1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUBE. 



257 



REPORT FROM GEORGIA. 



POOR SEASON. 



fjjHE season for 1878 was, no doubt, one of the 

 poorest known in the South for many years. 

 The spring was fine and warm, and the fruit 

 bloom afforded a line harvest for the bees, causing 

 them to breed abundantly, and swarm early and 

 late. The summer months were dry and hot, which 

 produced a failure in the honey crop, and the fall 

 crop was light; enough, however, to induce the bees 

 to rear a heavy brood, which consumed their winter 

 supply, and the result was, many swarms perished 

 through the winter. 



SEASON ROR 1879. 



The season for 1879, thus far, has been very poor 

 and backward; indeed, bees commenced to swarm 

 about the middle of April, and are now gathering 

 quite freely. We received a letter to-day from 

 Italy, from the man who selects our queens for us. 

 He writes that the season there is nearly one month 

 later than usual. Bees, at this date, are gathering 

 honey rapidly, and breeding abundantly. 



COMB FOUNDATION. 



While some would try to discourage the use of 

 this invaluable article, we could not dispense with 

 it any sooner than with a good smoker. We have 

 tried that made by several parties, all very good; 

 we have also tried that made upon tin foil, and find 

 it very good indeed; not a particle did it sag. 



We are now experimenting with it, compelling the 

 bees to make a single comb one solid cubic foot; and 

 if no preventing providence, will exhibit such if 

 we live. What would you think of that, Mr. Editor, 

 to see a comb of honey one solid cubic foot? Would 

 you not think this was rather on the forcing system? 

 But great and marvelous are the "works" of the 

 "honey bee." A. F. Moon. 



Rome, Ga. 



If I should see a single comb of honey 

 measuring one solid cubit foot, I presume I 

 should think it was you that did it, friend 

 Moon ; for, from what I remember of the 

 pyramid of honey I saw at the convention 

 m Cleveland, you seem to be just the man 

 to make the bees do it, if any one can. 



KEEPING THINGS SHARP. 



SF one wants to get along in this progress- 

 ive age of the world, he must not only 

 ' look sharp continually, but he must 

 have sharp tools to work with. When I see 

 any body trying to do something with dull 

 tools, I sometimes wonder who is to be pitied 

 most, such an one or one who has no tools at 

 all. In so simple a matter as eating one's 

 dinner, nothing contributes more to my good 

 nature, than a sharp knife that will cut 

 through anything you wish, without a large 

 expenditure of time and patience. There- 

 is one particular reason why I always wish 

 to get through my dinner quickly, and that 

 is that there is a little "chick" right across 

 the corner of the table, who invariably sings 

 out towards the completion of this meal, 

 "Bees, papa ; bees, bees, bees," and there is 

 no farther peace, until she has her little sun- 

 bonnet, and is carried out into the apiary, 

 and the whole matter shown up, and ex- 

 plained (V) to her satisfaction. I often take 

 the pollen laden bees on my ringer, and ex- 



hibit them to her admiring gaze. One day 

 she got through the gate, and tried catching 

 them herself, which resulted in a sting on 

 her little fat wrist. That made no difference, 

 however, for she calls out "•Bees," after din- 

 ner, all the same. Well, the other day it 

 was very warm, and she and I were going to 

 have some lemonade, but upon trying .one 

 knife after another, we could not find one 

 that would slice the lemon, by dint of any 

 amount of "sawing," and finally mamma 

 brought us a great butcher knife, a little 

 less than a yard long, and that was so dull, 

 we came pretty near not having any lemon- 

 ade at all. Soon after, I saw an advertise- 

 ment of the machine shown below. 



FAMILY GRIND STONE AND POLISHING 

 MACHINE. 



It is made by the Miller's Falls Manufac- 

 turing Co., and when I saw the price adver- 

 tised for it, only three dollars, I thought it 

 must be a mistake. We sent the money, 

 and in due time, came a very pretty machine, 

 all nicely boxed, which ought, according to 

 the way machinery is generally sold, to sell 

 for at least $8. or $10.00. It has an 8 inch 

 grindstone, and a 10 inch emery wheel, and 

 both are set spinning by simply pressing 

 your foot on the treadle, by a device quite 

 similar to the one used by Barnes Bros., for 

 running their foot power saws. In fact, 

 the idea popped into my head of putting a 

 10 in. buzz saw in place of the grindstone, 

 attaching a table, and having a $5.00 foot 

 power buzz saw ; but, amid the rush of busi- 

 ness, I have not had a moment's time to do 

 it, and so I give the idea to you. With this 

 wonderfully neat little machine, it is just 

 fun to sit down and sharpen and scour every 

 thing about the household. A sponge is 

 fastened against the stone, which prevents 



