332 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



November 



of making smoker fuel, and yet it 

 might. 



The idea of flapping smoke into ex- 

 tracting-supeis for the purpose of ex- 

 pelling bees by means of the enamel 

 cloth or quilt is a valuable one. The 

 principle seems to be in causing a par- 

 tial vacuum in the super. A contin- 

 uous stream of smoke is poured over 

 the frames. The flapping of the 

 enamel cloth, as explained causes a 

 suction, driving the smoke further in- 

 to the super than it can be done with 

 the smoker itself, strange to say. You 

 have probably noticed this, that, while 

 in bed, if the bed-clothes are held fast 

 at one end, and raised up suddenly, 

 it will cause a suction. In the case of 

 the hive the smoke seems to be driven 

 into, or rather sucked into, the super, 

 not by a doivnward flap, but by the 

 sudden uplift of the cloth. 



Well, how about the results ? I saw 

 young Boomhower drive bees out of 

 super after super, and when he took 

 the combs out to shake or brush, in 

 many cases there was hardly a bee on 

 the combs, so thoroughly did it do its 

 work. I shall have more to say about 

 this when I come to tell about my visit 

 at Mr. Coggshall's, but in the mean- 

 time, brethern, try it and see how it 

 works. If you use a flat cover, and 

 enamel cloths, try the ordinary rubber- 

 cloth that Dr. Miller recommended, 

 but have it wet. As soon as the cover 

 is removed, lay this on the frames, 

 then try the flap act, and notice what 

 it will do. Now try to smoke the bees 

 down in the ordinary way with the 

 smoker, in another hive, and I think 

 you will notice the difference as I did 

 at Mr. Coggshall's. Of course, you 

 know Mr. C. does not use a bee-escape. 

 His reasons for not using one I will 

 explain at another time. — Ed.] 



THE PHILADELPHIA BEE-KEEP- 

 ERS' ASSOCIATION. 



A Report- 



The Philadelphia Bee-keepers' As- 

 sociation held their September meet- 

 ing as guests of Mr. John L. Kugler 

 at his residence near Darby, adjourn- 

 ing to visit, at Mr. Kugler's invitation, 

 the apiary of Mr. E. G. Ludwick, 

 about a mile further on. 



Mr. Kugler, confessed to it that he 

 had rather the meeting should con- 

 tinue longer upon his porch and that 

 the members would stay to tea, but he 

 had felt for months that the reports 

 he had rendered at the parlor meetings 

 of the doings at the Ludwick hives 

 were listened to with suspicion, and he 

 was losing standing for keeping true 

 to facts and figures, so he must sacri- 

 fice his inclinations in self-defence. 



The apiary of Mr. Kugler is made 

 up of a dozen or more hives, from two 

 to four stories tall, ranged in benches 

 in the little yard in the rear of his res- 

 idence. All of the honey gathered 

 not needed for the bees is extracted, 

 and in course of a season amounts to 

 a large number of gallons, all of it 

 gathered from the fields and gardens 

 of the vicinity. 



The meeting was held on the porch 

 and, in the absence of Dr.Harry Town- 

 send, president, and Mrs. Carrie B. 

 Aaron, vice-president; Mr. W. E. 

 Flower, Ashbourne, was chairman, 

 Mr. F, Hahman, Harrowgatelane, sec- 

 retary. 



The minutes of the previous meet- 

 ing held at the Flower Apiary com- 

 mended Mr. Flower's methods in bee- 

 keeping. 



New members enrolled were Dr. 

 Lyman F. Keebler, E. S. Richards, 



