124 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



cut. When I have been around the jar about 

 twice I drop about a table spoonful of cold 

 water on the place from whence I removed 

 the poker, when the top will break off ; but 

 not always so very straight. 



Out of % hard wood make a round cover, 

 }4 inch larger all around than a jar, for each 

 jar. Scribe a circle, on each cover, one inch 

 less in diameter than the inside diameter of 

 a jar. Make live or six holes through this 

 circle ; having them equally distant from 

 one another and of such a size that a carbon 

 will fit tightly in each hole. (See fig. 8, C, C, 

 C.) The center hole is for zinc. The more 

 carbons used, the higher the tension of the 

 battery. Get carbons long enough to reach 

 within I4 inch of the bottom of the jar when 

 complete. [In this place, waste pieces of 

 carbon long enough for this purpose can be 

 obtained of the electric light trimmers, sim- 

 ply for the asking. — Ed.] File a notch 

 around one end of each carbon, J4of an inch 

 from the end. (See fig. 1.) Put the carbons 

 half way through the cover and fasten one 

 end of a No. 20 copper wire around the notched 

 place in one carbon ; then wind it around 

 the next carbon, and so on, until the last one 

 (in that cover) is reached ; leaving one foot 

 of surplus wire for making connection. 

 Shove the carbons through the cover until 

 the shoulders formed by the wires rest on 

 top of the cover. A little melted resin and 

 beeswax poured around the wire and car- 

 bons, on top of the cover, will make perma- 

 nent connections. 



A piece of zinc (cast from any old scraps) 

 3^ to % inch in diameter, with a shoulder 

 and a wire cast in it (See fig. 2.), the zinc to 

 fit loosely in the cover, is next needed. Am- 

 algamate the zinc and its consumption will 

 be less rapid. To do this, take one part 

 sulphuric acid and two of water and put in 

 a saucer with some quicksilver. Rub the zinc 

 with this mixture, using a woolen cloth, 

 until the zinc is bright. Amalgamate only 

 below the shoulder. 



With both the zinc and carbons in place, 

 put the cover on the jar and fill the latter 

 with water to within >^ an inch of the cover. 

 Take off the cover and mark the water line, 

 by pasting a strip of paper on the outside of 

 the jar, just at the point reached by the wa- 

 ter when the cover is off. Treat all three 

 jars and covers the same. 



To make the solution take one part com- 

 mercial sulphuric acid and seven parts wa- 

 ter. Pour the acid slowly and gradually 

 into the water, stirring it with a glass rod or 



a hard wood stick. To each quart of this 

 mixture add four ounces bichromate of pot- 

 ash, or about three ounces to each jar, stir- 

 ring it until it is almost dissolved. Pour the 

 water from the jars and pour in the solution 

 until it comes up to the aforesaid water 

 line ; put on the covers ; place the zincs in 

 their places and "connect up." (See fig 3.) 



To connect the battery, take the surplus 

 wire from the carbon of one jar and connect 

 it to the zinc of the next jar. Take the car- 

 bon wire from this jar and connect to the 

 zinc of the third jar. Now you have two 

 surplus wires left ; one from the zinc in 

 jar No' 1, and the other from the carbon in 

 No. 8 ; i. e., positive and negative terminals. 

 Take in your right hand the surplus wire 

 from No. 3 and touch it to the surplus wire 

 of No. 1, and you will see quite a flash of 

 lightning. You will then know that the bat- 

 tery is in good working order. Don't be 

 afraid of a shock, for there is none where 

 there is no magnetism, and there is no mag- 

 netism about a naked battery. You might 

 burn your fingers though, by catching hold 

 of the small wire in the brood frame when 

 the current was on. 



A word of caution just here. Remove the 

 zincs from the solution as soon as you are 



