THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



275 



stoppwd by propolis, for these bits of wax 

 seen) to be useil for eitlier purpose iiulis- 

 criuiinately. When i)aciviiiji it in tiieir pol- 

 len baskets, they use a Iciud of slight-of- 

 hand movement, that is (luite puzzling until 

 one has studied it out. A oit of wax is 

 pulled from the eond) as before, and is then 

 stuek on the side of one of the uuddle feet 

 fi'om which it is 'slaped" on to the rest in 

 the pollen basket with a movement so quick 

 that the eye is unable to follow it, and it is 

 only by observing the tinishing pats of this 

 limo, that we are able to divine how the 

 wax got to the pollen basket at all." 



Cases for Shipping Comb Honey. 



"The cases are made of lumber purchased 

 for $11.0(1 per M. It is planed down to about 

 %, and then boxes made to hold 40 or 50 

 combs just as they hang in the hive, with a 



Eair of handles at each end to carry them 

 y. The liandles are simply a prolongation 

 01 the sides of the box, whittled round and 

 smooth, so as to be easy for lifting so great 

 a weight— 200 to 400 lbs. To keep the combs 

 apart, the rabbets along the sides are notch- 

 ed just right to admit tlie projecting ends of 

 the top bar, and a three-cornered strip 

 notched in a similar way, is nailed along 

 the bottom. When the cover is screwed on, 

 every frame is secure in its place. He re- 

 ceives the same price for comb-honey put 

 up in this way, as for that in the sections — 

 20 cts. — but receives the frames and cases 

 back." 



Chaff Cushions. 



"Our house apiary is supplied with chaff 

 cushions, and we are rejoicing to find them 

 answering the purpose so well. These 

 cushions are made of two pieces of Indian 

 head muslin, 17x31, joined by a band 6 in. 

 wide, so tliat we have a box of cloth as it 

 were; we prefer to use the band, as it 

 leaves the ends and sides square, ;naking a 

 close fit to the sides of the hives, or to each 

 other when placed in the house apiary. The 

 night they were put on, the temperature 

 outside was down to 40 deg., in the house 60 

 deg., and a thermometer put under one of 

 the (luilts for a few minutes, showed 80 deg. 

 Before putting on the cushions a pretty 

 strong luim was heard during cool niglits, 

 but now we hear not even a 'whisper.' " 



Bee Language. 

 Concerning the question of bees com- 

 municating with one another. Novice re- 

 ports the following test ; 



"Yesterday (Oct. 18th), the door of the 

 honey house by some means got open, and 

 at noon we found them doing a 'land office 

 business' on our sections of comb honey. 

 The door was closed until they were all on 

 the glass, and then opened just long enough 

 to let them out. As a fresh army rushed in 

 at every opening, it was some time before 

 all were out, and as each lot rushed laden 

 into the hives, a swarm of workers came 

 out and made straight for the door way. At 

 niglit they iiad given up buzzing around the 

 door, and a feeder was placed in front of a 

 hive which we watchea until a few bees 

 were ready to go inside with a load of honey; 

 almost as soon as they were out of sight, a 

 lot (vime tumbling out, and went straight to 

 the door of tlie honey house. More kept 

 coming, and we finally were convinced that 

 they only know when a bee comes in laden, 



that it has obtained its locid somewhere, and 

 that the only way they have of finding it, is 

 to scatter about in every direction until 

 they find it." 



Feeding Bees— Movable Frames. 



The Rev. L. L. Langstroth says: 



"When feeding large colonies in July and 

 August to encourage the preservation and 

 production of drones, I used old discarded 

 fruit cans, putting in them two or three 

 small pieces of corn cob, and one long one. 

 These were placed in the portico about 

 dark, removed next morning and set on the 

 ground near the hives, so that they could be 

 readily refilled and reidaced in the evening. 

 No robbing, no bees lost in the food. After 

 two or three rccdnigs the bees were as con- 

 scious of the timt- for feeding as our barn- 

 yard stock, parading impatiently over the 

 fioor of the portico, and finally swarming 

 upon the can as soon as we had left it. It 

 two cobs are tied together, one to be in the 

 can, and the other outside so as to rest on 

 the portico, a strong stock will empty the 

 can in quite cool weather." 



On the subject of movable frames he 

 says: 



"By all means let the old and new sys- 

 tems be tried by expeHs. I have no doubt 

 that many are "dabbling" with frames, who 

 would be much better off if they used the 

 old gum, and the sulphur pit." 



"The fact cannot be questioned, that for 

 some reason the race of bee-keepers who 

 make bee-keeping profitable without mov- 

 able frames is fast dying out. Is there 

 among them one who can compare, for suc- 

 cess, with Capt. Hetherington, or the late 

 Adam Grimwi?" 



"Let me call the attention of your readers 

 to a single point, the rapidity with which 

 after the most disastrous winters an apiary 

 is re-established by those who have control 

 of the combs, while similar losses with the 

 box hives are irreparable." 



"As friend Heddon has used movable 

 frames and now returns to the old box, with 

 supers for surplus, his reports will be look- 

 ed for with all the greater interest. If all 

 our fancied improvements are only 'fuss 

 and feathers,' or at most beneficial to scien- 

 tific amateurs, the sooner we know it the 

 better, even if we should be as nuich sur- 

 prised as any traveler on a first-class rail- 

 road car, would he if called to give it up for 

 a comfortal)le seat in an old-fashioned stage 

 coach." 



Fifty Dollars Damages. 



Novice was foolish enough to ask every 

 one who had bought foundation of him, and 

 were not satisfied, to send in their bills for 

 damages. H. A. Burch sent in a bill for 

 $')0, which was paid, hut Novice sent with 

 it an appeal for mercy on his hard earnings. 

 He adds that a few more such claims for 

 damages would prevent him from continu- 

 ing to publish Oleanings. Mr. B. thinks 

 the foundation was S150 of damage to him, 

 but he was modest, and asked only $50. 



Novice should withdraw that "offer" at 

 once. The existence of Oleanings should 

 not be thus periled. 



