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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 1 



point where the hammer balances well, a 

 quick extension of these three fingers, with 

 a slight straightening of the fore finger, will 

 throw the hammer-nead perpendicularly in 

 the air. A Hght stroke may be delivered by 

 allowing it to fall of its own weight, assisted 

 very slightly by the contraction of the three 

 fingers. In delivering a light blow the idea 

 is to use the weight ot the hammer, not the 

 pull of the muscles. It is worth while to 

 practice this blow for some little time, be- 

 cause this finger action is characteristic of 

 all kinds of blows. 



To strike a slightly harder blow, use the 

 same finger action; but as the head descends, 

 assist with a more powerful pull of the three 

 fingers, but keep the wrist as still as possible. 



A stronger blow will be delivered if we add 

 a wrist motion that will permit the head of 

 the hammer being thrown further back — in 

 fact, to an almost horizontal position. Please 

 note that the increased power is got by longer 

 travel of the hammer-head. 



For a very heavy blow, in addition to these 

 movements we must bring in play the whole 

 arm, so that the hammer-head may travel 

 quite a distance to secure all the impetus 

 possible, aided by the force of fingers, wrist, 

 forearm, and shoulder. 



When the face of the hammer meets the 

 head of the nail, the face should be parallel 

 with the surface of the wood. It is well to 

 practice delivering blows until one can give 

 the proper stroke with certainty. To get a 

 record, set a block of wood on the bench and 

 strike it two or three light blows and exam- 

 ine the impressions. Each should show a 

 whole circle; but if only a portion of a circle 

 appears, the hammer has not been held cor- 

 rectly. I suspect here is where we find why 

 my friend Tom could not drive a nail 

 straight. 



Once you can strike light blows correctly, 

 try harder ones, always stopping to examine 

 the results. 



The claw is very useful for withdrawing 

 or pulling out nails. It is V-shaped on the 

 inside, so as to take a powerful hold of the 

 nail. To prevent the head of the hammer 

 marking the wood it is advisable to place a 

 block of wood under the hammer head, and 

 not allow the hard metal to come in contact 

 with the work. The block has the addition- 

 al advantage of increasing leverage, and in 

 the case of a long nail it is wise to change to 

 a thicker block when the nail is partly out. 



Victoria, B. C. 



THE RIPENING OF BUCKWHEAT. 



Some Further Questions Answered. 



BY H. B. HARRINGTON. 



Mr. H. B. Harrington:— \ have been reading: your ar- 

 ticle on buckwheat, p. 246, April 1.5th GLEANINGS. How 

 much do you sow per acre, and what i3 the be.st way to 

 put it in? I do not know of any one around here who 

 raises buckwheat. I desire to put in some for my 

 bees, and see how it will do here. 



Red Cloud, Neb., May 17. T. F. CHILD. 



Mr. Harrinaton:— On p. 246 you speak of one crop of 

 buckwheat which was on the eround only 51 days. I 



do not understand this, for here everybody thinks it 

 must lie on the ground after cutting until it cures, 

 which takes a long time, for we cut it when the grain 

 is about a third colored or ripe, and, of course, the 

 stalks are green. It has usually taken me nearer 100 

 days to clear the ground after sowing. Perhaps I 

 should use more fertilizer. Please tell how much fer- 

 tilizer and seed you use per acre. How long do you 

 let it lie after cutting, and when do you cut — that is, 

 hew ripe do you let it get? Here our thrashing- 

 machines can not handle it very well unless it is quite 

 dry. S. W. Cressy. 



Corinth, Me., May 29. 



[To the above Mr. Harrington replies as 

 follows:] 



This is a big country, and Gleanings is 

 read in all sections of it. Rules for raising 

 buckwheat successfully in Maine would re- 

 sult in failure in Nebraska. To even things 

 up and make a success in both States, we 

 would suggest that Mr. Cressy ship to Mr. 

 Child ten or fifteen days of Maine weather 

 with the long twilights, the dewy October 

 nights, and the Newfoundland fogs. That 

 would insure the Nebraska man at least 50 

 bushels of fine buckwheat per acre, and in 

 return let Bro. Child ship the Maine man 

 three days of Nebraska weather with the hot 

 blistering winds, and it will dry out his buck- 

 wheat better than any he ever saw before. 



On page 347, June 1, we answered ques- 

 tions as to the amount of seed per acre and 

 as to the time of sowing, and soil. We al- 

 ways use a common grain-drill that sows fer- 

 tilizer to plant our buckwheat. We cut it 

 with a common twine-binder and set it up 

 in a single row (not two and two) , and leave 

 space enough so the air can get between the 

 bundles. If it gets very dry it can be hauled 

 into the barn like other grain; but we prefer 

 to thrash from the field. 



We would advise the man from Nebraska 

 to sow a few acres late, as an experiment, 

 35 days before the first severe frost. Buck- 

 wheat does not ripen all at the same time on 

 the same stalk, and even in 30 days one can 

 get ripe buckwheat on the top of the stalk 

 in the first tuft or bunch, and then the late 

 honey crop will build up the bees for win- 

 ter. Buckwheat is great for stimulating 

 brood-rearing. 



Don't let the millers cheat you out of your 

 pure buckwheat flour, but grind it fine in a 

 common feed-mill and sift it yourself if the 

 millers will not finish the flour for you. 



If the crop gets nipped with the frost, cut 

 it the next forenoon or it will shell too much. 



Use your own brains to fit the conditions 

 of your own soil and climate, and you can 

 make a success in almost any locality. Let 

 it mature in cool dewy nights if you have 

 such in your locality. I have raised over 40 

 crops, and in the four articles in Gleanings 

 have given my experience. 



Medina, O. 



I have been a bee-keeper for 35 years, and never 

 saw my bees carrying in pollen on Thanksgiving day 

 until last year. Is this common in this latitude? The 

 pollen was of bright orange color. I could not tell 

 what it was from. F. Langdon. 



Langdon, N. Y. 



;No.-Ed.] 



