600 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



are getting the honey; not from the silk, not from 

 the blossom, but from the stalk at the base of eve- 

 ry leaf nt each joint, and on every stalk and every 

 hill. We obtained 500 lbs. extracted, same of box of 

 this same corn honey, and ynu will see by the sample 

 it is nice. Bees worked on the corn about two weeks. 

 Field corn begins to yield honey about as the kernels 

 begin to form, and continues until the kernel is well 

 formed — at least, it did hero this year. There are 

 from 500 to 1000 acres of corn planted within a radius 

 of 3 miles of my ajjiary. I think it always yields hon- 

 ey, some every year, but you " can't most always some- 

 times tell" what is going to yield honey. For instance, 

 they worked very busily on Lombardy poplars for 

 four or five days this season, which, by the way, 1 

 never saw before, while white cl3ver was almost a 

 failure, and my much-puffed catalpa never received 

 a notice. But corn and heart's-ease, oh my! 



MY REPORT. 



I packed in Nov., 1881, 58 colonies; 7 queens kicked 

 the bucket during winter. One colony, queen and 

 all, died just for the fun of it, I guess, as I could And 

 no other reason, and " I'll do it to-morrow " starved 

 3 colonies. Colonies made into nuclei for queen- 

 raising reduced the number to 43 for surplus for the 

 season just past, of which I obtained 4500, " 'alf and 

 'alf," box and extracted. Increased to 79 colonies. 

 Best yield of extrat ^ed, one colony, 260 lbs. 

 bo " " 180 '* 



But you see my average was over 100 lbs. per colony, 

 which is good. H. M. Morris. 



Rantoul, 111., Oct. 28, 1883. 



Many thanks, friend M., for your valuable 

 contribution to our stock of facts, and also 

 for the samples of honey. The corn honey 

 will rank with the best we have, both in col- 

 or and flavor. I should liave called it white 

 clover, in fact, were I not informed other- 

 wise. The heart"s-ease honey, though a little 

 dark, I call of excellent flavor. 1 would 

 strongly indorse the point you make, friend 

 M., about honey coming ifrom unexpected 

 sources. We little know now, where the hon- 

 ey we may get next season will come from. 

 While honey comes from so many hitherto 

 unknown sources, and there is such a broad 

 field of knowledge yet unexplored, should 

 we be discouraged, even if we do not reap a 

 bountiful harvest every year? Thanks, also, 

 for your good report, friend M. 



HOW TO MAKE A HORSE-POAVER, FOR 

 SAWS FOR BEE-HIVE MAKING. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON'S DESCRIPTION OF FRIEND HUNT'S 

 HOME-MADE HORSEPOWER. 



i^T will be remembered that friend Hutch- 

 inson promised in the May number to 

 give, some time, a description of the 

 above. Well, he has sent it to us in the 

 Country Gentleman, from which we copy the 

 following. Our readers will find a picture 

 of th*^ horse-power in our Oct. number, 18S1. 

 If they place this before them while they 

 read, they will find it much easier to under- 

 stand:— 



HEAP POWER FOR MAKING HIVES. 



While at the bee-keepers' convention, this spring, 

 at Detroit, I was entertained by a bee-keeping friend 

 living a few miles out of the city. This friend is the 

 owner of a cheap, home-made horse-power, with 



which he runs a circular saw, in cutting up lumber 

 for bee-hives. Whik staying at his plice I improved 

 the opportunity to examine tbis horse-power clnse- 

 Iv, and, thinking that some of your readers might 

 like to make (ine like it, I venture to give a desarip- 

 tion. As both myself and my friend think that his 

 power could be improved, I will not give an exact 

 description, but will rather describe a power as I 

 think it ought to be built. 



The power is simply a large wheel, fifteen feet in di- 

 ameter, fastened, in a horizontal position, upon an 

 upright shaft. The rim of the wheel is three inches 

 thick, and is composed of felloes, eight inches wide, 

 sawed from inch hard-wood lumber. One or two 

 horses can be hitched inside the rim, and. walking 

 around, thc5' pull the wheel around with them. 

