74 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



tion and spread out to dry in the sun, and when thor- 

 oughly dry are put in the tool-basket, which always con- 

 tains a supply. AMien taken out of the crock, the rags 

 may be wrung quite dry, thus containing not so much 

 saltpeter, or they may be wrung out just enough so the 

 liquid will not run off on the ground and waste, in which 

 condition they will be strongly dosed with saltpeter. 



A plentiful supply of dry smoker-fuel, with a cor- 

 responding stock of saltpeter-rags, is a great saving of 

 the "disposition." 



POUXDIXG BEES OFF COMBS. *^ 



^Mention was made of getting bees off combs. Some- 

 times shaking is used altogether, sometimes brushing, 

 and sometimes both. The weight of the comb has some- 

 thing to do with the manner of shaking. The most of 

 the shaking — in fact all of the shaking, unless the combs 

 be very heavy or the bees be shaken on the ground — is 

 done as shown in Fig. 26. Perhaps it might better be 

 called pounding bees off the comb. The comb is held 

 by the corner with one hand, while the other hand pounds 

 sharply on the hand that holds the comb. By this manner 

 of pounding I can get almost every bee off a comb with a 

 few strokes, unless the comb be too heavy. 



doolittle's plan of shaking. "^ 



With a very heavy comb, G. M. Doolittle's plan is 

 better, and is the one used. Let the ends of the top-bar 

 be supported by the first two fingers of each hand, the 

 thumbs some distance above. Keeping the thumb and 

 fingers well apart, let the frame drop, and as it drops 

 strike it hard with the balls of the thumbs, then catch it 

 with the fingers, raise it and repeat the operation. The 

 bees are jarred both up and down, and don't know which 

 way to brace themselves to hold on, so a very few shakes 

 will get most of them off. 



