THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



337 



From what I have written, it may seem as 

 though I were somewhat enthusiastic over 

 the yood qualities of »iy s)noker; but I have 

 little fear but that any other bee keeper who 

 has many colonies of bees to handle, who 

 may give it a fair trial, will be equally enthu- 

 siastic in its praise. J. E. Ckane. 



MiDDLEBUKY, Vt., Oct. 22. 



[When the Crane smoker was first illus- 

 trated and described in the Bee-Keepeks' 

 Review, we were prejudiced against it, be- 

 cause, up to that time, all arrangements in 

 bee-smokers for preventing smoke from 

 going into the bellows by means of a valve 

 connected to a continuous flue to the fire- 

 box, had proved to be complicated, and a 

 failure. But as Air. Hutchinson spoke highly 

 of it we were open to conviction, and soon 

 after wrote to Mr. Crane, asking him to send 

 on one of his smokers, which he did. We 

 were delighted with it at once; and then we 

 saw that it was difficult to understand the 

 real principle without seeing the implement 

 itself. But we trust that the painstaking 

 care we have given to the new engravings 

 will enable our readers to catch the idea. 

 Perhaps we should add that the little valve, 

 just the moment the bellows is compressed, 

 swings out, making a continuous canal or 

 flue to the smoker-cup: and as long as the 

 pressure is exerted upon the bellows, the air 

 can shoot on uninterruptedly into the open- 

 ing, but just the instant it is released, and 

 long before the suction of air backward can 

 take place, the little valve swings back, in 

 obedience to a little spring, effectually pre- 

 venting any return of air or smoke into the 

 bellows. It is impossible for smoke to come 

 in contact with the valve, and hence it will 

 remain clean. In the month or so we have 

 used it, the valves have been perfectly clear 

 of creosote accumulations. 



In our opinion, there is no smoker that 

 has ever been produced that will yield the 

 volume of smoke that this will; and for 

 blast it is fully equal to the Clark. The 

 only trouble we see with it is, that the shut- 

 off -valve device must be made mechanically 

 perfect; and while ours have worked for us 

 a month very nicely, it is possible that, in a 

 year or so of time it might give trouble. 



Latek. — Since the above was written, the 

 smoker got a little wet: the wood swelled, 

 and stopped the valve. This part of the 

 smoker might be made of metal: but this 

 would make it quite expensive. 



We omitted to state that Mr. Crane has a 

 cone, or sleeve, of perforated metal, that 

 slips right over the cone top of the smoker. 

 This sleeve has an air-space between it and 

 the cone proper, and, being fastened se- 

 curely, the top may be removed without 

 burning the fingers." 



The Funics Great Defenders of Their Home 



but Equally Great at Robbing the 



Homes of Others. 



It is very evident from the majority of 



reports that the Punic bees (so-called) are 



not the bees for this country, and if all the 



journals would truthfully show them up, no 

 more bee keepers would be so foolish as to 

 introduce them into their yards. Here is 

 the latest report of them taken from the 

 editorial columns of Gleanings : 



" Some of our friends may be interested 

 in knowing how these Punics are behaving 

 of late. We have been watching them nar- 

 rowly ever since our first reports. Regard- 

 ing their bad traits, we have nothing to take 

 back, but, on the contrary, we are sure that 

 we did not condemn them any too severely. 

 But among all their naughty habits it would 

 be a little singular if we did not discover at 

 least some partially redeeming quality. 

 Well, we have found one. They are the best 

 defenders of their home against robbers, of 

 any race of bees we have ever known. In- 

 deed, when the robbers are the worst, we 

 find we can pull the cover off their hive and 

 leave their combs exposed for hours t a 

 time; and although the robbers will at first 

 pounce on them fiercely, in a few minutes 

 they begin to find they have ' got the wrong 

 pig by the ears,' and then they hover about 

 more cautiously. Those ' little black dev- 

 ils,' as one of the boys calls them, will 

 stand in military array along the edge of the 

 top-bars: and the first robber bee that 

 comes within smelling distance will be met 

 on the wing, and perhaps jerked down be- 

 tween the combs, and that is the last of Mr. 

 Robber, for two or three Punics will soon 

 finish him up. Our experiments were made 

 somewhat late in the season; but we believe 

 it would be safe to move the cover off at any 

 time of the year, if the hive is well shaded. 

 This trait is a very desirable one, but at the 

 same time it is overbalanced by so many 

 bad ones, that, if all Punics are as naughty 

 as ours (and reports seem to show it), bee 

 keepers having them will soon brimstone 

 them. We might add, in this connection, 

 that this same skill in defending their home 

 renders them terriffic robbers, for no ordin- 

 ary bee is a match for a Punic in a hand-to- 

 hand combat. One time last summer, when 

 the bees got to robbing, we noticed that 

 there were two Punics to one Italian helping 

 themselves to the ill-gotten gains : and this, 

 notwithstanding there were 200 times as 

 many of the yellow bees as of the black in 

 the apiary. Suppose the situation were re- 

 versed, and the honey-house door should be 

 left open — what then ? " 



The Solar Wax Extractor is Just the Thing 



for Rendering Cappings, but Old Combs 



Need Soaking and Boiling. 



The solar wax extractor has received ex- 

 travagant praise, but it seems that not every 

 one can make it a success in all cases, as 

 witness the following which W. H. Somer- 

 ford sends to Gleanings: 



Friend E. R. Root: — After carefully read- 

 ing H. R. Boardman's report on page 771, 

 Oct. 15, in regard to the slumgum, or residue, 



