1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



165 



be used in place of the glass bottle, but was 

 prejudiced, because I know that tin will rust 

 when water stands in it a long time, and I 

 have felt as if the little fellows, when oblig- 

 ed to submit to such long confinement and 

 the close air of the mail bags, certainly 

 ought to have the very cleanest and best 

 water and sugar we could give them. Per- 

 haps the tin will do no harm, if the sponge 

 is removed and cleaned each time we send 

 off a. cage. To prevent the water from evap- 

 orating too rapidly, I have had the tin tube 

 soldered close, and closed with a tight cork, 

 except where the bees get the vrater through 

 the opening in the side of the tube, which 

 is shown plainly in the figure. 



MB. LAXGSTROTII S QUEEN CAGE. 



You will observe that the candy is put on 

 the side opposite the tin tube, and that no 

 wire cloth is used. While I think that this 

 arrangement will, perhaps, answer as well 

 for shipping, I cannot as yet see how it is 

 going to answer equally weil for introducing 

 queens ; for I do not see how they can get 

 acquainted with her as well through the 

 grooves in the side, as they could through 

 the wire cloth. These grooves are made 

 very simply, by dropping the cage on the 

 gang of saws with winch we make the sec- 

 tions. These cages, complete, can be sold 

 for about 10 cts. apiece, or $1.00 per doz. 

 If sent by mail, the postage will be 2 cts. 

 each. 



M 



mm 



This department was suggested by one of the 

 Clerks, as an opposition to the "Growlery." I think 

 1 shall venture to give names in full here. 



jpvpJlHE 4 hives shipped by you on the 18th inst. 

 J p|| _J were received yesterday. They are the first 

 ■■"I complete L. hives I ever saw, and I am more 

 than pleased with them, they are put up so nicely 

 and lit so exactly. Unless the person ordering is a 

 first rate mechanic, he should never order in the 

 Hat. The oc. bee cage is such a beauty, I am sor- 

 i v I did not get more. 



L. A. Alderson. 

 Atchison, Kans., March 20, 1879. 



I am entii led to receive Part Third of ABC, and 

 from what I see in Gleaninos, I infer that it has 

 been out some time. Now. I am not going to get 

 mad, tear my hair, and write you a hasty letter brist- 

 ling all over with lightning and such things, but I 

 will just say that 1 am satisfied the delay is the re- 

 sult of an excusable oversight, during the bustle of 

 business. I know bow to sympathize with you. 



Washington, Ind., Apr. 3, '70. MlLEARD BEURV. 



Well, I declare, friend Berry, I just drew 

 along breath when I got to the end of your 

 letter, and if 1 could see you. I would like to 

 take you by the hand and tell you how much 

 I appreciate that concluding remark. I am 

 afraid I do not deserve so much. but it gives 



me a kind of feeling that if you are merciful 



and charitable toward me, you will be 

 toward others also. Inasmuch' as there arc 

 a great many careless people in this world, is 

 it not a blessed thing that there are, at least 

 now and then, those who are inclined to be 

 merciful and long suffering before they com- 

 plain? You have taught nie a lesson, and 

 while I am determined to work even harder, 

 to prevent the clerks overlooking any of 

 your orders. I will try to show the same 

 kind and forbearing spirit you have shown. 



WINTERING IN MINNESOTA. 



I do not think of going into the column of "Blast- 

 ed Hopes" this year. I put 50 swarms of bees into 

 winter quarters Nov. 12th, and took out the| same 

 number Apr. 7th, all alive and in fine condition. 



You would better come to Minn, where we have 

 such nice pleasant winters thai bees cm be winter- 

 ed without much if any loss. J. L. Gray. 



Brockway, Minn., Apr. is, 1879. 



DOVE-TAILINli MACHINE. 



P 



sends us a machine for making dove- 

 tails for honey boxes, or other purpo- 

 ses. The peculiar features of it are its small 

 size and simplicity. I think the cut below 

 will make it all plain. 



KIMMEL S DOVE-TAILING MACHINE. 



The iron plates seen at the right, adjusta- 

 ble by the bolts, are the stops against which 

 the sections are to be placed. After these 

 plates are adjusted at just the right point, 

 the pieces that are to compose the section? 

 are placed, one at a time, against these stops, 

 and the gate is then brought down, by strik- 

 ing the round top of it with a mallet. The 

 arm shown at the left draws this gate up, 

 with its gang of chisels, by means of the 

 coiled spring. Any blacksmith can make 

 the chisels and the other iron work ; a car- 

 penter or the apiarist himself should be able 

 to make the wood work, which should be of 

 some solid, hard wood. The model sent us 

 was made of apple tree wood. 



EXPERIMENTS ON FLOUR AND CANDY 

 FEEDING. 



CONTINUED FROM LAST MONTH. 



N the April No., page 131, I spoke of egg laying 

 and rearing of young larvae as having nearly 

 ceased, after the bees had consumed nearly all 

 their pollen. Suspecting that the candy which I 

 purchased of Mr. Hoot contained little or no Hour, I 

 found by analysis that the frame given to my bees 

 had none, and on inquiry learned that part of the 

 candy sent me was without Hour. I was now con- 

 firmed in what I had previously conjectured; viz., 

 that pure candy, where there are pollen supplies in 

 Iho hive, stimulates breeding. What I lost by the 

 interregnum of breeding was more than made up to 

 me by this discovery. Estimating the loss at -say 

 two thousand young bees, it is evident that it told 

 upon the progress of this stock in a compound ratio, 

 and I judge that it has not now over half the popula- 

 tion it would have had, but for this check. 



