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GLEANINGS IN BKK CULTURE. 



293 



must ' burn ' much of the stores used to keep 

 them warm ; hence a large accumulation of 

 excrement, which, with no chance of voiding, 

 brings on uneasiness, resulting in the break- 

 ing of the cluster, bee-diarrhea, and death, 

 where no opportunity for flight is presented. 

 Bees placed in any room which goes below 

 the freezing point, with no chance of flying 

 during the winter, are not nearly so well off 

 as if left on their summer stands." 



" I had not thought of this part. This col- 

 ony of bees is near the ground, and I thought 

 that the trouble might lie here. What do you 

 think about this ? " 



" I think you need have no fears on this ac- 

 count, for none of my hives are raised over 

 three inches from the ground, where wintered 

 outdoors, nor have they been during the past 

 28 years." 



" But is it not well to have them higher 

 than that ? Some of mine are set up 18 to 20 

 inches high." 



"There are a few reasons for preferring 

 them higher than this, but not nearly as 

 many, nor as valid ones, as there are for hav- 

 ing hives rest near the ground." 



" Will you give me some of the reasons for 

 having them rest so low as three inches ? " 



" The greatest reason of all for having hives 

 near the ground is that, in the spring of the 

 year, one bee is worth more than ten later on 

 when the hive is filled with bees, and the 

 weather is almost warm enough for the per- 

 fecting of brood without any bees at all ; and 

 the placing of hives up from the ground is one 

 of the greatest death traps for bees in early 

 spring which can be invented." 



" I do not see how." 



^' In early spring the bees are very active, 

 looking toward the oncoming season, and oft- 

 en go out in search of pollen and water when 

 it is so cold that, should a cloud suddenly 

 come over the sun, they can scarcely get home 

 before becoming benumbed with the cold. 

 Then we have high winds at this season, 

 which, in addition to cool weather, very near- 

 ly tire them out before reaching their hive 

 with their loads of water or pollen. When 

 they thus come home, if the hive is high up 

 from the ground, the wind carries them down, 

 or they miss the entrance to the hive, and fall 

 under it-, in the shade, never to rise again ; 

 while with the hive placed low, and with an 

 entrance-board reaching to the ground, so they 

 can not possibly fall under the hive, they are 

 enabled to travel up and into the hive, when 

 they are too much chilled to fly further. I 

 have seen scores and hundreds of dead bees 

 under and about hives standing high, which 

 had died with pollen on their legs, while with 

 hives placed low scarcely a dead bee could be 

 found. But it is getting late, and I have still 

 more letters to open, so I will say come again 

 at any time when you have more questions." 



[While I agree (generally do), with all you 

 say, I particularly indorse your last para- 

 graph. We have our hives on low hive- 

 stands, four inches high ; but these stands 

 have a slanting alighting front board of easy 

 slope, reaching from the ground to the en- 



trance. Formerly our stands had perpendic- 

 ular fronts without alighting-boards (we have 

 some yet). It was and is apparent that, in 

 the spring, with such stands, there is quite a 

 loss from bees not being able to get into the 

 hives. This was particularly noticeable last 

 spring when we had the opportunity for direct 

 comparison. Yes, sir ; it pays to have good 

 alighting-boards that afford an easy ingress to 

 the hives. — Ed.] 



A DOUBLE-BLAST SMOKER. 

 The bellows consists of one long board and 

 two short ones mitered together, and hinged 

 to the long board at the center with a piece of 

 leather or sheepskin, fastened to the long 

 board at A, Fig. 2, by both glue and tacks, and 

 in the same way to the opposite short one at 

 B, thus making an air-tight connection be- 

 tween the two compartments of the bellows. 

 There should also be a staple in each side, 

 driven into the long board and the strength- 

 ening-block, where the short boards meet, to 

 hold the bellows from spreading apart and 



PASSAGE S DOUBLE-BLAST SMOKER. 



loosening the leather hinge. A coil spring is 

 in the end of the bellows, held in the hand, 

 and a small spring on each valve on the long 

 board ; and although the blast may not be 

 quite as strong as on some others you can 

 throw a cloud of smoke five or six feet, which 

 is far enough for all practical purposes, and 

 that continually, for the least pressure on the 

 bellows sends the air through the fire-barrel ; 

 and when you let up, the air starts from the 

 other side. There should be a ^4^-inch hole in 

 the back end of the fire-barrel for a draft. It 

 also keeps it from sucking smoke into the bel- 

 lows. If you want the fire to go out, put a 

 little plug into the hole and it will do so in a 

 very few minutes. I prefer it to the intermit- 

 tent, because I can get more smoke just where 



