1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



833 



and my prayer is that he may bless you all, when I 

 think of the many kind letters I received. I know 

 i had many prayers. It leads me to say, "O Lord, 

 bless all of those good people." James Parshall. 

 Skidmore, Mo., Oct. 25, 1883. 



Friend P., we can unite with you in say- 

 ing, " Let God be praised that he has en- 

 abled you to regain your strength so you can 

 write at all."" We are very glad to know 

 that you have been prospered in bee-keeping 

 once more. We as bee-keepers are always 

 glad to extend a helping hand to those who 

 have a disposition to help themselves, and 

 you have shown this pretty well. 



KIND WORDS IN REGARD TO THE POTATO-BOOK. 



Afcer reading your account of your visit to Terry, 

 I felt that I could not refrain from urging you to 

 give us a full account of his system of farming and 

 his buildings; and could you not also induce D. E. 

 Fenn to tell us how he manages to get an average 

 of 37 bushels of wheat per acre, as mentioned in the 

 potato-book? Give us another book on Terry's 

 farming, I say. Edgar Hcsband. 



Cairngorm, Ont., Can., Sept. 29, 1884. 



Friend II., Mr. Terry is now at work on 

 another book for me, to be a sort of supple- 

 ment or sequel to the potato-l)Ook. It is to 

 be in regard to the humane treatment of 

 farm stock during winter, considered from 

 a pecuniary as well as moral standpoint. 

 Mr. D. E. Fenn gets his large yields of 

 wheat by the use of phosphate. ilr.'Terry 

 does not have any success with phosphate, 

 as you know ; but Mr. Fenn is an entliusiast 

 in the matter, and yet both are good farmers. 

 The difference in the soil may liave some- 

 thing to do Avith the different results they 

 Sft. 



TIERING UI". 



What is your opinion of tiering up the liives in 

 the cellar in this wise? Place the strongest colonies 

 at the bottom, one in each tier, with only a bottom- 

 board, then a cover of wire gauze, over which two 

 thickness of burlap or other porous material, then 

 another hive in like manner, until four or tlve high, 

 placing the weaker ones at the top, with good ven- 

 tilation at the top, and leaving the entrance open; 

 and for a "playground," put'-wedges between the 

 hives, to project out to hold up said burlap. The 

 object of said tiering up is to produce an upward 

 draft and consequent good ventilation. 



Glenn, Kan., Sept. U, 188.5. W. B. Thorne. 



Friend T., there is no ol)jection to the plan 

 you mention, that I know of, except that of 

 jarring the hives in handling. When we 

 wintered in a bee-house we preferred to have 

 shelves, so that taking down one liive did 

 not disturb another. I think yom- l)urlap 

 had better be drawn buck so as to expose the 

 back end of frames containing very strong 

 colonies, or they might be too warm. A 

 strong colony fastened in its hive with wire 

 cloth is very apt to cover the ventilators, and 

 .smother, unless the ventilating spaces are 

 very large. 



STRANGE FREAK OF A QUEEN-BEE. 



Yesterday, after I had finished e.xtracting some 

 combs taken from hives contracted for winter, I ac- 

 cidentally left the extractor so the bees could get 



at it, which they soon did. About 3 p. m. I went to 

 remove it to the honey-house, when, amoilg the 

 numbers of bees, I found a queen-bee. black. Can 

 you explain what she was doing thei-e? I thought 

 that the queen never left the hive, except when 

 mating, or else when she issued forth with a swarm. 

 I put her in a cage, and hung her in a hive after 

 showing her tO several present, who were as much 

 astonished as myself. If you can enlighten me on 

 the subject, I should be pleased to hear from you. 

 Parkersville, Pa., Oct. 24, 1885. J. P. Taylor. 



Friend T., what you state is a very unu- 

 sual thing indeed. 'You are sure, I presume, 

 you did not get hold of a shiny black robber- 

 bee, with an elongated body, and call it a 

 queen. If the bees had been very long at 

 work at that extractor, the effect might have 

 been to break up a weak colony ; and the 

 bees, queen and all. might have been at- 

 tracted to the extractor oy the roar of the 

 robbers. 



A SAW AND PRUNING 

 BINED. 



SHEARS COM- 



SO.METIIING TO CIT OFF LIMBS, .VND DO IT EASILY. 



"ITo FEW da>s ago Mr. Gray had some 

 9IU, kind of a machine on the end of a 



jRJ?' pole ; and as some of our basswood- 

 ■»^*^ trees along the sidewalk near the 

 store were getting to be ratlier luxu- 

 riant in foliage, he 

 readied up and cut oft' 

 some of tlie limbs 

 whicli were not want- 

 ed, and as easily as you 

 would cut off a piece of 

 cheese with a knife. 

 The picture alongside 

 of what I am writing 

 explains how he did it, 

 only you are to imag- 

 ine the implement on 

 the end of a pole from 

 six to twelve feet long, 

 as may be desired ; and 

 the wire which you see 

 is attached to a hand' 

 lever to it in such a 

 way as to give it a pow- 

 erful purchase. I told 

 him the machine would 

 be ahead of a buzz-saw 

 for cutting up stove- 

 wood, as you can not 

 carry a buzz-saw or.t 

 into the woods, but you 

 can easily take this 

 along, for it is not 

 much heavier than an| 

 ordinary ax. You will 

 find his advertisement 

 in another place, and 

 he will send you a cir- 

 cular, telling all about 

 it, if you write him. 

 The price of the pruner 

 is S2.(J0, and it can be 

 sent by mail, without 

 the pole, for 40 cts. ex- 

 tra for postage. 



