202 



GLEiLNLNGS LN BEE CULTUKE. 



May 



COMING AT LAST. 



Mr. John Faris, Chilhowie, Va., sends us samples 

 of dipped fdn., both with and without wires, that 

 will nil the bill for the $100 offer, if he can get it to 

 work equally as well on a sheet L. size. This he 

 says he can do, and we only await his doing it. 



The express companies have refused to receive 

 packages unless the county as well as iState and 

 town are given; and, please, my friends, take my 

 word for it when 1 say they have good reasons for so 

 doing. Therefore if you give us only the address of 

 a railway station that is not also a postoftice, we can 

 not ship your goods, even though we wish to ever so 

 much. We have all the books, maps, etc., to hunt 

 you up if you will just give us half a chance. 



Cold chisels, and prick punches, made of the 

 right steel and temper, are most convenient tools, 

 as we have learned by the number of orders sent for 

 them, since adding them to our 10c counter. 



If wanted by mail, send 15c for the cold chisel, and 

 13c for the prick punch. 



Given's foundation press is at hand, just as we go 

 to press. Besides making the fdn. right in the 

 wired frames, it makes very pretty st rters. when 

 only a narrow strip is pressed. These, although 

 the base is very thin, are not as many feet to the lb. 

 as ours, because the walls are very heavy, after the 

 Dunham style; still, as these walls are soft wax, 

 comparatively, I think it very likely there will be 

 no "■fishbone" in the comb honey. At present, we 

 make much slower work with the press, than with 

 our rolls; but I presume it is because we are not yet 

 used to it. 



Later:- -As we go to press, after having used the 

 Given press for perhaps a couple of hours, we can 

 not make it work as fast, or as well, as our rolls 

 aud roller, for putting the fdn. on to the wired 

 frames. The wax sticks to the dies, and the wire 

 cuts the fdn. More practice may remedy both. 



FOUNDATION LOWER. 



Because of the apparently permanent decline on 

 wax, and also because some others have undertaken 

 to furni«h fdn. at lower rates, we shall All all orders 

 received after this date, at the following rates: 



The fdn. is kept in stock, in sheets of three dif- 

 ferent sizes, viz; 12x18 inches, 8x16%. inches [exact 

 size needed for L. brood frames], and 8=aXl7Js (ex- 

 act size for wired L. frame, shown on page 9, price 

 list) packed in boxes of 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, and 50 lbs. 



DRONE OR WORKER CELLS. 



(A ho.r of fdn. containing; 2 oz., including samples of 

 alt the different kinds, will he sent by mail for 10c.) 



1 to 25 pounds, per pound 42c 



25 to 50 " " 41c 



50 to 100 " " 40c 



100 to 500 " " 38c 



500 to 1000 " " :;iic 



1000 pounds or more " 35c 



Packed in neat wooden boxes— paper between ev- 

 ery two sheets. 



If wanted by mail, add 25c per lb. for boxing and 

 postage, on any quantity leas than 2 lb. ; over 2 lb., 

 add 20c for boxing and postage. Now, all of you that 

 will order in our regular sized sheets, 8xl6}4, or 12x18, 

 or 8% x 17^8i niay have it for lc per lb. less. If you 

 will also order it in our regular sized boxes, of 5, 10, 

 or 25 lb., you may deduct lc more per lb. Thus :— 1 

 lb. by mail, regular size will be 65c; 3 lb., $1.80. 

 By freight or express: 



3 lbs. regular sizes will be $1 20 



5 " " " " 2 00 



10 " " " " 4 00 



25 75 



Very thin drone or worker fdn. for comb honey, 10 

 c. per lb. extra. This we intend to run at least 12 

 square ft. to the pound, and it will be made in strips 

 from 3 to 5 inches wide. Although drone starters 

 are worked out the fastest, and are used entirely by 

 us, as there is a difference of opinion in the matter, 

 wc will send all worker, unless you order drone. 



OMITTING SIGNATURES. 



