18S.5 



GLEANINGS IN liEE CLLTUJiE. 



of eternal life and the home beyond ? 

 may God in his <?reat mercy help me ■ 



Tf so. 



j but of the hundreds of feedersful we have fed, we 

 I have never seen one bee that looked lioney-soaked. 

 • and this is more than we can say of any of tlio 

 i other feeders we have used much. 



HEDDON'S FEEDER. 



IS NOVICK IWIK? 



fllO. HOOT:— Are you not mistaken or unfair, 

 or both? Vou ask us to, and 1 will criticise 

 you kindly. Our feeder-bottoin is not 

 "grooved "at all. Every thinjr is decently 

 fitted, and solidly and plainly nailed togethei-. 

 About three in a hundred leak, and these we ex- 

 change and fl.Y up, and that ends it. You say that 

 my feeder seems to be a larg:e Simplicity feeder. 

 Now, this is not just, for insomuch as they are alike, 

 the Simplicity is a small Heddon feeder. Over 12 

 years ago, and i tliiiil; before I ever heard of wab- 

 Ming-slots in which to put ]i<iind feed where bees 

 could get it and run no i-lsk of drowning, i made 

 these very slots, and Tiscd them for open-air feed- 

 ing. Very soon after, I made, useil, and sold feed- 

 ers with these same slots, with reservoir at the side. 

 and entrance at the bottom, operating throughout on 

 the same plan as does the one shown on jiage KU. only 

 it covered only one-fourth part of the hive. an<i was 

 all in one piece. That feeder was made, used, and sold 

 years l)efore Mr. (ii-ay invi'Uted the Simplicity, was 

 it not';' And if I understand your Simplicity cut 

 and description in your circniar, you come in con- 

 tact with the bees when refilling. 'I'hat we do not, 

 I consider a very important point. I, too. used a 

 glass cover, but used a wood cover over the, glass, 

 to shut out light. I atn op|>osed to feeding ill the 

 entriince. J dont think any one will inactice it. 

 after using a good top feeder. Vou also say we 

 leave a " fs " space between the climbiiiB- partitions. 

 No, it is only about ■'«; ';; would be too large. All ■';■. 

 spaces will admit of the passage of b«>es at one time 

 and one place, through it. A bee crawls back 

 down as well as back up. This ,: spac<'"over the 

 scant partition " is ai!>o a ";, space under tlie cover, 

 and more bees than five swarms wonlil contain 

 would never crowd this passagcwa.w 



"OB.JECTIONS." 



That these feeders take lift some rooni is trni- ol 

 any feeder, and they ilis|iatch woi-k in a greater 

 proportion than they take np room, as compared to 

 other feeders. One feeder will feed ten ditferent 

 colonies, in a lair season of time. No trouble about 

 warped covers. We don't make a cover that will 

 warp badly enough to let in a bee. Another point 

 is, we don't let our colonies " get a going " robbing; 

 and if they did, they would never raise a light cover 

 —at least, our covers (tn " light, " and I never yet 

 saw one rise, an<l in two instances by a new hand 

 putting on old, r(\jected. and waiped covers (of a 

 style we do not use), tlio bees did get started 

 jiretty well on two feeders; but by closing the crack 

 with our regular covers, till was again harinon.v; 

 for, get in at tlie top they caiihltt't, and that had at- 

 tracted their whole attei\tion, so they nevej- tried 

 the entrance. This is one reason why I so dislike 

 feeding at the entrance. Wet know by e.vperi«'nce, 

 that warping c-overs are not one imrticle of ob- 

 jection. 



Now, about the food "spouting up," and rising 

 and daubing the bees. 1 liave tested this a few 

 times by removing the cover and watching the 

 action, and I never yet saw a bee get his back wet. 

 T have seen a few with their legs and underside wet: 



j Dowagiac, Mich., Dee., 1884. James Heddox. 

 I I don't quite see where the unfairness is. 

 i friend II. I said it seemed to me it was a 

 I lar^ce Siinplicitv feeder witli additions, etc. 

 : 1 used the Simplicity for illustration, be- 

 I cause everyl»ody knows the principle of it. 

 , The Simplicity was first made bv mvself. 

 ' and not bv yii: Grav. [ supposed In the 

 I looks of the joints, that the bottom" was 

 I grooved on lo the sides and ends, so I .shall 

 have to give your workmen credit for mak- 

 1 ing good joints. Feeders made of wooden 

 i boxes nailed together have so often given 

 i trouble, sooner or later, that I do not believe 

 I shall want to use them. It was mainlv for 

 this reason 1 shirtcd making tlie Simplicity 

 ' of ii single block of wood grooved out with it 

 ! gang of saws. \'ei y likely vour covers do 

 ' not make trouble by warping, but 1 tliink it 

 is because the workmanshiit is done under 

 ; your own eye : Imt where covers are made 

 in that way l)y the generality of mechan- 

 ics, or even l)ee-hive manufacturers. I 

 should think there would be a "ood deal of 

 trouble in order lo get the stilt rim to liohi 

 the covei«-boards from warping, or et'ttiim 

 on a twist. 



INTEENATIONAL BEE-KEEPERS' CON- 

 VENTION 



At the Exposition in New Orleans. Feb. 21. 

 25, and 26, 1885. 



SO.MK sr»;i;KSTlOXS to the HEK-KKKI'EK!: 

 (i.Vltl) TO (;ETTiNfi THEUK. 



S it would be ]»leasant. if not [trolitablc. 

 for a lot of us to make this journey lo- 

 getlier. 1 have desired my friend" Mr. 

 Holmes, wiiose business is in this line, 

 to tell us something about going all 

 together. .\s there are low local rates at 

 which tickets arc sold from alnu)st everv 

 ncighboiiiood. the onlv way in which th'c 

 tliingCan be m;in;iged is to' have us meet in 

 ("incinuati. sav on .Mond;iy evening. Feb. i::^. 

 I It we 1;ike the train then we shall reach 

 New Orleans on the morning of the SAh. 

 I Of course, it would be desirable to be jires- 

 , ent (tn the 2-!th : but to do this we shall have 

 ; to make the trip the week befoiv. or travel 

 , on Sundav. cither of which would Ite un- 

 desirable. 'for nnselt at least: but I submit 

 I the matter \o the friends. In regard to the 

 i return trip. I for one wish to visit the .Maiii- 

 nioth Cave, as alluded to in the postscrJ[>t. 

 I 15el..w is the letter from .Mr. Ilolints: 



.1. /. Hoot, Ks./.. 

 i:ilil»rGlnininii'< hi Jin: ruUiin : 

 Drar Sir:— Allow me to call your attention to the 

 i Louisville & Nashville Kailroad as a direct and very 

 I pleasant route lor the bee-keepers of the I'nited 

 1 States and Canada to take when they go to New 

 |. Orleans in February, to hold their convention, and 

 , visit the World's Fair and Cotton E.\i)0$ilion, start- 

 ing fr<nn Cincinnati, and missing through l,ouis- 

 ville, Nashville, Ueealiir, lUrmingliam. Montgome- 

 ry, Mobile, and along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans. 

 All raili'oad eom))auies sell tickets via the L. & N. 



