Dec. 28, 19('S 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



903 



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(Dnv'>S\skv 

 BccKeepers 



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Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Some Proper Questions for Sister Bee-Keepers 

 to Answer 



If you were to meet one of the bee-keeping' sisters, what 

 are some of the things you would like to ask her, supposing 

 you thought it would not be considered impertinent ? Per- 

 haps something like this : 



" How many colonies did you have last spring, and how 

 many in the fall ? How much honey did you get, and was 

 it comb or extracted ?" 



You wouldn't think it impolite to be asked those ques- 

 tions, would you ? Well, suppose each- sister sends in the 

 answers. You may be sure it will make interesting read- 

 ing. As the advertisement writers say, " Do it now, before 

 you forget it." 



Getting Unfinished Sections Emptied 



On page 810 I noticed an item by one of our bee-keeping 

 sisters, stating that she could not get her bees to empty 

 honey-sections. Here is my experience : 



I take the supers which have not well-filled sections 

 and place on top of the hive, next to the brood-frames, and 

 scrape or puncture the cappings, and you may be sure the 

 bees will empty the sections quick enough. 



St. Ansgar, Iowa. (Miss) Annib KnuTSON. 



Yes, that works well in many cases, but for some un- 

 known reason it can not be depended upon in this locality. 

 The bees will clean up the cells that are punctured, but 

 that's as far as they will go. Perhaps if they were scarce 

 of honey in the brood-chamber, the case would be different. 

 Thank you, all the same, for telling us about it. 



Honey Drops 



Blend '3 cup of extracted honey or rich maple syrup, 1 

 teaspoon butter, 1 egg, well beaten, -3 cup of flour, sifted 

 with '2 a teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt. 

 Drop by teaspoons on a tin, and bake in a quick oven. 

 These proportions will make about 20 cakes. Icing may be 

 of maple or fondant. — Good Housekeeping. 



Converting Wax-Scrapings into Marketable 

 Shape 



How can I convert the wax-scrapings into marketable 

 shape ? I have a large quantity that I have accumulated 

 by scraping the sections (after removing the honey), and in 

 other ways. Mrs. C. D. Wiggin. , 



It is hard to get beeswax into anything but marketable 

 shape if you get it separated from the combs at all, for no 

 special refining is needed. Indeed, some comb-foundation 

 makers prefer to get it without any attempt at cleansing 

 such as is done with acid. If you have a large amount of 

 wax to render year by year, the best thing is to get a wax- 

 press. Probably, however, the amount you have would 

 hardly call for that outlay. A solar waxextuctor costs 

 much less, although it does not make as thorough work in 

 getting out the wax, especially with old, black combs. The 

 solar has the advantage, however, that you don't have to 

 trouble with any fire heat, the sun doing all the heating. 

 But, of course, it will work only in hot weather. Yoa can 

 make a solar extractor yourself, if you have any turn in 

 that direction. All that is needed is a box covered with 

 glass, and in it something to hold the combs to be melted, 

 with a vessel to catch the wax. Another plan that will 

 work any time of year is thus given in " Forty Years Among 

 the Bees." 



" An old dripping-pan (of course a new one would do) 



had one corner split open, and that made the extractor. The 

 dripping-pan is put into the oven of a cook-stove with the 

 split corner projecting out. The opposite corner— the one 

 farthest in the oven— is slightly raised by having a pebble 

 or something of the kind under it, so that the melted wax 

 will run outward. A dish set under catches the dripping 

 wax, making the outfitcomplete. Of course, the material to 

 be melted is put in the pan the same as in the solar extractor. " 

 It is well to have some water in the pan that catches the 

 wax, and if the shape of the cake of wax does not exactly 

 suit you, you can melt it over again in another vessel with 

 quite a little water in it. The vessel should be flaring out- 

 ward, so the cake of wax will come out easily, and the vessel 

 should not be iron, which will darken the wax, but tin or 

 some other substance. When the cake of wax has cooled 

 enough to be no longer liquid, but while yet pretty warm, 

 scrape from the bottom the impurities that have settled 

 there. Some wax will be scraped off with the rest, and this 

 can be melted over again. 



Noted Sisters Interested in Bees 



It is pleasant to note that among those prominent in 

 advancing the interests of bee-keepers are some of the sis- 

 ters in conspicuous positions. In England the Baroness 

 Burdett-Coutts has for a long time been looked up to as the 

 special patroness of bee-keepers, and in Austria the empress 

 is said to hold the same position. In our own country no 

 less a personage than Miss Helen Gould, it seems, has found 

 time to leave the care of her millions for a few days to look 

 after the interests of birds and bees. A belated item in the 

 papers gives it in this way : 



"Miss Helen Gould has consented to visit Warsaw in 

 August as the guest of Col. Isaac Washington Brown, the 

 "bird and bee man " of Rochester. He has conducted a 

 campaign for the better treatment of birds and bees for 

 several years, and Miss Gould, who became interested in 

 him, has provided means for him to carry his work forward. 

 She will remain several days at Warsaw, conferring with 

 him." 



Ctftcrtl^ougl^ts 



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The " Old Reliable" as seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. Hasty, Sta. B. Rural, Toledo, Ohio. 



Farmers and Bee-Kkeping. 



H. C. Barnard, on page 79S, seems to figure irresistibly 

 that a farmer with 80 acres of land has only the absolute 

 right to keep 2 colonies of bees. Many farmers— even many 

 that don't want to keep a bee at all— would dislike to admit 

 that. 



Second-hand Oil-Cans for Honey. 



If I was a honey-buyer I should refuse to buy honey in 

 second-hand oil-cans at any price whatever. (Can be cleaned; 

 but practically many of them certain not to be.) If actual 

 buyers take the sameView, and I think some do, it behooves 

 us to protest the second-hand can serpent whenever and 

 wherever he raises his ill-smelling, greasy head. Vide page 

 796 This very writer "gives the practice away," if you 

 will only weigh his language closely. 



Incidentally, it is interesting to learn that the railroads 

 and the Standard together make the people of Arizona pay 

 40 cents a gallon for 10 cent oil. Of course, two prices would 

 abundantly pay for transportation ; but human gr^ed and 

 what-you-goingto-do about-it can demand four prices. If 

 misery loves company, honey-men out there can console 

 themselves a little. 



The Editor's Back-Yard Apiary. 



Glad to see the Editor's apiary— for the Editor's sake. 

 And real nice, too— with that kind of niceness that does not 

 touch sensationalism anywhere. Page 801.' 



About a L,adv Bee-Kbeper's Costume. 



What a "dialogue" we should have (as the school chil- 

 dren phrase it) if we could boil down all the comments lady 



