THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



around the difficulty: Either we must use a 

 blast-tube partly or wholly cut off, which 

 does not entirely prevent smoke and sparks 

 from being drawn into the bellows, and, 

 besides, appears to weaken the blast, and 

 permits sparks to drop upon the operator or 

 hive-packing, or we must place a valve in 

 this blast-tube, or air-flue, in such a way 

 that it will open when the bellows closes, 

 forming with the air-flue a closed passage 

 from the bellows to the fire-barrel, and then 

 instantly close to prevent smoke being drawn 

 into the bellows. 



SECTIONAL VIEW OF CKANE SMOKEK. 



An illustration of this principle is seen in 

 the diagram. The slightest pressure upon 

 the bellows opens the valve near the center 

 of the bellows, and, with the air-flue forms a 

 closed air-flue, 

 or blast, from 

 the bellows to 

 the barrel. As 

 soon as the 

 pressure is re- 

 moved, or the 

 air in the bel- 

 lows exhausted, 

 the valve in- 

 stantly closes, 

 thus preventing 

 any smoke from 

 entering the 

 bellows. The 

 valve, being 

 closed when the 

 smoker is not 

 in use, permits 

 a sufiicient 

 draft of air 

 through the 

 open mouth of 

 the air-flue to 

 keep the fuel burning in good shape. This 

 valve is hinged at one end, and plays loosely 

 in the slot on either side of the mouth of the 

 air-flue. That no air may escape around the 

 valve, a piece of flexible leather is stretched 

 across the valve on the inside of the bellows 

 with a hole through it opening into the 

 valve. 



The grate is so constructed that, with the 

 strong blast, I have had no trouble with 

 ashes or sparks coming down into the air- 

 flue. The diagram makes the working of 

 this smoker so plain that I need not explain 

 further. Its advantages must be evident to 

 any experienced bee keeper. It will be seen 

 that no smoke or sparks can be drawn into 

 the bellows, nor can any sparks drop or fly 

 from the base of the fire-barrel into the 

 clothes of the operator nor into the packing 

 of the hive. 



I have not been troubled with any creosote 

 — that sticky, tarlike substance that, in most 

 smokers, runs down the sides of the smoker 

 and over your hands, not unfrequently soil- 

 ing the sections. Almost any kind of fuel 

 can be burned in this smoker after a fire is 

 once started. My assistant told me that he 

 worked my smoker for half an hour on 

 nothing but green grass. I would not, how- 

 ever, recommend grass as the best fuel. 



This smoker does not easily get choked with 

 soot or creosote; yet, if in careless hands, or 

 from long use, the air-flue or metal valve 

 gets coated with soot it can be easily and 

 quickly taken apart and thoroughly cleaned, 

 so it will work as well as when new ; and al- 

 though so easily taken apart, when put to- 

 gether it is one of the strongest smokers 

 made. The barrel can, in a moment, be 

 taken off when worn out, and replaced with 

 a new one. 



More important than any thing else, so 

 far as my experience goes, this smoker will 

 throw a mucfi larger volume of smoke with 

 far greater force, with the same kind of fuel 

 and the same effort, than any other smoker. 

 It is not always necessary to use large quan- 

 tities of smoke, nor desirable; but when you 

 do want it, you are apt to want it very much; 

 besides, one can work much more rapidly 

 if he has an abundance of smoke in reserve, 

 than without it, and time is money. 



Some time ago I was at work opening a 

 hive, when the bees became very angry, and 

 declared war in earnest. I closed my eyes, 

 took my smoker, and gave a few puffs of 

 smoke about my person. On opening my 

 eyes I could not see even into the hive I had 

 open before me, so dense was the smoke. 

 In a moment more the smoke drifted away 

 and I was left to finish my work without in- 

 terruption, and was master of the situation. 



In this section it is rare that we have much 

 honey to be gathered after basswood bloom; 

 and in a poor season, like the past, almost 

 every hive has to be fed to lit them for 

 winter. How much, can be told only by 

 careful examination, as bees are mostly in 

 large hives, and weighing them is impracti- 

 cable. Heretofore I have found it very diffi- 

 cult to look them over until cool weather, on 

 account of robbing. This year I looked over 

 a number of yards of bees: and although the 

 weather was warm most of the time, and 

 robbers very abundant, I lifted almost every 

 comb in every hive without any serious 

 trouble from robbing. In fact, I worked 

 with as little fear from robbers as I usually 

 do in a good flow of honey. An assistant 

 with a good smoker in hand made robbing 

 an unequal game: and after trying it for 

 two or three hours each day they would 

 usually give it up. Perhaps the kind of fuel 

 had something to do with it. I used old 

 cotton and burlap cloths that had been used 

 over the brood-frames, and gnawed by the 

 bees until worthless. I will say, just here, 

 that there is reason to believe that propolis- 

 coated rags or cloths are the very best mate- 

 rials for smoker fuel to be had. They will 

 last longer than anything else I have tried. 

 The smoke will not stain the whitest section, 

 as I have found clear wood smoke will do. 

 It has a pleasant odor, and is less offensive 

 than any other smoke; and, more important 

 still, this smoke will quiet the bees quicker 

 and more perfectly than any I have hereto- 

 fore used. But to use such old rags to the 

 best advantage requires a smoker with a 

 strong blast: for, as soon as the propolis 

 warms and softens, the rags are apt to settle 

 together and prevent the air from passing 

 through the smoker. 



