tin pail in her hand. I guess the honey in them 

 will sell all right; that is, if appearance counts for 

 any thing. After they were all labeled, filled, and 

 "stacked" up, one of the little twins volunteered 

 the remark, "They look nice." 



W. z. Hutchinson. 



KogersviJle, Genesee Co., Mich., Sept. 20, 1883. 



The honey crop of California. 



ALSO something ABOUT GOING TO CALIFORNIA TO 

 KEEP BEES. 



^CpjjJ'NLESS we have abundant and heavy rains this 

 I J)| winter we need not look for much honey next 

 season. The ground has not been thoroughly 

 wet to any depth for at least two years, and it must 

 be wot thoroughly, or we need not expect honey. 

 Now, I am asked by eastern correspondents if there 

 are no places in California where the honey crop is 

 sure every season, and my reply is, yes. But the 

 bees and fruit can not be kept together. We have 

 good localities for bees where the business is stock 

 and dairying, but the honey is of about the same 

 quality as your buckwheat and goldenrod honey. 

 In order to have genuine good honey, it must be 

 made up in the mountains. There are a great many 

 bees kept in Tulare and Kern Counties, and, in fact, 

 many parts of the State; but in the two counties 

 mentioned, where the bees and stock are kept, they 

 keep the fever and ague also; and I have always 

 said that I would not live in an ague country, and I 

 say so yet. Thousands of stocks of bees, no doubt, 

 will starve to death this coming winter, and those 

 that just barely rub through will be entirely worth- 

 less until they are requeened; for a stock of bees 

 kept in a starving condition for 6 months ruins the 

 prolificness of that queen ever after; at least, that 

 was my experience with the first lot of bees in this 

 State. E. Gallup. 



Santa Ana, Cal., Sept. 5, 1883. 



A RAIVIBL.ING TALK ABOUT QUEEN- 

 CAGES. 



CAUTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS BY FRIEND DOOLITTLE. 



MAYING received a number of queens through 

 the mails the past season, byway of exchange 



■ ' and otherwise, I thought a description of 



some of them and their contents, as well as to 

 compare their merits as law-abiding cages, would 

 not be amiss at this time. I may alsrt make a few 

 remarks as to the condition of the queens and bees 

 when received, and also in regard to candy for 

 mailing-cages. At the outset I will say, that not 

 one of the cages received, of the many diflferent 

 styles, is according to the ruling of the Postmaster- 

 General, and some are in open violation of the law 

 forbidding liquids being carried in the mails. The 

 first cage received, which I will call No. 1, was what 

 is known as the Peet cage, as made by J. H. Nellis, 

 having a tin slipping in grooves on one side, and 

 wire cloth on the other, ov^er which was nailed a 

 thin board having !s-inch blocks under it at each 

 end. This cage was provisioned with what is known 