Stii.l the letters keep coming without signatures, 

 or with them so badly written it is impossible for us 

 to make them out. A card is just brought me, from 

 a man complaining that he has had no returns for 

 the money he sent us some time ago, but neither 

 the clerks nor myself can make out anything at all 

 from the scrawl he intends for a signature. Worst 

 of all, we are crowded with orders, and an expe- 

 rienced clerk cannot possibly be spared to go 

 through the routine of hunting subscription lists 

 and old letters, and compaiing hand-writing. I 

 wonder if I am getting into a grumbling mood with 

 poor humanity. I am very strongly tempted to say 

 I cannot fuss with such folks any longer; if they 

 will be so careless, they must take the consequences. 

 Two of those whose letters I have given on another 

 page have written almost abusively, because they 

 did not get their goods, never dreaming it was any 

 fault of their own. 



STILL LATER. 



My friends, I shall have to say, just once more, 

 that leaving your names off from your letters is get- 

 ting almost to be a mania; before me is a postal 

 complaining bitterly, and almost calling us hard 

 names, but it stops right square off, without sign of 

 name or address either. If you can do nothing 

 more, please at least bear in mind, that it is not 

 always our fault, when things are amiss, and try to 

 have a little more charity when you write. Some of 

 you have confidence in me, I know, by the reckless 

 way in which you tumble the money over into my 

 hands, without telling what it is for, but I do not 

 like to be trusted quite so much as that. Very like- 

 ly these lines will not find t he heedless ones at all. but 

 I can pray for you, even if I cannot find just where 

 on this broad earth you are located. 



QUEENS BY MAIL. 



I rave waited until the last moment before going 

 to press, to see if something would come to light, to 

 help us in sending queens by mail; but, so far, I am 

 unable to give any encouraging report. Quite a 

 number of queens have been sent us by mail, but, I 

 am sorry to say, the greater bart of them have come 

 dead. For loner distances, or for provision against 

 the usual number of delays, we must have water as 

 well as candy, especially during dry, dusty weather, 

 ft is true. Prof. Cook has said that he thinks a tin 

 bottle not objectionable, but this is certainly not the 

 letter of the law, and I fear not the spirit. Another 

 thing; after the water has been several days in a tin 

 bottle, it becomes discolored with rust. I do not 

 know positively that this water is unwholesome, but 

 I fear it. We are making tin bottles with a division 

 in the centre, making really two bottles, with open- 

 ings in opposite directions. These bottles are sold- 

 ered up completely, and the orifices are pricked 

 with a sharp scratch awl, about the size of a small 

 knitting needle. To fill the bottles, hold these ori- 

 fices under a stream of water falling about a foot; 

 when once filled, you can get the water out only by 

 shaking, and then but a very little at a time. The 

 bees can reach into these holes, and drink, and one 

 of the two openings will always be accessible. This 

 double bottle we place in the centre of our usual 

 mailing queen-cage shown in our price list. If I 

 could have such bottles of glass, add they were per- 

 mitted to go by mail, I should be perfectly satisfied. 

 I presume tubes made of block tin would be more 

 wholesome than the tin plate bottles. Mr. Gray 

 suggests a wax bottle, made by boring a hole in the 

 wood, and coating it with wax. I am afraid of this, 

 because the bees might enlarg" the hole and let the 

 water out on the candy. Ifcis n>.ubs the bees and is 

 almost sure death to them, by nges do for a while, 

 but they soon dry out, unless enclosed in a bottle. 

 Freshly made candy will do very well for 3 or 4 days 

 without any water, and I do not know but the best I 

 can do is to advise you to buy your queens of some- 

 body pretty near you. T do not think there is any 

 great difference, providing you are dealing with an 

 honest man. The man that Mr. Doolittle mentions, 

 who owned that he sold culls for dollar queens 

 would, on the same principle, sell glucose for honey, 

 or plated spoons for coin silver, if he could escape 

 detfction, would he not? I want to see you all suc- 

 ceed, but I fear you will have trouble in trying to 

 send queens long distances by mail. In calculating 

 to get queens into the hands of your customers in 

 three or even four days, you must take into account 

 tho number of careless, heedless, dilatory poodle 

 there are amon^— J think I will say us. 



