1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



491 



INTRODUCING A QUEEN' WITH HER ESCORT BEES. 



I once wrote to you, saying that bees would some- 

 times kill a queen in consequancs of the accompa- 

 nying bees being put into the hive with her, when 

 introiucin? (see page 11, Gleanings of 1878). You 

 then stated that, if further experiments verified the 

 fact, you would put it into the ABC. Since then, a 

 number of bee-keepers have testified to the fact, 

 and, if I am not mistaken, you are one of them. 

 This summer, f got an imported queen fiom Da- 

 dant, just as she came from Italy. 1 felt that it 

 would be cruel to drive the pior bees out into the 

 cold world without a home to g > to, s > I tried to in- 

 troduce them with the queen, I lost queen, bees, and 

 all. Now put it Into the book. You need not mind 

 about giving ms credit, as I am not working for glo- 

 ry. I condole myself for my losses with the thought 

 that others will profit by my experience. 



Uuionville, la., Nov. 12, 1879. G. B. Replogle. 



Thanks, friend R. The matter shall be 

 put into the A B C at once., and you shall 

 have the credit too. 



GRAPE-SUGAR CANDY. 



I have made up the barrel of sugar into your new 

 bee feed, and think it is the boss feed. I am feeding 

 tin stands. Many thanks for your discovery. We 

 had no honey here this fall; the weather was too 

 dry, and the rl >wers gave but very little nectar. 



UPPER STORIES, BALDWINS DEVICE FOR REMOVING. 



I send you a small model of my invention, for lift- 

 ing off the upper story of the Simplicity hive. 



MACHINE TO LOOSEN THE UPPER STORIES, WHEN 

 FILLED WITH HONEY. 



You put the lower end of the brace in the lower 

 hand hold, and the end of the lever in the upper 

 hand hold, and bear down lightly, and you have it nil 

 loose; take off the upper story, turn it upside down, 

 lift right up, and you have the broad frames all 

 clear without any trouble. Make the lifter out of 

 half-inch, hard wood. I use one made out of walnut. 

 If you think it is a good thing, give it to all bee men. 

 I would not do without one for one hundred dollars. 

 W. M. Baldwin and Brother. 



Mattoon, 111., Nov. 8, 1879. 



Many thanks, friend B. I have practiced 

 lifting off the upper story as you advise, but 

 they are so heavy to lift, that I rather prefer 

 lifting out the broad frames one by one. Be- 

 sides, when we raise the upper story, if there 

 are metal-cornered frames below they are 

 raised up with it, or at least go up part way, 

 and then comedown with a crash ; however, 

 this may be prevented by raising it slightly, 

 and then, with a screw-driver or similar tool, 

 pressing down into its place each brood 

 frame that comes up. 



SUGGESTION IN REGARD TO MAKING SECTIONS BY 

 FOOT-POWER SAWS. 



As it is getting near the time to prepare supplies 

 for next season, I have a word to say to those hav- 

 ing foot-power saws, giving my plan for making 

 seel ion-boxes. First, plane your timber on both 

 sides; then rip it up into strips l 3 ;x2 inches wide; 

 next, saw your strips into lengths of 4'i inches (if 

 that is the size you wish your section-boxes). Now 

 take a board of suitable size (say 10 x 18 inches), nail 

 a straight-edged strip on the side nearest you, and 

 one across the left end at an exact right angle to the 

 first strip. Prepare some glue, and have a brush 

 that will cover two inches. Have your blocks and 

 glue-pot in front of you, just beyond your board. 



Take a block in your left hand, dip your brush in 

 the glue, and pass it over one face of the block; now 

 place it in the angle made by the strips on your 

 board, edge up, end toward you, and glued side to- 

 ward your right hand. Glue another and place 

 against the first in the same position. Proceed with 

 other pieces until you have a block as long as will 

 pass between the saw and pulley. Set it away and 

 proceed as before until you have the blocks all glued 

 together; in a few hours th«y will be ready for the 

 dovetailing table. The advantages of this plan are: 

 First, you save all the scraps of lumber. Second, 

 ihere is no outlay for, nor fussing with, clamps that 

 are needed for no other purpose in making hives. 

 Third, sawing short stuff on a foot-power saw is not 

 nearly as f ttiguiug; and sluing the blocks together 

 Obviates the necessity of having your hands so near 

 the saw, and of handling so many pieces when saw- 

 ing up into sections. Chas. E. McKay. 



Canon City, Colorado, Nov. 10, 1879. 



FEEDING BEES POTATOES, PHOTOGRAPH OF THE APIA- 

 RY, ETC. 



I must have some seed of those spider plants. I 

 have been working with bees ever since I was old 

 enough to do any thing (though I am only 19 now), 

 and, according to your description, I have never 

 seen any thins' that would half way equal it. Please 

 aceppt thanks for the picture of 'your apiary given 

 in Nov. number of Gleanings; it is worth twice the 

 price of Gleanings. I will take my oil paints, and 

 make a ehromo out of it. I have been feeding my 

 bees on a candy made of potatoes, flour, and sugar; 

 about one-fourth potato and flour. D > you think it 

 would be likely to do them any harm? They seem 

 to be doing well on it; those that have been fed 

 with it are still raising brood, while the others are 

 not. Chas. E. Kingsley. 



Greeneville, Green Co., Tenn., Nov. 13, '79. 



I do not fear the Hour, but, without hav- 

 ing given the potatoes a trial, I should be 

 somewhat afraid they might give them the 

 dysentery. Any food that will start healthy 

 brood rearing will at least answer for warm 

 weather. I am glad to know that you are 

 pleased with the picture of the apiary. I am 

 just this minute paying the bill to the en- 

 graver,which was $7o.00, besides nearly $5.00 

 more to the photographer, for the photo- 

 graphs to assist the engraver. 



BADGES FOR BEE-KEEPERS, AND WIRE CLOTH FOR 

 BEE VEILS. 



Have you done anything in the way of making 

 that queen-bee pin suggested to you by J. H. M., 

 Jan. No., page 2a? In the ABC, under veils, you 

 speak of taking steps to have a cloth made of fine 

 wire with large meshes. Have you succeeded in 

 making 1 such a cloth? L.Heine. 



Smithville South, Queens Co., N. Y., Nov. 12, is;!). 



I don't believe, friend H., that many of us 

 have got any money for pins just now ; but 

 friend Kellogg has sent me a sample of a 

 pretty blue-ribbon badge, with a queen bee 

 on it, in bronze. Read what he says about it. 



Dear Novice;— Inclosed please find one of our 

 Western Illinois Bee-keepers* Society's badges. I 

 would have sent sooner, but I have only just receiv- 

 ed Gleanings from home. I hope we shall see 

 something " neat and pretty " come of it. They 

 were made by Thos. G. Newman & Son, of the A. li. 

 J. Will M. Kellogg. 



Now, we will get up as pretty a badge as 

 we can, of silk, with a bronze queen, and 

 motto on it, and one of them will be sent to 

 every subscriber who sends us $1.00 for 

 Gleanings before Jan. 1st. If you want 

 them for conventions, the price will be 5 c. 

 each, or -50 c. per dozen. 



In regard to the wire cloth for bee veils : 

 we stopped our investigations, after receiv- 

 ing the following from friend Baldridge : 



Some use a hat made of wire cloth, but that is very 

 bad lor the eyes. 1 nearly ruiued my eves by its use 

 some twenty years ago. M. M. Baldridge. 



St. Charles, ill. 



