1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



591 



ever, was a block of 3x4 joist, long enough to 

 cover the entire entrance clear across the front 

 of the hive; in the center of this, and on the 

 four-inch side, a notch 'was cut just large 

 enough for a drone to get through. This, 

 placed before the entrance, would usually cure. 



Mr. Schaeffle had also much trouble with 

 brood in his sections. Queens persisted in 

 climbing above and filling a whole super with 

 brood; and this habit was not indulged in by 

 one or two colonies, but nearly all of the 13,5. 

 It became a !-erious matter with him; and, to 

 save his honey crop, the adoption of queen- 

 excluding honey-hoards became a necessity. 

 Mr. S. showed us a large number of filled sec- 

 tions that had been spoiled by this pernicious 

 habit of the queen. As there is but little com- 

 plaint among comb- honey producers in this 

 direction, Mr. S.'s case is exceptional, and rests, 

 perhaps, on the fact that his 1,?4- pound section 

 holds a comb about the same thickness as a 

 brood-comb, so the queen more readily enters 

 the super. 



The best yields in his apiary'have been 2.50 

 lbs. of comb from one colony. Our friend was 

 busy with his bees, his honey, and his wax. 

 The latter was rendered out upon the kitchen- 

 stove. I admired the forbearance of Mrs. 

 Schaeftie oyer the little drops of wax that would 

 get upon the floor, and especially when the five- 

 gallon can of wax boiled over upon the hot 



matter serenely, and scraped the wax up care- 

 fully, and we all rejoiced that the conflagration 

 went no further than the wax. 



i^ I ^ 



RAMBLER'S VISIT. 



/^^>y\ 



Stove, and the flames ascended to the ceil- 

 ing. Ernest ran in with a pail of water; but 

 Mr. S. was ahead of him with a broomstick. 

 Running this through the bail of the can he 

 made for the door with it. All went well until 

 upon the veranda, when a little tilt of the 

 brooiiistick allowed the can to slide ofi', and the 

 wax was nicely spread across the veranda floor. 

 These little mishaps are what every bee-keeper 

 ■experiences more or less, and are admirably 

 adapted to test individual patience; and I am 

 happy to say the Schaeffle family viewed the 



SOMETHING ABOUT "CHINESE TEA." 



By E. H. Schaeffle. 



I was busy uncapping, when the door of the 

 honey-house opened and the liberated bees 

 rushed out past the face of a grave-looking 

 stranger. As he did not flinch I remarked, 

 " You are no stranger to bees ? " 



"No," he replied. "I am sometimes called 

 Rambler." 



In a few minutes I had met his companion. 

 Wilder ; the team was turned in on the grass; 

 Rambler was then made at home, and the boys 

 hung up with me for almost two weeks. Some 

 of you who have been favored with only a 

 " drop in " from them may wonder how I man- 

 aged to hold them so long. Well, to be honest I 

 played a very small part in it. Wilder, who is 

 a very bright rustler, thought he ought to brush 

 up on some of the rudiments of his education, 

 and, meeting an old lady friend from New 

 Hampshire, who is now engaged in a neighbor- 

 ing town in teaching the young idea how to 

 shoot, put himself under her tuition, and it 

 took some time to complete the course of study. 

 Though he declares she is " all wool and a yard 

 wide," and Rambler — well, now I am as much 

 of a rambler myself, and he may come back at 

 me if I give him away; but -this is the only 

 chance that I'll have at him; so, here goes. 



Rambler, like A. I. Root, is a strict teetotaller 

 — so much so that he declined my wife's mince 

 pies; but— oh that " but"! At Angels he hand- 

 ed over his linen to a Chinese laundry; and on 

 going for his wash the " heathen Chinee" hand- 

 ed Rambler a cup of tea. Now, Rambler had 

 frequently heard of the excellence of Chinese 

 tea, and so took it down at one long deep swal- 

 low, when he discovered it was — brandy! Com- 

 ing home. Wilder and myself found our over- 

 coats very comfortable; but Rambler refused to 

 put his on. and gave as a reason that he had his 

 overcoat inside of him, and was very warm. 



This was not the only experience here, for the 

 Rambler fell an easy victim to the smiles of a 

 native daughter whom he persuaded to allow 

 him to photograph ; but the honor, and the 

 nearness of Rambler, so overcame her that the 

 smiling Betsy could not control herself, but 

 rocked to and fro, and smiled and smiled. Ram- 

 bler persists that the photo does not do her just- 

 ice, and refused me a proof; but Wilder proved 

 more susceptible, and so here it is. Let all the 

 Eugenias look and wail. 



While here we discussed the bee business in 

 every phase. The prevention of granulation in 

 honey and the clarification of dark honey we 

 found could be accomplished : but each process 



