10 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1875 



Mv be.ps arc all right so far. In Sept. they filled ev- 

 ery comb full of honey of a rank, ijcculiar flavor, but 

 do not know what from. 



J. H. Ckiuulk, Na.shville, Tenn. Dec. 8th, 1874. 



Mk. root, Dear Sir :— You spoke of Mr. Axtell be- 

 ing patient and strong or he would have comolained 

 of the Peabody extractor. He has used it but little, 1 

 used it myself, I extracted four lifths of all the lioney 

 wo have taken this summer. I had the extractor fas- 

 tened to the floor by the side of my lounge ; 1 could 

 uncap and extract as fast as he could take out the 

 combs. It seems almost impossible to get hired help 

 who are willing to work with bees, and those who are 

 -willing can hardly be trusted with combs of honey or 

 Itrood; such at least was our experience. I found I 

 could work the extractor very well, while lying on 

 the lounge ; perhaps the one we have is better than 

 many of Peabody's make. Husband says he don't see 

 how bee-keepers get along who have no wives, or if 

 they are not willing to help. A big kiss to Blue Eyes. 

 Mus. S. J. W. Axtell, Roseville, Warren Co., Ills. 



We presume the above was not iuteuded for 

 print but the moral it carries, sweeps, like the 

 . dischar<?e from a doubled barreled shot gun, 

 that "scatters" badly besides. 



In the tirst place it hits ns for saying so 

 much against the Peabody machine, and truth 

 compels us to say that we don't know how she 

 can have a "better one" for they are all made 

 by machinery, precisely alike. Perhaps noth- 

 ing but actual trial would show our friend the 

 broad difference in the running of the two kinds, 

 both in speed and power requisite, Secondly, 

 she puts to shame those ladies who think they 

 are not strong enough, or haven't the time to 

 help about the apiary. If we are not mistaken 

 their crop of honey amounted to something 

 like 3000 lbs., and four-fifths of this, 3400, was 

 uncapped and extracted by an invalid, who is 

 only able to set up a part of the time. 



Thirdly, those who cannot extract when it 

 should be done, because they are "so busy," 

 and it is so much work. 



Fourthly, hired help. They will not go near 

 l)ees at all, or they cannot be trusted to han- 

 dle heavy combs, because they are so careless 

 and take so little interest in the welfare of 

 of those they are laboring for. Lest this be 

 understood as simply fault finding, we will 

 add that we have the highest respect for every 

 one who earns an honest independence by their 

 labor, and to such we would say, make your- 

 self skillful and trustworthy in all duties you 

 may be likely to have to perform, and you will 

 soon be sought out, and paid an extra price at 

 almost any season of the year. 



Fifthly, "Husband" don't see how bee-keep- 

 ers get along who have no wives. Guess we'll 

 stop, this is "dangerous ground" for we have 

 many subscribers like our next friend : 



Also And enclosed Photo of self, the better half I am 

 in fast pursuit of. M. H. C, Belleville, Mich. 



Mu. NOVICE :— You are a study and von remind me 

 of th(! story familiar to our school days"of the traveler 

 who sought protection from the storm and cold at the 

 cave of a Centaur. As he entered the cave he began 

 to blow his fingers. On observing which, the Centaur 

 asked him why he did that, and the reply was "To 

 warm my Hngefs." Eater in the evening the Centaur 

 gave him some liot soup for his supper, before eating 

 which, he began to blow it. "Why do you blow the 

 soui) ?" asked the Centaur, "To make it cool" was the 

 reply. Whereupon the Centaur turned him out into 

 the storm declaring that none but an evil genius could 

 blow hot and cdM with the same breath. 



I have carcriilly read your Gleanings "from A, 1>, 

 C, up to ilate," as well as the out gushlngs of your fer- 

 tile brain in the A. B. J., and I am delighted "to And a 

 writer that truthfully delineates the ups and downs of 

 Apistical experience. As well as one who rushes 

 into a test trial, of "New Ideas" that have a jiromise 



of practical use, with an impartial exposition of the 

 results. And yet I am amazed to see how you can 

 blow hot and cold with the same breath, at difterent 

 times of course. IJut we won't turn out the Glean- 

 ings, no, no, we like the scintilations radiating irons 

 those digital extremities blow them as you will, and 

 we like the mental soup tempered to suit our hungry 

 palates by the zejihyrs of your breath. So blow away, 

 hot or cold, as the spirit moves, so long as we are 

 getting at tlie truth that keeps us marching on to the 

 good of successful Apiculture. 



