signals come must be on the insulated line; 

 the return circuit may be of naked wire and 

 lay in the same trencii. I will iieresay tliat 

 a return wire is necessary for short circuits 

 and weak battery power, ground connec- 

 tions in such cases not working well. — 

 •Cores of magnets are of soft iron, about % 

 of an inch in diameter, bent horse-shoe 

 shape; wrap on 8 or 10 layers of the insula- 

 ted copper wire. The alarm bell may be 

 rung by an ordinary clock alarm. The 

 magnet connected with the circuit wire 

 holding the controlling wire of the clock 

 alarm in such a manner that when the cir- 

 ■cuit is broken and the magnet ceases to act, 

 the clock alarm rings until it runs down, or 

 is stopped by hand. The battery used may 

 be a very simple Daniell's battery of zinc 

 and copper in blue vitriol, such as is used in 

 telegraph ottices; one small cell will suffice, 

 and need not cost over .50 cts. per month to 

 run. If preferred, the alarm bell may be 

 connected witii another small battery of the 

 lieClanche pattern, so as to ring continually 

 until stopped at the instrument. 



I corresponded with parties in New York, 

 who deal in electrical apparatus, and they 

 xeconniiended, for imderground wires, insu- 

 lated copper, at 8 cts. per foot, for both out- 

 ;going and incoming wire. I insulated my 

 •outgoing wire by wrapping two coats of 

 •cotton thread, and two coats of wrapping 

 twine and then boiling it in a mixture of 

 coal tar and gum shellac. The incoming 

 wire was used as aforesaid, without insula- 

 tion. The way I wrapped the thread on 

 was by using a small piece of gass pipe for 

 the spindle of a spinning wheel, upon one 

 ■end of which was a block, carrying two 

 spools of thread. The wire to be wrapped 

 was pulled slowly through the hollow spin- 

 ■dle, while the spools revolved around' it; 

 thus wrapping on the thread as thick as 

 needed. 



The gates and doors, or bee-hives, to 

 which the alarm is connected, have the. 

 usual "contact plates," two small pieces of 

 brass, to which the wires are attached, so 

 that when the door is opened the plates 

 separate, thus stopping the current of 

 ■electricity and causing the alarm bell to ring. 



The cost of apparatus, such as mine, need 

 not be more than $5, and two or three days' 

 work to put it up. Corn Cracker. 



Feb. 1878, 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Some Apologies. 



I wish to apologize first, for doing any- 

 thing that might make it necessary for my 

 name to occupy so much valuable space in 

 the pages of the American Bee Journal, 

 as it does in the March number. 



When I wrote as I did about John Long, 

 I supposed I could turn at once to the pages 

 of the British Bee Journal for the evi- 

 dence; as I find in place of it only the com- 

 plaint given on page 28 of the June number, 

 for 1876, I am forced to the humiliating 

 conclusion that I had got the matter mixed 

 up with some other complaints, of which 

 there have been quite a number. 1 cer- 

 tainly did very wrong not to have looked 



the whole matter up, and made my evidence 

 complete, before going Into print. I beg 

 Mr. Long's pardon, and thiuK under the 

 circumstances, I should do a little more. — 

 As you say he is trying to pay up all old 

 scores, and to stand square with the world 

 again, I will lend a helping hand, by send- 

 ing comb foundation to all who sent him 

 money and never received their goods. If 

 Mr. Long thinks proper, he can pay me 

 back when he gets around to it. He adver- 

 tised and received money under the name of 

 John Long, and no other name appeared in 

 his advertisements or letters, and I never 

 knew he had another name until it was 

 announced that Wm. Iloge and he were one 

 and the same man. I appealed to him 

 through Oleanings, and gave his address to 

 those who had sent him money, but never 

 learned that any one could get a word from 

 liim, until you mentioned in the March 

 number that he was going to pay all up. — 

 Friend Hoge, would it not have been 

 kinder to have written as much to your 

 creditors? 



I am very glad indeed tliat friends Doo- 

 little and Betsinger have not quarreled. — 

 May we not soon have a little card with 

 both the names signed to it, saying that 

 they are friends, and only had a difference 

 of opinion? 



I got the impression that each competitor 

 was to pay $7.00, from the single line, on 

 page 310, of your September number: — 

 -One fee ($7.00) will be charged." The 

 same was in a circular sent me. I beg 

 Messrs. Thurber & Co's pardon, and will 

 try and be nu)re careful. 



The rest of the charges friend D. makes, 

 are, I think, mistakes which he will admit 

 when I show him the letters he has written 

 me. As this can be done privately, I think 

 no more time need be taken up with the 

 matter here. 



In regard to the last clause, I frankly 

 admit, that Satan must have lieen pretty 

 close to my type writer when I wrote that 

 article " Trouble." I see now, that 1 was 

 off the track, and I humbly beg pardon of 

 all parties. 



If I have boasted of my goodness in 

 Olemiinus, I agree with you, friend D., it 

 tvas all a sham, for I am a great ways from 

 being "good," as you are all aware. 



To friend Heddon I would say, that I did 

 not intend to advise selling honey for .5c. as 

 long as we could get more. I would assur- 

 edly sell my honey for as much as it would 

 bring, but 1 would try and be happy, if I 

 could get only .5c. 1 guess I did owe friend 

 Burcli the $.50, for I told him to make out 

 his bill of damages for the foundation being 

 thicker than he ordered it. and I would pay 

 it. I did not tell friend Becktell the same 

 thing, and therefore, I did not see that I 

 was in duty bound to "keep the bank 

 open." Do you think I was? I believe 

 friend Becktell was perfectly satisfied with 

 the way the matter was arranged, as were 

 all other parties. I made good all I prom- 

 ised, paid for all the blunders I made, and 

 filled all orders honestly. Did 1 not, friend 

 II? 



"The "new light," I hope, made me a 

 better man; especially in regard to confess- 

 ing my faults when i saw them, but it did 