 When two horses are used, they are placed at oppo- 

 site sides of the wheel. To connect this large wheel 

 with the machinery to be driven, my friend has 

 found nothing equal to a light chain. The chain 

 runs in a groove cut in the outside of the wheel; 

 and, to prevent the chain from slipping, six or eight 

 pieces of iron, one-fourth inch thick, and perhaps 

 three inches square, are fitted, perpendicularly. Into 

 the circumference of the wheel, at equal distances 

 apart. If the wheel had spokes, these pieces of iron 

 would stand parallel with the spokes. A notch near- 

 ly as deep as the groove in the outside of the wheel, 

 and corresponding with it, is cut in the outside edge 

 of each piece of iron; and at the bottom of each 

 notch thus cut, is cut another notch or slot. This 

 last-mentioned notch is just large enough to admit a 

 link of the ohain edgewise, thus making it an impos- 

 sibility for the chain to slip. 



About eight feet from the circumference of the 

 wheel is a horizontal shtift, and upon this shaft are 

 two pulleys. The smaller pulley is about one foot 

 in diameter, is grooved, and also furnished with 

 grooved or notched pieces of iron, similar to those in 

 the circumference of the large wheel. The chain 

 passes from the large wheel around this smaller 

 grooved pulley. The large wheel and this smaller 

 pulley are so pi iced that the part of the chain that 

 does the pulling draws perfectly straight, while the 

 slack part of the chain runs over a smoothly groov- 

 ed pulley, which is about a foot in diamcster, and is 

 placed about midway l)etween the large wheel and 

 the smaller pulley. Upon the horizontal shaft, by 

 the side of the grooved pulley upon which runs the 

 chain, is another larger pulley about two f^et in di- 

 ameter; and from this pulley a belt is run to the 

 c lunter-shaft of the saw. The large drive-wheel, in- 

 side of which the horses walk, is made in two parts, 

 each part bping a half-circle, the ends of each half- 

 circle being fastened together with a cross-piece. 

 These cross pieces are hinged together; thus either 

 half of thewhe^l can be lowered until its outside 

 edge strikes the ground; it is necessary to do this, 

 in order that the horse can step inside the wheel. 

 Each half of the wheel is as thoroughly braced as 

 possible, with iron rods, and yet leave room lor the 

 horse. The upright shaft, in the center of the large 

 wheel, is made irom a 4 bj' 4 inch scantling, and is 

 eight or ten feet in height. The rim of the wheel is 

 supported by iron rods that are fastened to the up- 

 right shaft, near its upper end. 



There is, also, a cross-piece fifteen feet in length, 

 fastened to the upright shaft, about four feet above 

 the large wheel. The f nds of this cross-piece extend 

 out, over and beyond the horses; and these ends are 

 furnished with chains that hang down and are hook- 

 ed to the rim of the wheel, thus giving it support 

 where it is impossible to brace or support it with 

 iron rods, the horse being in the way. The lower 

 end of the upright shaft is surrounded with an iron 

 band, and an iron gudgeon driven into its lower end 

 turns in a lirge. heavy' block of wood that is deeply 

 and firmly imbedded in the earth. Upon opposite 

 sides of the l=4rge wheel, deeply and firmly set in the 

 earth, and thoroughly braced, are two posts that ex- 

 tend eig-ht or ten feet above the ground. The upper 

 ends of these posts are connected by a cross-piece; 

 and an iron gudgeon, driven into the upper end of 

 the upright shaft, turns in a hole bored in this cross- 

 piece. 



It will be seen that my friend's horse-power was 

 out of doors, and stationary, but it would be an easy 

 matter to build such a power for use upon a barn 

 floor. The gudgeon in the lower end of the upright 

 shaft could run in a bearing fitted into the fioor, 

 while the gudgeon in the upper end of the shaft 

 could run in a bearing fastened to an "overlay" in 

 the scaffold over the barn floor. When not in use, 

 the large wheel could be taken apart and set one 



