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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1, 



Zed he's been a tryiii all sorts of things to 

 burn in the smoker. Some he's read about, and 

 some he hasn't. Among other things he tried 

 weather-beaten corncobs pounded up with the 

 butt end of an ax; pine cones, rags, paper, bark, 

 rotton wood broke up, sound wood cut up, and 

 reelly it seems most any thing will do. Rags 

 or paper has to be tied up in rolls, and an old 

 calico apron will make enuff to load a smoker 

 a good many times. They was a dead apple- 

 tree near by, and it was right handy to reach 



git hardwood turnin-latheshavins, that's better 

 than planer shavins. 



Another way raaybee you'll like better. Soak 

 a >^ pound of saltpeter in a quart of water; soak 

 spunk wood or any rotten wood in it and then 

 dry it. You can light that and put it in a smok- 

 er, and then cram any kind of fewel in and it 

 won't go out. Jake Smith. 



. /htcn I tjib my eyes full 

 orsmoK? Ifecl i.orryfor 

 '" '■liltle hez^ !" 



up and break off a little limb and then break it 

 all up in little pieces short enuff to go in the 

 smoker. They aint any thing better than sound 

 wood split up in little pieces a Ji inch through, 

 only it's a good deal of work. Go to the cook 

 stove and till your smoker an inch deep with 

 hot coals, and then put in your wood. 



Spunk wood from rotten ellum is handy to 

 light with, and that that's soft and white from 

 rotten apple is good too. One of the easiest 

 things to git is planer shavins. First git some 

 common shavins a carpenter makes at his 

 bench. You'll light some of them and then till 

 up with planer shavins, and put the whole thing 

 out. Now emty out your smoker and try it 

 over again. Light one of the bench shavins 

 and drop it in. liiow the smoker just a little. 

 Drop in another bench shavin— loose — then an- 

 other; and as fast as the blaze comes up through, 

 drop in another; but be sure not to pack them 

 down the least bit. When your smoker is full 

 of loose biiuch shavins, it will begin to git emty 

 by the shavins burnin, and you a blowin all the 

 while, and then begin throwin in the planer 

 .shavins loose, and a blowin as you till in; and 

 by the time you git it full, pack it down a little 

 and you're all right. If you pack too tight 

 you'll put it out, but you'll learn. If you can 



^d^^ 



BY G.M.DOOLITTLE.BORODINO.N.Y 



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ESTIiA COMBS FOK EXTRACTED HONEY. 



Question. — Heretofore I have worked my api- 

 ary for comb honey, but think of working for 

 extracted honey the coming season; therefore I 

 should like to know which is the cheapest and 

 best way, all things considered, to obtain extra 

 combs for the purpose, not having any extra 

 combs on hand. 



Answer. — Under such circumstances I think I 

 should buy comb foundation, putting it into 

 wired frames. I could never make a success of 

 having combs built in upper stories, although I 

 think that, where working for comb honey, there 

 is greater success in allowing the bees to build 

 their own combs, where the apiary is worked on 

 the swarming plan. The trouble in trying to 

 have combs built in upper stories lies in the fact 

 that too large a proportion of the comb will be 

 built of the drone size, hence it can not be trans- 

 ferred to the lower story of the hive without 

 producing a host of useless drones as consumers 

 of the honey gathered by the workers. Look- 

 ing toward the best results, I would suggest 

 that a few of the strongest colonies be supplied j 

 with frames of foundation, two or three weeks' 

 before the honey-harvest arrives, and fed sugar 

 syrup, if you have no inferior honey, feeding 

 them very liberally so they will work with a 

 will in drawing out the foundation into combs, 

 and thus you will have some combs to use in the 

 upper stories, together with the frames of foun- 

 dation necessary to till out the hive. In this 

 way the bees will not have any excuse for idle- 

 ness in waiting for the foundation to be drawn 

 out when the honey-flow is upon them. Foi- 

 the purpose of feeding, to have foundation 

 drawn out, a cheap grade of sugar can be used: 

 and if you have any inferior honey it can he 

 profitably disposed of in this way. Now allow 

 a word by way of suggestion: If you havencx - 

 er worked for extracted honey, would it not be 

 wel to devote only half of your apiary to th;ii 

 purpose, working the rest for comb honey i he 

 same as formerly ? Because you have made a 

 success in raising comb honey, it does not c( i - 

 tainly prove that you will be equally successful 

 with extracted honey, although the prospects 

 may point that way. And should you be sue- 



