1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



125 



all going into Simplicity hives; your hive and neat 

 little section boxes just take. 



When I get rightly set to work transferring in the 

 spring, would it not be a nice and enjoyable affair, 

 if Novice would slip up behind, and just take a peep 

 for a few minutes? Wishing you every success the 

 coming year, I am — It. B. Robbins. 



Bloomdale, O., Feb. 5, 1880. 



I should be most happy to slip up behind, 

 I am sure, friend R., but it looks now as it 

 you would have to come here and "slip up 

 behind," for I am getting chained to my 

 post closer and closer every day, as it seems. 

 I hope you are right about the spring dwind- 

 ling, but it is a matter on which "doctors" 

 very much "disagree." 



THE ADAMS HORSE-POWER ; IT IS NOT A FAILURE 

 AFTER ALL. 



In January Gleanings, some one was blaming 

 you for describing the Adams Horse-power, as it led 

 him to make one, and afterward throw it on the 

 waste-lumber pile. For your benefit as well as his, I 

 will tell you I know where there is a home-made one, 

 which cost the owner only $7.00 besides his own la- 

 bor. It runs a saw, with only one horse, cuts sec- 

 tions for sale, and everything else belonging to a 

 complete hive. Instead of a rope, he uses a chain 

 running on a pulley made to fit it. It does not 

 stretch, run off, or slip, like a rope. I think if our 

 friend had had a little more patience, and studied a 

 while on it, he would have made a success of his. I 

 find it takes only a trifle to make a great difference 

 with machinery. 



A TASTY APIARY. 



I have 20 swarms of bees in chaff hives painted up 

 quite fancifully. They look like a little village; and, 

 as they face the road, I notice those passing gener- 

 ally take a good look. I intend sending you a picture 

 of my yard when it is completed. I take more com- 

 fort with my bees than with anything else on the 

 farm. 



MITCHELL AGAIN. 



One of the venders of Mitchell's hives visited this 

 community and soon found a victim, getting a colt, 

 and a note to make up the amount of $100. He and 

 his friends lost every bee they put into his hives. 

 The young man refuses to pay the note, and I guess 

 the claim won't be pushed. There are a few bee- 

 keepers in this place that such fellows never visit. 

 They don't like the looks of a well-regulated yard of 

 chaff hives; it displays a kind of knowledge they do 

 not care to face. If I succeed in wintering all ray 

 bees, I shall want a good many supplies for myself 

 and customers. M. II. HUNT, 



Bell Branch, Wayne Co., Mich., Feb. 4, 18S0. 



Many thanks, my friend. You say truly, 

 that it takes but little to make machinery 

 either a success or failure. Send a picture 

 of that chaff -hive apiary, by all means. 

 Mitchell's field is daily growing less and 

 less, and, if we all take hold of the matter. 

 he will soon be short of customers. 



I need all my glass for cabbage and tomato plants. 

 I would also like to give better rates; but as glass 

 has gone up to $4.00 per box, I don't see how I can 

 do better. M. Riser. 



Columbus, O., Feb. 4, 1880. 



RPIDER AND SIMPSON PLANTS GROWN IN BOXES. 



In reply to your article in Feb. Gleanings, on 

 raising honey plants, I would say that I have been 

 raising greenhouse and hot-bed garden plants for the 

 last five years. If you think good, transplanted, and 

 hardened plants could be sold by the dozen at 40 c, 

 100 @ $3.00, 1000 @ $25.00, " plants to be grown in 

 small boxes and sent by express," I would undertake 

 to raise a few thousand. I can't raise more, because 



WHAT AN ABC SCHOLAR DID. 



Lust spring I bought 6 colonies of bees, but they 

 were culls. The man I bought of had 27 colonies. 

 He sold 4 or 5 at $6.00 a stand, then picked out 16 

 colonies for himself, and I bought the 6 remaining 

 ones for $21.00. Three of them were in common box 

 hives, and the other 3 in frame hives. One of those 

 in the frame hives almost perished. May 9th, I open- 

 ed the hive, and there was scarcely a pint of bees in 

 it, and only a little brood on 2 combs. Now I will tell 

 you what ray bees did for me. I increased the 6 to 

 15, and besides that, I lost 3 swarms. Two went to 

 the woods, and one went to a swarm that belonged to 

 my uncle, and I let him have them. I took consid- 

 erably over 200 lb. of surplus honey. It was mostly 

 stored in 6-pound boxes. My new colonies are all in 

 frame hives which I made after night. I sold enough 

 honey, at 12V4 c. per lb., to amount to $24.82, or $3.82 

 more than my bees cost me; besides, I have 9 new 

 colonies, which are all rich. Henry Lipp. 



The Bend, Defiance Co., O., Feb. 5, 1880. 



buckwheat; it is sometimes a failure. 



I have this report to make on buckwheat: Last 

 season, 5 acres of buckwheat were sown right over 

 the fence from my bees, and 10 acres across the 

 road; in short, about 100 acres were sown within l'i 

 miles of them. The most of it was plowed under 

 when it was in full bloom, or after it began to fade; 

 but several pieces remained and ripened, and the 

 bees seemed to work well on it each forenoon; but, 

 strange to say, I did not get a pound of honey from 

 it all. So I have lost faith in buckwheat. 



A. A. Fradenburg. 



Port Washington, O., Feb. 9, 1880. 



COCKROACHES IN BEE HIVES. 



Can you tell me how to rid my bee hives of cock- 

 roaches? They are a perfect pest. Though they 

 may not injure the bees, I am sure they eat honey, 

 for I have seen them at it. They can run down 

 among the bees, with impunity; by the time the bees 

 realize that the roach was there, the latter is off 

 again in some remote crevice. Powdered borax 

 won't do any good at all, and I frequently find them 

 90 thick in ray hives, that I am alarmed. To the 

 person who will give me a sure way of easily get tint; 

 rid of these pests entirely, without injury to the 

 bees, or hives and fixtures (recipe to be sent by mail 

 to me), I will send, at amy time after March 15th, one 

 Italian queen reared from imported mother. 



Wilmington, N. ('.. Feb. 7, '80. K. C. TAYLOR. 



I am inclined to think, friend T.. the in- 

 sects only go there because of the warmth, 

 and do no real harm to the bees or honey. 

 My remedy would be to get the hives so full 

 of bees they would find no room. Perhaps 

 others can do better. 



TO MAKE LABEL8 ADHERE TO TIN. 



I will give you my preparation for labeling on tin. 

 Boiling water 1 qt., pulverized borax 2 oz.; put in 

 borax, then add gum shellac 4 oz., and boil until dis- 

 solved. For your gummed labels I merely wet the 

 tin with borax water. G. H. Pierce. 



Winooski, Wis., Jan. 22, 1880. 



