1890 



GLExVNINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



783 



the other friends who favor us with tlieir orders. 

 I subscribed the amount mentioned, because I 

 felt it was a just debt I owed to those wlio gave 

 me their patronage. 



Now, tlien, for our neighbors across the water. 

 As the wi'iter of the above lias not told us how 

 to give, I shall have to ask some reader of 

 Gleanings to give us the address of an organ- 

 ized society or company who will take our 

 money and send it quickly and safely to those 

 who are sufifeiing. I am sure the Gleanings 

 family will do their part. If there is a sub- 

 scription being raised in your community, hand 

 over yours, and do not wait for Glfianings. I 

 asked a friend how it was that Queen Victoria 

 did not bestir herself to supply the suffering of 

 her subjects. We all know that the British 

 Isles are abundantly able, if any nation on 

 the earth is. The reply was, that the wealthy 

 landholders were, on the contrary, turning the 

 poorer classes oitt of (7oo7's because they could 

 not pay their rent. I really hope that some- 

 body may be able to tell us that this is not so. 

 As Gleanings goes to both England and Ire- 

 land, some of th(^ good friends there can, with- 

 out question, enlighten us. Will the editors of 

 our English bee-journals tell us about it, and 

 tell us where to take hold and help ? With the 

 means of communication, and facilities for 

 transportation, there ought not to be any starv- 

 ing human beinus anywhere on the face of the 

 earth. After dictating the above, our short- 

 hand writer gives the following figures, which 

 may have some bearing on the matter. They 

 were used on large posters here during a tem- 

 perance campaign. But even if this be true, 

 the women and children ought not to be allow- 

 ed to suffer. 



During the Irish famine of 1878. ^B.OOO.OOO was 

 sent to her relief from other nations: but dur- 

 ing this same year the whisky-bill of Ireland 

 was f42,()00,0(XJ. 



Add to this amount the sum paid for tobacco. 

 which is almost universally used by the Irish, 

 and it is not much wonder that some people 

 feel like saying to her as Hercules said to the 

 man whose wagon was stuck in the mud: "Put 

 your own shoulder to the wheel first, and then 

 I shall know better how to help you myself." 



SLATTED IIONEY-BOARI) A NUISANCE: THE 

 QUEEN-EXCLUDING BOAKD A SUCCESS. 



The honey season was better here. I got 

 almost .5(X) lbs. extracted honey from my eleven 

 best liiv<'s. Your slatted honey-board is a 

 nuisance for extracted honey down here. Brood 

 gets scattei-ed all over the hive. Tin» queen - 

 excluding zinc honey-board, howevei-. works 

 like a charm. It keeps the queen down, 

 and then the bees make the combs much 

 thicker, so that I have only 8 frannis in the 

 ui)per story of regular Simplicity bodies. This 

 saves bees the troul)l(' of capjjing, and me that 

 of uncai)ping two frames to the hive. 



TO PREVENT 15HACE-COMHS. 



I tacked inch-wide strips of tin on both sides 

 of top-bar, level with the same on top. This 

 proved an entire success — not one bit of brace- 



comb. I also tried the double top-bar with the 

 same result, only the latter is more troublesome 

 to make. 



bee-escapes; the regular cone the BEST. 



I tried both the horizontal and the regular 

 cone bee-escape: but instead of using them in 

 boards I fastened them to a piece of eiuxmel 

 cloth, wide enough to project over the sides of 

 the hive, enamel side down. They workeil best 

 when I did not lill tlu^ new upjjer stoi'y with 

 empty comb, but put only one or two combs on 

 each side. Wherever I i)ut in the whole set of 

 emi)ty coinbs it s(^ems the bees formed a cluster 

 above and below the escape instead of moving 

 downward. Of the two bee-escapes, the regular 

 cone worked to better advantage than the hori- 

 zontal. I never tried to extract before I had 

 left the escape on a night. Whenever there 

 was any brood in the uppei' story (which was 

 invariably the case until I kicked otit your slat- 

 ted honey-boards), the escape did not work at 

 all. When there was no brood they worked to 

 my satisfaction, only very few bees remaining, 

 wiiich soon found home from th<' extracting- 

 room. J. C. RiEGEK. 



Brenham, Tex., Aug. 18. 1800. 



GETTING BEES TO TAKE DOWN THE HONEY; 

 MASON FRUIT-JARS FOR FEEDERS. 



Your answer to W. R. Tate, page 716, is differ- 

 ent from \\hat my answei' would be. I would 

 put on an empty upper story, then another up- 

 per story on top of that one," with combs uncap- 

 ped in it; and if the bees are in need of stores they 

 will carry it down immediately. I know this 

 by practical experience. I have been feeding 

 quite a good deal that way lately; and another 

 way 1 am feeding extracted honey is. to put the 

 honey into quart cans and leave the tops paitly 

 screwed on, and lay it in an empty upper story, 

 on its side, and the honey will run out al)out as 

 fast as the bees will take it. This is a very 

 easv, cheap, and clean way to feed. 



M. F. Bachelder. 



Alamo, Mich.. Oct. 6, 18«3. 



You are doubtless right, friend B. Our re- 

 marks applied to the two-story chaff" hive which 

 we have been trying in that way. You can't 

 tier the two-story chaff hive to three stories 

 high. The idea of using ordinary Mason fruit- 

 cans for feeders is good, and -will save to many 

 of our readers the expense of special feeders. 



SOUR SJIELL PROCEEDING FROM THE HIVE. 



Can yon tell me why there is astnirsmell from 

 some of my hives, something like the odor of 

 soured honey ? The colonies from which it 

 comes seems healthy, and the odor isnotap|jar- 

 ent when the hive is opencMl. The apiary is on 

 a side hill, and well drained. 



()rono(iue. Conn., Oct. 2. F. W. Humphry. 



Friend H., the smell you mention i)robably 

 proceeds from a certain kind of fallflowei-. TIk^ 

 matter has come up several times in past sc^asons, 

 and, if I remember correctly, a certain kind of 

 astergives off thisaroma when freslily gathered. 

 It will entirely disappear when honey is well 

 ripened, and you need have no ai)prehension in 

 regai'd to it. 



THE OITTSIDE WINTERING SHELL FOI! THE 

 DOVETAILED HIVE. 



I wintered two nuclei of about three or thi'e<* 

 and a half frames each, in 8-frame Dovetailed 

 hives, by making an outside shell all around the 

 hive, with a four-inch space at the sides and 



