320 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk. 15. 



figures by the government inspector was pro- 

 duced to show this. And here is another illus- 

 tration that means a good deal: Years ago the 

 cylinders around steam-engines of the highest 

 grades contained a casing of wood ; and be- 

 tween the casing and the cylinder proper, pack- 

 ing-material; but latterly it has been found 

 that a casing of either iron or wood, leaving a 

 dead-air space of two or three inches, without 

 any packing, gives the best results — that is. the 

 least condensation. The point is ri^ht here: 

 Packing-material itself becomes, to a greater or 

 less extent, a conveyor of heat or cold. The 

 better the material, the less it conveys. But 

 the best non-conductor of all seems to be air, 

 pure and simple. If this is correct, my original 

 proposition is all right, friend H.: but dead air 

 space in hive-construction is impraticable and 

 out of the question, and we therefore have to 

 resort to packing. It is true, you may say 

 steam-pipes are usually covered with pipe- 

 covering or plaster; but it is not always found 

 practicable to make a wooden casing around a 

 pipe air-tight; and, moreover, insurance com- 

 panies do not recommend it. But my proposi- 

 tion was for a space hermetically sealed. 



SHALL FOUNDATION BE EXCLUDED FROM THE 

 MAILS? 



As our readers know, we have for many years 

 sent small quantities of comb foundation by 

 mail to all parts of the United States, and there 

 has never been any question till recently but that 

 such matter was permissible in the mails. On 

 the 1.5th of last March. Route Agent C. M. Cot- 

 terman, of the United States mail service, came 

 across a package of foundation from us that. 

 It seems, had come in contact with, or at least 

 very near to, a coil of steam-pipe, and melted, 

 leaving, as he said, little but the wrapper. In 

 his opinion, this was not a proper subject to 

 send through the mails, and so reported to 

 headquarters. The matter was referred to our 

 local postmaster, and by him to us. On the 

 25th of March we dictated a note stating that 

 we had for 20 years been sending foundation by 

 mail, and that no question had ever arisen as 

 to whether it was legitimate mail matter. We 

 sent a duplicate packet to the department, ask- 

 ing them to examine carefully the same, ex- 

 plaining that it was simply pure beeswax em- 

 bossed with the impression of the base of the 

 honey-cell. On the 28th of March we received 

 the following, which settles the question, at 

 least for the time being: 



Mr. L. S. Smitli, P. M., Medina, O. :— You can con- 

 tinue to accept and forward these packages. I f we 

 have furtlier trouble with them it maybe necessary 

 to exclude them from the mails, but this office does 

 not feel justified in doing- so as yet. Section 32:^ , 

 Postal Laws and Keg-ulations, 1893, prescribes that 

 salves and ointments must be put up sam e iis 

 liquids, wliile hard candy, yeast cakes, and soap can 

 be forwarded when simply wrapped in paper and 

 enclosed in pasteboard or wooden boxes. Beeswax, 

 ■while having some of the characteristics of both of 



these flasses, really belong-s to neither, and I tliink 

 we can give it the benefit of tlie doubt until it is 

 demonstrated that further restrictions are neces- 

 sary. Ai.v.x. Grant, 

 Aciitig OeneroJ Si(iieiiutendcnt. 

 Washington, D. C, March 28. 



It seems to me that comb foundation would 

 pretty nearly come under the category of soap. 

 It would not soil articles in the mail-pouch any 

 more than that article, and its melting-point 

 would be about the same. As it is, we do not 

 see how the General Superintendent could have 

 decided other than to accept. 



As the temperature next to the steam-pipe 

 must have been alsont 180 degrees, it seems to 

 us unreasonable to throw mail-sacks against 

 it. and yet demand that articles in the sacks 

 injured by such treatment should be excluded. 

 When absent-minded Isaac Newton found his 

 fireplace so hot as to singe his clothing and 

 chair, he ordered his servant to come and re- 

 move it; but his servant, when he came, said 

 it was easier to wheel Sir Isaac a little further 

 off. "Good I" said Mr. Newton. "I never 

 thought of that." Perhaps Route Agent Cot- 

 terman had not thought of the foundation 

 question in that light liefore. 



LONG HIVES HORIZONTALLY. VS. TALL OR TWO" 

 STOKY HIVES. 



In my Notes of Travel I omitted to mention 

 friend Poppleton's apiary at Potsdam. He 

 still uses what was called, years ago, the " Long 

 Idea" hive. Of course, you can use whatever 

 frame you choose; and where there are no up- 

 per stories at all, a frame a little narrower and 

 a little deeper than the Langstroth may be 

 advisable. Friend P., like some of the rest of 

 us. is not very strong. He says that, for years, 

 he has not been able to do heavy work of any 

 kind, and it would be out of the question for 

 him to think of lifting off an upper story; there- 

 fore he makes his hives as long as the needs of 

 the colony demand it, and has the combs all 

 side by side. In opening a hive, nothing is nec- 

 essary but to remove a very light thin cover. 

 As a proof that his plan is not a very bad one, 

 he has succeeded in harvesting some of the 

 largest crops of honey made in Florida or any- 

 where else, and I believe the work has almost 

 all been done by himself and wife. Of course, 

 they have to work pretty hard when a big 

 honey - flow comes suddenly; but with the 

 honey-flow come inspiration .and energy; and, 

 so far, with the inspiration and energy, strength 

 has been vouchsafed, so that no honey has been 

 wasted. May be you have seen bee-keepers 

 before who were unable to do hard work; but 

 when the honey came in at the rate of several 

 barrels a day, some way they managed to get 

 it out. Now, friend Poppleton has quite a few 

 disciples scattered throughout Florida, and 

 they are sufficiently successful to show that his 

 plan is certainly not a very bad one. May it 

 not be that such an arrangement succeeds bet- 

 ter in the warm climate of Florida than it 

 would away up north, where it is so much more 

 important to economize the animal heat of the 

 brood-nest? A. I. R. 



