562 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



THE PROPER WEIGHT FOR BICYCLES; GEAR, 

 TIRES. ETC. 



Friend Rooi:— There are two questions I want 

 to ask you that I am anxious to know. 1. What 

 is the weight of the wheel that you use in your 

 trips about the country ? 3. What is the gear 

 of your wheel, and what gear would you advise 

 for all kinds of roads ? Mrs. T., as well as my- 

 self, is an enthusiastic wheeler as well as bee- 

 keeper, and we are no " spring chickens " 

 either. Another thing, why doesn't somebody 

 write a little book, to sell for about a dime, on 

 the care of the wheel — how to repair it, adjust 

 it, and fix the different makes of lires, etc.? In 

 my opinion, A. I. Root would be the man. Had 

 I had such a book at first it would have saved 

 us a great deal of annoyance as well as some 

 money. M. F. Tatman. 



Rossville, Kan., July 3. 



[If a person is an experienced rider — that is, 

 has had at least one season's experience in rid- 

 ing, so that he feels measurably at home — a 

 22-lb. road wheel is about right. If he is a 

 learner, a 25, 27, or 30 lb. wheel— perhaps the 

 last weight — would be better for him. It is 

 usually best for the beginner to purchase a 

 second-hand wheel weighing about 30 lbs.; and 

 these he can get very cheaply now, because the 

 more experienced riders are now all crazy for 

 the light ones A. I. Root is now riding an 18- 

 Ib. Rambler, 1^8 racing tires, and geared to 68 

 inches. He weighs about 12.5 lbs., normally, 

 but this wheel seems to be a little too light for 

 him; for he has broken out several times some 

 of the fine cobweb spokes, and has buckled his 

 frame a little. The latter has not hurt its riding 

 qualities, and the spokes have been replaced at 

 slight expense. As a general thing, however. I 

 think it would be better for the average experi- 

 enced wheelman to ride something a little 

 heavier — about 22 lbs. seems to be now about 

 the accepted weight; and, if indications are 

 correct, riding weights will not run much under 

 this next year. The 22-lb. is what I am riding 

 myself — a Monarch, which I prefer to a Ram- 

 bler. I have not had the least trouble with it, 

 and often carry my boy on the handle-bar in 

 what is called a " Kozy " child's seat. Our com- 

 bined weight is about 180 lbs.; and yet as I ride 

 carefully ten or eleven miles an hour I have no 

 fears but that my bicycle is amply strong. My 

 machine, as well as my father's, is geared to 

 68 inches. This is none too high for a light- 

 weight wheel such as 20 and 22 lbs. When 

 wheels weighed 40 or 45 lbs.. 56 and even 60 

 gear was high enough. 



I see there is a good deal of effort made now 

 to get a changeable gear — one that may. by a 

 '•flip of the fingers " at the saddle or handle- 

 bars, be changed to a high or low gear. Possi- 

 bly I may be mistaken, but 1 would not give a 

 cent for any of them. With my (58 and 70 gears 

 that I have tried, I think I have climbed all the 

 hills that I ever did on my lower gears. Early 

 last year I rode a Victor with 63 gear, climbed 

 all the hills with it, and later in the season I put 

 on 70 gear and rode up the same hills. The 

 point is right here: With the higher gears the 

 rider has more time to push the pedal down. 

 With lower gears he has to keep chasing the 

 pedal. Under such circumstances, especially 

 in high speeds, it is not possible to exert the 

 full amount of power on the pedal. Both 

 theoretically and practically, then, I prefer a 

 gear not lower than 68. But I would add a 

 proviso that the wheel should not weigh more 



than 30 lbs. I have not tried a 76 or 80 gear, 

 but I should not be surprised if I should find 

 comfort in using them also, because there is 

 less kicking in the air, no chasing of pedals, 

 but a slow, easy, graceful motion, instead of a 

 wabbling, quick-kicking, pedal-chasing, so char- 

 acteristic of the lower gears. 



Although you do not ask it, perhaps a word 

 in regard to tires may not come amiss. 1 prefer 

 a single-tube semi-roadster — that is, without 

 removable inner tube. They hold air better, 

 and it is now possible to repair them. A couple 

 of years ago we did not know how; but now 

 that f/iot question is solved, single-tube tires, 

 in my estimation, are far preferable. 



As to size of tire, while I once, with all the 

 rest, thought IK and ~ inches were the most 

 comfortable for the road, the 1}^ semi-roadsters 

 that I ride are just as comfortable; and instead 

 of weighing 6 or 7 lbs. per pair, they register 

 only 3 lbs. A. I. R. is riding a 1% double tube; 

 and while he is not particular whether it be 

 single or double, he says I^b is plenty large for 

 him. 



You suggest the wisdom of writing a little 

 book; but so rapid has been the change in the 

 subject of cycling, such a book would be out of 

 date in six months; and so we must turn to the 

 manufacturer's catalogs, and to the special 

 journals that are issued. The Dicycling World, 

 published at Boston. Mass.. is one of the very 

 best. The price is $1.00 a year, weekly. 



There, you can see that bicycling is one of 

 my hobbies. It is almost impossible for me to 

 slop here. But I remember that I am talking 

 to bee-keepers mainly and wheelmen second- 

 arily, and so I will stop right here. — Ed.] 



W. D., Ky. — To get rid of the small ants, find 

 their nest if possible. Make a hole through the 

 center of the nest with a crowbar, and pour in 

 about half an ounce of bisulphide of carbon, 

 which you can get at your drugstore. Quickly 

 cover the hole, and it will destroy the nest, ants 

 and all, but it will not kill vegetation. If you 

 can not find the nest, put a little molasses on a 

 board, poisoned with strychnine, or some other 

 poison. Put this in a place where only the ants 

 themselves can get at the sweet. This will kill 

 them as they make their visits ; but, of course, 

 the better way is to get at their nests. 



O. L. T'., Mass.— The subject of artificial in- 

 cubation of queen-cells is very old. Under the 

 heading of " Lamp Nursery," in the old edi- 

 tions of our ABC book, away back in 1878 and 

 '9, there are full particulars on this subject; 

 but there are very few queen-breeders, if any, 

 who now use artificial heat for hatching cells. 

 What are known as hatchers — a series of queen- 

 cages put down between the frames, or on top 

 of them, over a powerful colony — is preferred. 

 These little cages contain a single cell; and the 

 heat arising from the cluster is sufficient to 

 hatch them. Of course, the natural heat of the 

 colony is far superior, more regular, and better 

 in every way, than any thing that can be sup- 

 plied by artificial means. 



