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GLEA^'INGS IK liEE (JULTUiiK. 



Kov. 



er. Some have a large base-burner, exclusively 

 for heat, and in the same room an open grate 

 for ventilation. There is a way of having the ad- 

 vantage of an open Are, and at the same time the 

 greater heat of a stove. It is by the use of the 

 *' low-down " open stoves, though T don't think they 

 are very low down. The same amount of coal will 

 give a much greater heat than in an open grate set 

 in the wall, and to most persons no heat is so 

 pleasant, and none I think so healthy, as that from 

 the direct radiation of an open fire. I suspect my 

 open stoves are a little more expensive than close 

 stoves would be; but then, I think we shall live 

 longer on account of them. It is true, there are 

 times when, as friend Terry suggests, we need to 

 sit pretty close to the Are, but that doesn't give one 

 the headache like the close stoves. If some of the 

 friends who have been using close stoves, and hav- 

 ing many headaches, would try hard coal in a large- 

 sized " Harvard," made by Fuller, Warren & Co., 

 Troy, N. Y., I think they might save enough in doc- 

 tor-bills to help pay the coal-bill. I don't mean by 

 what I have said that I am satisfled with the heat- 

 ing' and ventilation of my home. lam far from it; 

 but I think I made a long stride in advance some 

 years ago when I adopted open stoves. 



C. C. MlLLEH. 



Marengo, McHenry Co., 111., Oct., 1887. 



Friend M., I am glad yon are stirring up 

 the atmosphere, not only in your own home, 

 but I hope you will continue to keep it cir- 

 culating about lively wherever Gleanings 

 goes. We have been discussing it in Medi- 

 na, not only in factories, but in churches 

 and schoolrooms, and wherever people have 

 to be shut up during the winter time. As 

 for myself, 1 propose to be outdoors more 

 than half of every day, and I really feel sor- 

 ry, and pity from the bottom of my heart, 

 the unfortunates who have to be shut up, 

 away from the sunshine and frosty air. 



TO THE KNICKEKBOCKER BEE-PARM. 



SOMETHING FURTHER FKOM THEO. <). PEET. 



Tip S promised in my last, I will give you an ac- 

 9il^ count of my visit to the above. I started at 

 ^^K' early morn, after leaving friend Young's, 

 "*'*■' who had expected to make this visit with me, 

 but could not on account of having to attend 

 to his now house apiarj' while his help was availa- 

 ble. By the kindness of one of the young men, a' 

 neighbor of friend Y.'s, I was taken in his buggy 

 down to the ferry at Highland. The first thing that 

 met my view as I stepped aboard the boat was the 

 new cantilever bridge which is now building across 

 the Hudson at this jmint. This bridge will be one of 

 the wonders of the age when done, and also will be 

 the means of turning a large portion of the freight 

 direct from the East to the great West, leaving 

 New York out in the cold, as at present the most of 

 the eastern freight passes through that city. Well, 

 she can spare it, I think, as she has more than she 

 can take care of now. 



Arriving at Poughkeepsie I found I had time to 

 walk through the city to the depot of the railroad 

 that runs across the country east, and which I must 

 take to carry mo to Pine Plains, whei-e the Knick- 

 erbocker Bee-Farm is located. Arriving at the de- 



pot I took the train. As each station was reached 

 and passed, I expected or imagined the next would 

 be Pine Plains, and that I should know it by the 

 vast number of i>ine-trees I should see, and also a 

 vast plain, or level country; but in this I was disap- 

 pointed doubly. As I think of it now, I don't re- 

 member seeing a single pine-tree, and the country 

 is any thing but level. This, however, doesn't seem 

 to make much difference with our Yankee farmers. 

 They take the country as it is, and make the best of 

 it. 



Friend Knickerbocker, who had been apprised of 

 my coming, was on hand at the station with his 

 carriage, and gave me a hearty welcome. Soon we 

 were bounding over the bills and through the val- 

 leys to the "home of the honey-bee " at the Knick- 

 erbocker Bee-Farm. There I had the great pleasure 

 of meeting my old and valued friend Mr. S. M. 

 Locke, who is managing the (lueen department of 

 the K. B. F. this season, for wo two had been fellow- 

 workers for Mr. J. H. Nellis, at Canajohario. in for- 

 mer years. You may imagine how glad we were to 

 see each other and talk over old times. We had 

 with friend Knickerbocker a miniature bee-conven- 

 tion during the rest of ray visit, consisting not only 

 of bee-talk but some practical manipulating, obser- 

 vation of bees, hives, and apiculture in general. 

 We spent the whole afternoon in the bee-yard, 

 friend Locke seeming to want me to have a look at 

 every queen in the yard, as he seemed to be so 

 proud of them, and well he might, for I think I nev- 

 er saw so fine a lot of queens before in my life. 

 Their progeny, both worker and drone, was as 

 beautiful as heart could wish for, especially the 

 drones, which were the handsomest that I ever saw. 

 looking, as they liew in the sun, like lumps of gold- 

 en butter. 



Friend K. has both the hanging and standing 

 frames in his apiary, as a good many of his hives 

 and also bees came from L. C. Root, of Mohawk, 

 who used only the Quinby hive and frame. The 

 queen-rearing hives are Mr. Locke's idea, or style, 

 and are no doubt the best for the purpose in the 

 country, as his experience in rearing queens is be- 

 yond that of most men, he having made that a spe- 

 cialty for years. He has his nursery in which he plac- 

 es the queencellsjust one day before they hatch, so 

 that they all hatch in the hive in which they were 

 built and reared. He also has his device which he 

 calls his " hospital." This is for those cells that are 

 built so close together that they can not be separat- 

 ed; and in order not to lose the queens he puts 

 them in his hospital, and saves them all. 



Another new thing I saw here, which is the in- 

 vention of Mr. Knickerbocker, is a double wood 

 separator, giving the bees a passageway right up 

 through the hive and surplus arrangement to the 

 very topmost box, without crawling over or coming 

 in contact with the combs. This looks to me like a 

 " big thing," and I expect^tohear good results from 

 it in the near future. 



I had the pleasure of eating some alsike-clover 

 honey which friend K. has secured, and also carry- 

 ing home a sample, through his kindness in putting 

 it in my sachel. I think alsike beats all other hon- 

 ey. 



After another evening of bee-talk, and a good 

 night's rest under the roof of one of the families of 

 the " noblesse " of our country, my visit came to an 

 end. T. O. Peet. 



Arlington, N. J., Oct. 18, 1887. 