But my Dear Sir, who can understand your descrip- 

 tion of a buzz saw table. Vol. 1, page. 17 't it's very 

 muddy. You are not good in i>ortraying machinery 

 and imijlements of Bee Culture. Had you more expe- 

 rience with patents you would use perspectives, 

 ground plans, and elevations, with sundry sections, 

 cutting the same at a, b, or c, d, etc. etc. in illustrating 

 the valuable improvements of your fertile apiary. 



Speaking of buzz saws : This standing on one leg, 

 and churning with the other, while pushing a board 

 astride of the buzz saw, is too mucli like work, in any 

 kind of moderate weather. I like my plan better- 

 For a balance and band wheel, I use a grind stone 

 near three feet in diameter, (hung truly) to which I 

 "attach" a stout man lor jiropelling power. This 

 don't interfere with its use for shar))eiiing tools, and 

 the saw cuts steadily and oh, so easily if not fed too 

 rank. 



And this leads us to another suggestion. A "new 

 idea" it may be. A plan for making both large and 

 small frames easily. 



Supposing the material for the frames ready cut, of 

 the right thickness, length and breadth, and then 

 suppose a body had a buzz saw, and a grind stone, or 

 a tread-mill, or even a wind-mill, or any other power. 

 And then again suppose they couldn't get, or didn't 

 want your your tin corners, and did want, quick 

 work. Let them, then procure a gang of four saws 

 exactly alike, about six inches in diameter, with the 

 plate 'b of an inch thick, the teeth fine with the 

 i)oints "up set" (flattened out) to cut 3-lti of an incli 

 wide. These saws of course will just fit the arbor of 

 your slitting saw. Place between the saw blades, cir- 

 cular pieces of sheet brass, so that the cutting edges of 

 the teeth are just .3-10 of an inch apart. Adjust the 

 table and guide to cut the desired depth. And then 

 by clamping 50 or 100 frame pieces evenlj- 

 together, the saws will rapidly cut the ends, so that 

 they will match together, as in Fig. 1. 



[Here our pleasant friend tantalizes us by 

 submitting some drawings in perspective that 

 certainly casts our arrempts all in the shade. 

 The principle is precisely that of the well 

 known Crandall Building blocks. AVe may 

 briefly mention that we sometime ago tested 

 the same thing. If we use lumber any thing 

 near as light as with the Metal Corners, the 

 joint even when glued has none of the stift'ness 

 and accuracy given by the metal.] 



There Friend Novice is a frame that can hang alone, 

 or stand alone, take your choice. And then for sec- 

 tional surplus honey boxes, whv it can't be beaten, 

 not even by Harbison or Adair — perhaps your tins 

 will cipher in with this corner. 



By the way our grocery stores are flooded with 

 Chicago Honey ['f] put up in glass jars with a piece of 

 comb in each, and selling retail ;?5 cts. for % 11). A 

 good price for melted sugar and water, that before 

 melting costs 9 or 10 cts —Wish I had 2.5 lbs, of your 

 lirpiid whi:e clover honey, slung out of an Italian 

 apiary. Have been eating San Diego— very good but 

 it laciis the aroma of white clover. 



Geo. F. Foote, M. D. Stamford, Conn. 



AVe have often thought of the ])lan for honey 

 boxes but do not most of our readers agree 

 that the Harbison box, descril)ed on another 

 page, is good enough and easier to make by the 

 masses at large V 



We think the San Diego Mountain, superior 

 to Clover or anj'thing else we have ever tasted 

 in the way of honey. Will not our friend put 

 some genuine honey in his market, at a proper 

 price and thus drive (uit the spurious? 



In regard to good drawings: We could 

 readily procure them, l)ut at a cost that Glean- 

 ings at jiresent would not warrant and we 

 think our friends all desire that we should 



