1885 



GLi^ANlNGS IN likE cULTUlii:. 



FUlEND HILTON'S BEE-HIVE. 



A CHAFF HIA'^E WITH A HINGED CAP. 



T|p T the State Convention last winter you told 

 2|\|k "1^ 'f I would furnish the cuts jou would be 



jPI pleased to g-ive an illustration and deserip- 

 "^^' tion of mj' hive. 



The open hive shows two sets of crates 

 filled with lV4-pound sections, giving surplus room 

 for 90 lbs. The closed hive simply shows the gener- 

 al appearance. 



GEORGE E. mi,Ti)N S ( H A I I' HIVE. 



The outside is made of ?s lunibor, two feet long, 

 the ends nailed on the sides, making outside dimen- 

 sions about 24x2.5 inches. This leaves the side walls 

 6 in. thick, and end wails 4, to the top of brood-nest. 

 There it is decked over Hat, allowing the whole u))- 

 per part to be used for surplus for extracting. 1 

 use a super holding 14 frames; and for comb honey 

 a crate similar to the Heddon, only it holds forty 

 1-pound sections, or thirty m-lb. sections, and can 

 be tiered up, and the cover will shut over all, leav- 

 ing an air-space all around. 



EXTERIOH \1K\\ (iF llll/ldN i IIAFF HIVE. 



During the present hot weather 1 raise the covers 



an inch or two, which gives a circulation and per- 

 mits the bees to remain in the cases. I have in mj' 

 yard at this time some colonies with 80 sections 

 nearly complete; and when they swarm, oh mj! 

 what swarms ! 



For wintering, when I remove the surplus in the 

 fall T place on a Hill device, spread over a piece of 

 burlap two feet square, and press in a cushion that 

 just fills the upper part to where the cover conies 

 off. This is hinged at the back, and rests on two 

 brackets, and makes two shelves— one at thp top 

 where the smoker now stands, and one inside. T^e 

 alighting-board, which is also hinged, rests on the 

 sand or sawdust in front. 



For the past five years my winter losses have av- 

 eraged about 10 per cent, and ray bees were never 

 so strong as the past spring. G. E. Hilton. 



Fremont, Mich., July :J5, 188"). 



SOME VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS 

 FBOM J. A. STAGG. 



HOW TO CLEAN A SMOKER. 



BOKE a ;'4-inch hole in the bottom of your smo- 

 ker, so that the front edge of the hole will be 

 under the back edge of tlie small bent tube. 

 Now cut a circular piece of tin about the size 

 of a half-dollar, and fasten it over the hole 

 by driving a tack through one edge. If the tack is 

 diiven through the edge opposite the small staple 

 which holds the wire spring on, the L of the spring 

 will aid in holding the tin lid in place. Now slide 

 your lid to one side, and you can get at the tube 

 without trouble. Why not make the smokers so, 

 friend Root? 



RED-CLOVER HONEY. 



My bees, Italians, are storing considerable red- 

 clover honey at present. " How do you know it is 

 ri'tl-clover honey?" Because the clover-fields near 

 the apiary are full of Italian bees; and because the 

 honey being stored has the unmistakable red-clover 

 llavor. 



A QUEEN'S FREAK. 



Last suninier while attempting to introduce a 

 young Italian Queen, she took wing and " skipped 

 out." The ne.vt day a neighbor living about a 

 quarter of a mile distant was examining one of his 

 colonies, which contain(Hl a choice tested queen. 

 Upon lifting a frame he discovered two queens — 

 one his tested queen, the other a fine young laying 

 Italian. A careful examination failed to disclose 

 any traces of queen-cells. I saw this young queen, 

 and, from peculiar markings on her body, did not 

 hesitate to pronounce her the identical queen 

 which had escaped from nie the day before. 



CIGAR-BOX FEEDER. 



Take a cigar-box and put in a partition M inch 

 from the front side. The partition should extend 

 to within 'i, inch of the top. With a sharp bit and a 

 chisel or knife, cut out that part of the bottom be- 

 tween the partition and front. Next cut out a 

 square in the lid, say 2!iX2'2 inches, and tack a 

 piece of wire cloth over it, allowing the wire cloth 

 to sag considerably. Now pour in a little melted 

 wax and run it around the corners by holding the 

 box in ditterent positions. This will prevent any 

 leaking. Put in a few clean shavings or cut straw 

 to pieveut the bees from drowning, and your feed- 

 er is ready for use. Cut a slit (4X4 inches in the 

 cloth over your bees; set the feeder so that the 



