1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



763 



adaptation of nature and i>rovidence that ineecty, 

 gifted with such intense activity during- the work- 

 ing- season, should undergo a chang'e to fit them for 

 long- spells of rest during- cold weather. If that 

 change lulls their intense activity into comfortable 

 repose, and so tiuiets down all their functions that 

 digestion becomes a very slow process, and they 

 need a meal only now and then, we have a wonder- 

 ful and beautiful example of that harmony between 

 the various forms of animated life and their en- 

 vironment, of which we see so much in other de- 

 partments of nature. 



My third surprise was created by an invention 

 which will shortly cause a great commotion among 

 the dry bones and not yet e.xtinct fossils of beedom; 

 for there are those who have virtually taken the 

 position in regard to apiculture that the new is not 

 true, and the true is not new. Nobody can invent 

 any thing any more in connection with bee-keeping. 

 What will these modern mummies think or say 

 when I tell them that friend .Tones has invented an 

 appliance practicable with all movable-frame hives, 

 from the old Langsti-oth to the new Heddon, which 

 revolutionizes the manipulation of them, and will 

 reduce the cost of comb-honey production at least 

 twenty-five per cent? It is applicable to both open 

 and closed-end frames, both to the brood and sec- 

 tion departments of a hive; dispenses with tin strips 

 and thumb-screws, prevents frames and sections 

 being fastened with propolis, and is, by all odds, the 

 best invertible, convertible, and change-placeable 

 contrivance yet devised. By its use, you can turn 

 over a hive in a twinkling if you wish to do so, and 

 take it all apart with equal celerity; you can man 

 ipulate brood-chambers and section-cases at will, 

 and do it all without rough disturbance of the bees. 

 The crowning marvel of this new invention is, that 

 it is ridiculously cheap, costing only a few cents. 

 It is so simple that you are ready to wonder why 

 every practical bee-keeper did not think of it at one 

 and the same time, and you can hardly help laugh- 

 ing outright at the stupidity of the whole tribe, that 

 not one of their number ever thought of it before. 

 I know that all this will seem lidicnlously extrava- 

 gant to many, who will be ready to think I am easi- 

 ly carried away, and soon e.\cited. Well, I have no 

 ax to grind, except the ax of universal apiculture, 

 so I can afford to be pooh-poohed, and I rather en- 

 joy the fun of tormenting prejudiced unbelievers. 

 To all such, let me say in conclusion, " Look out 



FOR THE locomotive WHEN THE BELL RINGS." 

 RUBBER GLOVES AS LIFE-PRESERVERS. 



It is but the discharge of a benevolent obligation 

 to the weak and suffering sisterhood of the race, 

 that I give publicity to the good effects resulting 

 fi"om the use of rubber gloves by a lady afflicted 

 with lung trouble. A daughter of mine -was visiting 

 a sister of her husband, in Michigan; and flnding 

 that she was injuriously affected by putting her 

 hands alternately into hot and cold water in the 

 course of her housework, it occurred to my daugh- 

 ter that perhaps rubber gloves would remedy 

 the evil; so she wrote mo to know where a pair 

 could be got, and, as you know, I .sent you an order 

 for a pair to be forwarded. A note from mj' daugh- 

 ter, herewith inclosed, narrates the sequel. 



Guelph, Ont., Can., Oct. ti, 1887. W. F. Clarke. 



My Dear Father:— Mrs. Cossar writes: " Those rub- 

 ber gloves are proving perfect blessings to me. Tlie 

 cold has gone from my throat and bronchial tubes, 



and the painand oppression from my lung; thanks 

 to you for the prompt gift of these handsome tan- 

 colored life-preservers." You see she has so much 

 napkin-washing and dishwashing to do again, and 

 the change of temperature of the water affected her 

 lung trouble. I have an idea I should like a pair 

 myself, if the duty would not be so much that the 

 price would spoil the pleasure of using them. 



Hamilton, Ont., Sept. l!i, 1887. Alice. 



Friend C, we are always glad to get any 

 thing that tells us about D. A. Jones. I am 

 sure the majority of the readers will consid- 

 er one of the things you tell us the best 

 news that can 1)6 heard of any human 

 being. I found out, on my first acquain- 

 tance with friend J., that he was on the side 

 of Christianity, but I didn't know, until re- 

 ceiving your letter, that he had united liim- 

 self to any band of Christians recently. How 

 could anybody resist the childlike pleading 

 of good "old father LangstrothV and liow 

 could any one help saying, •■ Give me just 

 such a faith and religion as inspires this 

 good old man^'V Right glad, friend C, 

 should we be to liear the same of some more 

 of our prominent bee-men— not only that 

 they are on the side of Chri.stianity, but that 

 they are duly enrolled, and pulling in the 

 harness with "the Christian brotheihood of 

 some established church, for the Master. — 

 In regard to this hibeination matter, we 

 have already seen mention of it in the 

 Canadian Bee Journal; and although ray 

 faith was quite strong, I confess that I am a 

 good deal startled "by these revelations. 

 Can friend Jones tell other folks how he did 

 it, so they may verify the experiment thcm- 

 selvesV — Now. excuse me for saying your 

 third surprise is too much mystifying. Oneof 

 my counsels to Ernest, in stepping into the 

 editorial harness was," Don't let any thing go 

 into print that tells what we or anybody else 

 is going to do. Save the valuable space for 

 recording what has been done, and the mo- 

 dus operandi." It is true, you didn't tell 

 exactly what friend Jones is going to do ; but 

 after you have got our curio.sity up to the 

 highest pitch, you stop short without telling 

 what it is thathe lias made that is so valua- 

 ble. 



Many thanks for the suggestion in regard 

 to rubber gloves. Last week I went witli 

 my mother down to see the old farm, and 

 on the way slie was telling me about the se- 

 vere time I had with my lungs, when I was 

 only three years old. Doctors and every- 

 body else said it was impossiltle for me to 

 live— that is, everybody but mother. She 

 clung to her boy. Well, that terrible sick- 

 ness all came from falling down and getting 

 my hands into melting snow and ice. I had 

 not quite recovered from a former similar 

 attack, and getting my hands in the snow 

 very nearly cut short all future prospects of 

 Gleanings, Home talks, "tc. Well, may 

 be the friends would like to know how I 

 came to fall down in the snow when I was 

 three years old. It was this way: A man 

 came there to brimstone the bees, so as to 

 get some honey, and I was so crazy on the 

 subject of bees, even then, at tlie age of 

 three years, that 1 ran out to the hives with 

 the rest of the children, before anybody else 

 knew it, and, child fashion, 1 fell down as 



