600 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



ITALIANS VERSUS BLACKS. 



My report for this season, friend R., is not flatter- 

 ing. We have had a poor season. I started in 

 spring with 14 colonies— 2 Italians and 12 blacks. 

 One Italian I fixed for swarming, and the other one 

 for section honey; the one gave me two good 

 swarms, and the other 100 lbs. of honey. My blacks 

 gave me nothing; so you see if they had been all 

 Italians I would have done better. I sold my honey 

 very readily for 25c. per lb. A. H. Duff. 



Flat Ridge, Guernsey Co., O., Nov. 5, 1880. 



PEET'S CAGE. 



I must here state, that I think Peet's cage for 

 shipping and introducing queens, Ihe best thing 

 ever brought up yet. F. M. Wright. 



Enosburgh, Vt., Nov. 9, 1880. 



DO QUEENS OFTEN MATE WITH DRONES FROM THEIR 

 OWN HIVES? 



I would like to know if queens of one hive will 

 mate with drones of the same colony. My opinion 

 is, they will not. If this question is not O.K., do not 

 trouble. I give, as an excuse for asking simple 

 questions, I am "fresh," as a bee-man— only one 

 summer's standing. C. A. Stevens. 



St. Liboire, Bagot Co., Pro. Que., Can., Nov. 9, 1880. 



[To be sure, the question is a proper one, and so i3 

 any question pertaining to bees, for aught I see. 

 Send them along.— As a general thing, I think it 

 rare that the queen meets a drone from her own 

 hive ; but if we have drones in profusion from her 

 hive, at a season when they have none from other 

 hives, she would be obliged, of a necessity, to meet 

 those or none. At such times, the queen usually 

 goes out a great many times before being success- 

 ful.] 



HOW TO MAKE A FOOT-POWER SAW. 



The file and eye-protector came to hand safe and 

 in good order; I tiled the saw all ritrht, and it cuts 

 through inch stuff very well. My saw-table is made 

 in this manner: Say that you were going to make a 

 buck-saw saw-horse to saw wood on, thus: X; put 

 on a top, so as to make a table. A friend made me a 

 mandrel, with \i in. pulleys on the same, and the 

 overseer of the machine-shop made me a shaft, one 

 inch in diameter, 18 in. long, with a crank, and acbn- 

 necting-rod, and I fasten a treadle-board to the rod, 

 and work it with my foot. I have a 10-inch pulley 

 for belt, and 21-inch balance-wheel to give it motion. 

 It runs very well. I am well pleased with your 

 goods. Felix A. Cortes. 



Graniteville, S. C, Oct. 1, 1830. 



[Very good, friend C. I suppose you put the shaft 

 through where the X's cross. A crank on each end 

 of the shafi would be better, and you could have one 

 made movable, so as to slip the shaft through. Your 

 frame will need to be stayed to something, or it will 

 probably spring about too much.] 



ENTRANCES TO THE SECTION BOXES ; HOW LARGE 

 SHOULD THEY BE? 



If you thoroughly understand the nature of the 

 bee, you have the opening too small between the 

 boxes. You may take apart 10 old or new stands of 

 comb, and you never will find a space less than % or 

 V% in. for the bees to pass and work in; and if they 

 be allowed to make their own entrance to deposit 

 honey, it will never be less than % or y 2 inch. Your 

 opening is scant \ inch. J. C. Towson. 



New Madrid, Mo., May 14, 1880. 



[You may be right, friend T., about the space the 

 bees choose to have between their combs; but I feel 

 sure, from many experiments, that J£ inch will an. 

 swer all purposes for the slots in the section boxes. 

 With a larger space they put on more propolis, and 

 often little bits of comb, which they do not when 

 they have little or no room to spare. The openings 

 to our sections can never be less than l i in., but may 

 be quite a little more, if the boxes are not keyed up 

 perfectly tight.] 



It did me good to see Mr. Hutchinson's apiary and 

 twins. I have no twins, but can can send you a 

 photograph of my bee-yard, in which I take consid- 

 erable pride. Jas. T. Fife. 



Corning, la., Nov. 3, 1883. 



chaff hives. 



Last spring I had ten swarms of bees iu chaff 

 hives. I was sick all the spring, and four swarms 

 ran away at apple-blossom time. I have taken about 

 300 lbs. of comb honey from them, and have in- 

 creased to 25, all in good condition for winter. 



C. H. HOYT. 



Norwalk, Huron Co., O., Nov. 8, 1880. 



[Why, friend H., the chaff hives were a bad thing 

 for you, if they enabled your colonies to build up so 

 that they sent out swarms in apple-bloom, and were 

 lost. Next spring, we trust you will not be sick, 

 and that those early swarms will be taught better 

 manners.] 



I had 50 hives last spriner; have 58 now; 1000 lbs. 

 surplus, besides enough to winter on; 350 lbs. box, 

 650 extracted. J. W. Utter. 



Pine Island, Orange Co., N. Y., Oct. 2T, "80. 



plaster for fdn. plates. 



I want to make a Faris comb fdn. m 'chine. I have 

 plenty of the best of planter. Some plaster will not 

 calcine, and will not get hard, no matter what you 

 put in it. I have been in the business long enough 

 to know all about it. When I succeed, I will write 

 you all about it. H.W.White. 



Broad Run Station, Fauquier Co., Va., Oct. 30, '80. 



bee-stings and rheum vtism; the stings are a 

 "success," after all. 



We have read with interest the developments 

 about bee-stings vs. rheumatism. Our report is as 

 follows: Two years ago last spring, Mrs. K. was af- 

 flicted with rheumatism in the left upp^r arm, 

 which continued four or five months; not acute, but 

 very annoying. One day she had an accidental sting 

 on the wrist of same arm, which caused a great and 

 very painful swelling, continuing: three days; but 

 from that day to this she has not felt the slightest 

 touch or rheumatism. A C. Kendel. 



Cleveland, O., Nov. 15, 1880. 



HONEY FROM FRUIT-BLOOM. 



A friend of mine has a colony of hybrids in a chaff 

 hive, that has given him 7 broad frames of 4^ sec- 

 tions full of honey, from fruit-bloom; likewise a 

 rousing swarm on the 12th inst. You ought to rec- 

 tify your statement in the ARC. Last spring, one 

 of the colonies I got of you in 1878 gave me 7 frames 

 of sections, 4^, from fruit-bloom, and for the sea- 

 son, 150 boxes, m, and 20 lbs. of buckwheat, extract- 

 ed. W. G. Saltford. 



Poughkeepsie, N. Y., May 17, 1880. 



