110 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb 1 



Now, if you will turn to your ABC book 

 and find the winter view of our own apiary, 

 under the head of " Wintering," you will no- 

 tice a row of hot-beds running from the facto- 

 ry over toward my residence. This row of 

 hot beds is right over the pipe that carries the 

 exhaust steam to warm our house. Over near 

 the evergreens there is a hot-bed 12x28 feet. 

 I raised the sashes on this high enough to 

 stand under, making a close warm north wall. 

 You will notice the apiarist has passageways 

 about 6 feet wide so he can get through the 

 line of hot-beds. In order to let the poultry 

 get from one bed to another I made some un- 

 derground tunnels right beside the exhaust- 

 steam pipe When I told Mrs. Root of my 

 plan she said, " You will never get chickens 

 to go down into burrows under ground in that 

 way. It might do for wild animals." 



Well, I did have some trouble in educating 

 the biddies ; but after I scattered corn through 

 that tunnel, and then cut off their rations un- 

 til they had to go in there or go hungry, they 

 learned the trick ; and now my Brown Leg- 

 horns will dive down into that underground 

 passage and out at the other side quicker than 

 a wink. In fact, during very severe weather 

 the underground tunnels have become a favor- 

 ite place to scratch in and keep warm. 



Just as soon as I got the thing rigged, and 

 the fowls had learned how to use it, my pul- 

 lets all began to lay. You see the ground in 

 these tunnels is perfectly dry — not only as dry 

 as dust, but as warm as dry dust baked in an 

 oven. I have talked with several poultry-men 

 about having steam-pipes, or even flues, a foot 

 or more under ground, right under a line of 

 greenhouses. Just common tiles will do, and 

 you can send either exhaust steam or even 

 smoke, on the plan of fire hot-beds described 

 in the tomato book. This will keep the 

 ground dry and warm. You do not need to 

 have a fire in it every day. When the ground 

 is once thoroughly warmed up it keeps nice 

 and dry for several days, especially if protect- 

 ed so that no rain or snow can get on it. 

 Glass sash does this beautifully. I have talk- 

 ed with several poultry-raisers in regard to this 

 method of keeping the ground warm and dry 

 under a range of houses. They all declare it 

 would be tiptop. The only objection is the 

 expense. Well, with the exhaust steam here 

 that is available, there is no expense except 

 the cost of the apparatus ; and with high- 

 priced fowls — that is, where there is a range of 

 houses — the expense of fire enough to warm 

 up the ground under the chickens' feet need 

 not be great. We are told again and again 

 that poultry can not stand dampness ; and 

 that dry earth or dry dust is the best remedy 

 for insect enemies and disease. Dry warm 

 earth to scratch in is the natural thing for 

 chickens ; and a lot of dry leaves scattered 

 right on the dry warm ground seems to be just 

 the thing. Poultry manure is never offensive, 

 and there ntver come any bad smells from it, 

 if it drops into the d>ydtis{. I was particular- 

 ly struck with this in visiting poultry-ranches 

 in Florida. The dry clean sand that covers 

 the ground everywhere seemed to take care of 

 the droppings so they were never offensive to 



the sight. Well, as soon as I can get a hen to 

 sit I am going to try my hand at raising chick- 

 ens in those dry underground tunnels. As 

 soon as they can run about I think it will be 

 safe to let them take exercise right under 

 those glass sashes, even if it is zero outside of 

 the glass a foot above their backs — that is, 

 when they are alongside of this warm steam- 

 pipe. One of the beds is to be filled with 

 Grand Rapids lettuce. When the chickens 

 are small we will let them run right among 

 the lettuce-plants. I have before remarked I 

 believe it would pay to grow Grand Rapids 

 lettuce just for poultry and nothing else. 

 This winter I propose to make a test of it. If 

 the lettuce brings a big price we will sell it, 

 giving the chickens the refuse. If there 

 should be no great demand for it, then we will 

 turn our lettuce into eggs, just as the farmer 

 turns his corn into pork before he sells it. 



Now while we are getting eggs all the time 

 as I have described, a larger number of fowls 

 in the poultry-house and in the barn (and this 

 is a y^ood warm place also) did not lay an egg 

 during December or January. But, of course, 

 they do not have the warm underground tun- 

 nel to run into. 



®r 5PEC I Ab^N drjcEsVl^ 



SYRUP-CANS. 



We are putting in a stock of a carload of cans of 

 ]-qt., 5^-g<Uon, 1 and .5 gallon cap.Tcity. To those 

 wanting cans for syrnp we can furnish the on«--gallon 

 i^ize, 100 in a box or crate at 810 00 per 100 : 500 or over 

 at S9.00; '/^-gallon size at 88 (0 per 100 : .500 lots at 872.5 ; 

 K-gallon at 87 00 per 100: .500 lots at 86 »'5. These cans 

 all have a IJi-inch screw cap, with tin seal, with rub- 

 ber gasket. We have a supply of ^gallon cans with 

 2-inch lever seal, which we offc-, to clnse out, at 81.00 

 per .0) less than above: i. e.. $6.00 per 100; 500 at 85.25. 

 These are perfect, and seal just as tight as any; but 

 we are di-continuing this style, and therefore offer 

 them, to close out, at aliove spec.al price. 



RECORD SAP-SPOUTS. 



We can supply the Record sap-spouts at 81.00 per 

 100, or 89.00 per 1000. Sap buckets we do not keep in 

 stock. l)ut we can supply them, shipped direct ftom 

 the factory in Conneaut, O., at the following low 

 prices : 



10 qt. 12 qt. 15 qt' 



I C bright tin per 100 1.3 dO 14 00 16 00 



IX" " " " 15 00 16 00 18 00 



Galvanized iron " " 18 00 20 00 



Best charcoal tin add " " 150 150 150 



CLIMAX POULTRY-NETTING. 



Our new contract for Climax wire poultry-netting 

 for this season will enable us to offer it for shipment 

 either fiotri here, Chicago, or Georgetown, Corrn., at 

 the following very low prices per roll, 150 feet long, 

 2-inch mesh : 



12 inch, 6.5c per roll. 



IS " 1 00 " " 



24 '■ 1 30 " " 



30 " 1 65 " " 



36 " 2 00 " " 



48 " 2 60 " " 



60 " 3 30 " " 



72 " 4 00 " " 

 We have y^-xucVi staples for same, at 8c per lb. 

 Climax netting is much stronger than other brands of 

 No 19 netting, and w ll roll out ftntand smooth. It is 

 made with 3 strand rope selvages, and is galvanized 

 after being twisted. It is warranted to last for 25 

 years in any ordinary exposure. 



