100 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



apiary or even as far as the R. R. station ; 

 he should endeavor to scrape up courage 

 enough to keep in seeing and hearing dis- 

 tance (especially of the off grades) until it 

 has disappeared down the consumer's gullet 

 and his lips are closed behind it. 

 Clinton, Wis., March 5, 1892. 



Comments on 



Beginner's Day-Book. 

 No. 4. 



E. HASTY. 



URING April I devised the excellent 

 hive-scale (weighing ounces as well 

 as heavy weights) which is described 

 and illustrated in Gleanings of Sept. 1880, 

 page 416. I think an enterprising beginner 

 should always keep a colony on an accurate 

 scale. In so doing he will get much accurate 

 imformation he is not likely to get in any 

 other way. Scales only weighing pounds 

 and big fractions are no good as educators. 

 At the opening of the season I had no scale. 



"April 5th 1880. Many of the incoming bees 

 have no pollen, although they seem heavily load- 

 ed. I judge they have found honey somewhere — 

 soft maple possibly. The willows I saw swarm- 

 ing with bees yesterday have none to-day." 



I think that my conclusions were sound, 

 and that I was coming on well for a begin- 

 ner. How it makes a greenhorn grow to 

 feel that his cattle are hauling in valuable 

 material! The citation illustrates also the 

 enterprise and practical turn of the bee— 

 to day at one thing, tomorrow at another ; 

 always with her eye on the main chance. 



"April 6th. Gloomy. Thermometer 42° 49* 

 37° , and snow at night. Made and painted a 

 comb-carrier for botli kinds of frames." 



This was one of ray best day's work as a 

 beekeeper. A comb-carrier is an article of 

 prime utility in the yard — in fact there 

 should be a pair of them ; for we carry two 

 heavy pails of water almost as easily as one. 

 I think the brethren often get along with 

 little things that hold only two or three 

 combs, and sometimes without any carrier 

 at all. My pair (for I made another the next 

 day) are jolly, great big ones, yet light and 

 bee-tight— and none too big. They are 

 made of thin pine, ribbed on the bottom and 

 around near the top with wooden bars. Two 

 bails, one a few inches from each end, swing 

 together into the hand for carrying. When 

 I bought the apiary, it had Gallup and 

 Langstroth frames in about equal numbers ; 

 so I sized my carriers to hold Gallup frames 



crosswise, or Langstroth frames lengthwise, 

 as convenience required. Of course, in an 

 apiary run for extracted honey there should 

 be a regular extracting house, and some 

 sort of car or wheelbarrow on springs to 

 wheel combs up to, or into, the door. But I 

 am only lately working into extracted honey. 

 I have no extracting-house yet, and do my 

 extracting here and there and everywhere — 

 when robbers are very inquisitive, up stairs 

 in the house- so a barrow would hardly fill 

 the bill for me. 



"April 15th. Mild spring day. Went through 

 seven colonies. Of the up-etairs colony 100 bees 

 are left. Set up a water fountain giving a little 

 sweet and salt water." 



How about water fountains any way ? Are 

 there a dozen practical men who keep them 

 up steadily ? I kept up mine for a number 

 of years, several times improving and re- 

 improving the kind of fountain. I thought 

 to medicate the water a little, and so improve 

 the general health of the bee. Willow (a la 

 Virgil) and salt, and sulphur, and lime prop- 

 erly tempered in water, would help the bees 

 in their battle for life against oganic germs. 

 Think so yet. But I kicked entirely out of the 

 traces after awhile, and said " Here, you lit- 

 tle rogues, after all my free medical talent, 

 and my time spent waiting on you, more than 

 half of you will be going off to some favorite 

 watering place of your own. You can just 

 go for all me, the whole of you." And when 

 they besiege the pump, a wad of clean cloth 

 stuffed in the nose, and a little coal oil judi- 

 diciously sprinkled around below, sends 

 them about their business. 



"April 20th. First lesson at handling queens. 

 The queen of 3—5 now up stairs, having but 61 

 bees left, I caged her and put her in 2—7. A 

 queen cell had hatched there 1 found the virgin. 

 Awkward attempts to capture her poked her off 

 on the ground. Could not find her at ffrst ; but 

 later she was found and caged. Peaches begin 

 to bloom." 



This nervousness of beginners in their 

 first attempts to lay hands on her royal high- 

 ness is a well-worn theme of humorous and 

 would-be humorous remarks. Guess I won't 

 try to thresh over such old straw. And if you 

 are a beginner just possess your soul with 

 patience. Your hands will become steady 

 after awhile. How we love to see the peaches 

 open out ! Look like life, and business, 

 and genuine posies without any fraud 

 about them. One of the things I would like 

 to know is how peach honey tastes : Still in 

 ignorance. Mighty " kittle " piece of busi- 

 ness to get spring honeys without the bitter 

 of willow and poplar mixing in. 



