666 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



bPET. 1. 



I earnestly wish, Mr. Editor, that all would 

 confess their losses In the apiary, and try to 

 explain the cause with the same candor Mr. 

 Holmes has done. It would save many from 

 similar mishaps, lint, unfortunulely, some 

 bee-keepers have the bump of self conceit so 

 highly developed that they can't do this. I 

 know a man who would rather confess to doing 

 a mean thing than admit he made a blunder in 

 the apiary. Do you know any such? 



Mr. Holmes, actuated by disinterested mo- 

 tives, and at his ownexpen-e. attended the ses- 

 sion of the committee naincd by the O. B. K. A. 

 to wait on the Dominion Government at Ottawa 

 concerning the sugar- honey frauds, and to aid, 

 if possible (through the infiuence of his friends 

 in that place), in securing the passage of a pure- 

 honey bill. He attended the sessions of the 

 North American B. K. A. when it met in Toron- 

 to and Brantford. and anticipates a rare treat 

 when it meets again in Toronto. 



Ontario sent about 40 tons of honey to the 

 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886, of which 

 he contributed one and a quarter tons. Mr. 

 Holmes has a farm of one liundred and seventy- 

 six acres, four acres of which are under orchard, 

 with commodious buildings, on one side a view 

 of Upper Delta Lake; on the other may be seen 

 a low range of Laurentian hills with dark 

 wood-shaded ravines— a pleasant country home. 

 He owns and lives at leisure in a good brick 

 residence in the handsome and thriving village 

 of Athens, and keeps bees for the pleasure and 

 instruction they impart, asimuch as from other 

 motives. nHe is superintendent of the fine Sab- 

 bath-school here and an exemplary class-leader. 

 He is also member of the village council, like- 

 wise president of the local bee-keepers' asso- 

 ciation. Gentle and unassuming in manner, he 

 has an unsullied reputation, and holds the re- 

 spect and enjoys the good opinion of all who 

 know him. W. S. Hough. 



HIVE-NUMBERS. 



GOOD SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE: TAINT 

 TO USE, AND HOW TO LETTER. 



By F. A. Ocmmell. 



Mr. Editor:— I have just finished reading 

 your issue of July 1.5th, and observed the article 

 of Mr. U. F. Hyde, of San Diego, Cal., also the 

 one of Dr. Miller, in regard to hive-numbers, 

 and what they should be made of, etc. 



I never was an advocate of the number being 

 permanently attached to the hive, although I 

 have practiced numbering them, and therefore 

 take the liberty of calling the attention of both 

 those gentlemen, and any others who may 

 think it a good thing to use such, to a sample I 

 now send you, which I liave used for some 

 years past, and which has proved not only con- 

 venient, but serviceable as well. They are, as 



you observe, made of tin, painted on both sides, 

 although one side is all that is really necessary 

 to paint, except that the side next the hive, 

 when not painted, is liable to rust, and at times 

 soil a nice white painted hive. You will ob- 

 serve I have painted the tin a red color. This 

 was partly on account of convenience and part- 

 ly on account of looks, as it is immaterial what 

 kind of paint is used, so long as a good contrast 

 is made between the lettering and the back- 

 ground. When I use a dark background I 

 always use a white letter on the same, and 

 vice versa. 1 have tried both ways, and prefer 

 the dark background, as I can use white lead 

 for the figures, and it is easier applied with the 

 brush on the stencils than the black or dark- 

 colored paint, and white lead can be purchased 

 thick, and it then needs little if any thinning or 

 diluting. I first cut the tin into strips most 

 suitable and convenient, as to economy, and 

 then paint them two coats of thin paint, as two 

 thin coats on tin appear to me more suitable 

 than one thick coat. , 



As soon as dry I use a short stubby brush for 

 applying the paint through the stencil, the 

 latter being cut out of very thin brass. I do 

 not make any claim as to cheapness, by mak- 

 ing these hive numbers in this way; but I do 

 know they are convenient and serviceable, as 

 they are only temporarily attached to the hive 

 by a small screw having an eye, so that they 

 can be readily secured by a few turns of the 

 naked fingers. One thing is certain— that, after 

 the stencil numbers are purchased, they will last 

 for years in making large quantities. 



Stratford, Ont., Can. 



MANILLA TAGS FOR NUMBERING HIVES; A SE- 

 VERE TEST. 



I see in Gleanings. July 1.5, pages 561 and 

 .564. articles on tags for hives. Now, I do not 

 wish to go against Dr. Miller or Mr. Hyde, but 

 I will tell you what I have seen. I have seen 

 manilla cardboard marked with common writ- 

 ing, and also stencil ink, nailed on to water 

 butts and casks, and then a good coat of linseed 

 oil given them. They would be exposed on 

 deck of a sailing ship in a voyage around Cape 

 Horn, of five months' duration, in the winter 

 months. Now, my opinion is, that a card of 

 that kind on a hive would last for years. 



Geo. L. Vinal. 



Charlton City, Mass., July 28. 



[Well, well! perhaps I was a little too fast in 

 concluding, with Dr. Miller, that manilla tags 

 would not do for hive numbers. Dr. M. will 

 please notice that I am considering favorably 

 the manilla in preference to tin. Certainly no 

 severer test could have been applied than the 

 one you mention. Along in the line of this we 

 all remember of having seen similar tags tack- 

 ed to the side of box cars, and other places, 

 that have probably been there for months and 

 perhaps years. If soaked in linseed oil they 

 will stand any reasonable requirements on the 

 hive. 



