150 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



hives are kept, these can be placed in one or 

 two rows, all facing in one direction, and a sin- 

 gle trellis before the row will do for all. Where 

 too distant there is danger of their rising above 

 it and taking some other course. If too close 

 it interferes with their Hight when at work. A 

 little attention to their usual distance from the 

 hive bt'fore showing an inclination to alight 

 will locate the most favorable position surpris- 

 ingly accurately. An apiary with which I am 

 familiar in this neighborhood consists of three 

 rows of hives facing the south, and a long 

 grape-trellis about fifteen feet in front of the 

 first row. In several years the hives have been 

 there, only one attempt to fly off has been 

 made, and only that one swarm failed to alight 

 in that vine, from which they could easily be 

 reached and taken from the ground. 



WlLDEK GKAHAME. 



UNCAPPED HONEY CANDYING; QUEENS IN UP- 

 PER STOKIES; THAT SCKAPING-KNIFE. 



Dr. Miller thinks me in error on candied hon- 

 ey from evaporation. The honey-flow here is 

 very irregular, and, in consequence, I have 

 throughout and at the close of the season a 

 large number of uncapped partially filled cells. 

 The honey in these always candles with me. 

 This may be owing to the source of supply, as 

 sage honey is said to not candy; but for twelve 

 years pasL it has candied each year for me. 



Dr. M. once thought there was " something 

 peculiar" in my statement that the queen went 

 up into the supers and laid eggs in every sec- 

 tion of honey; but I have met other bee-keep- 

 ers who have had the same experience. 



The good doctor also objects to my section- 

 scraper, as the widths of the sections are not 

 alike; but the pi-esent uniform thickness of all 

 sections will remedy that. Scratch away, Dr. 

 M.. but give us your wheat, when uncovered, 

 for our chart:'. 



FOUNDATION, OLD — HOW TO MAKE IT GOOD. 



Each season I have left over a lot of founda- 

 tion. This gets hard, brittle, and dead-looking 

 by the next season. It loosens from the sections, 

 and drops down, or the bees gnaw it out, and it 

 is next to impossible to make it stick to a sec- 

 tion. I now cut this in pieces the size wanted, 

 lay these on a board singly, put the board out 

 in the sun, and watch it. In a minute's, time 

 the foundation changes its color to that of fresh 

 foundation; and while warm it fastens very 

 nicely to the smoothest sections. In the ab- 

 sence of sun heat I lay my board on the stove 

 and remove the foundation as soon as its color 

 changes, as the board gets hotter all the time 

 and melts the comb. E. H. Schaeffle. 



Murphys, Cal., Jan. IS. 



bees are wintered in the cellar; but for the 

 benefit of those who winter in the ctllar and 

 set their bees out in the spring, cold frosty 

 nights have got to be contended with, and it is 

 quite a bother to shut up the entrance at night 

 and open it again in the morning. Now, I will 

 just tell you how you can shut up 100 hives in 

 ten minutes, and the bees will open the en- 

 trance when it is warm enough to fly. Take a 

 half-bushel basket or a pail of dry sawdust, 

 and throw a handful at the entrance of the 

 hive so it will close it entirely— no danger of 

 smothering. There will enough air go through 

 the dust to keep them alive. Now, when it 

 warms up next morning see how quickly the 

 bees will clear the dust away and go to work. 

 I have frequently hitched up a horse and gone 

 five miles to shut up an out-apiary of 100 colo- 

 nies, frosty nights, the last of April and the 

 fore part of May. You will readily see, if I had 

 closed the entrance with a block it would have 

 necessitated a trip there the next morning to 

 open them. We all know the trouble that 

 might arise from chilled brood. A cold wind 

 will blow into a hive, and chill the brood, and 

 do as much damage as it would toagaidener 

 or a farmer to have his corn frozen off. 



W. L. COGGSHALL. 



West Groton, New York, Jan. 16. 



the zinc and the FOOTNOTES .JUST RIGHT. 



I wish to give my vote on the zinc question; 

 also on the "everlasting footnotes." The zinc 

 A1)% is just right lor me, and the footnotes- 

 well, I indorse Dr. Millers views, even to the 

 word " perfection," which the editor left out. 

 The footnotes are the right thing in the right 

 place; and while the editor never fully agrees 

 with me, I would not have them left out for 

 any thing. A. C. MircHEi>L. 



Enfield, 111., Jan. 26. 



[We have received hundreds of kind letters 

 like the above. We can not, of course, give 

 place to them all, but we hereby acknowledge 

 our sincere " thank you all."— Ed.] 



CLOSING UP THE ENTRANCES TO RETAIN 

 WARMTH IN SPRIN(i; A GOOD IDEA. 



Mr. Root: — Most bee-keepers have but little 

 trouble in wintering their bees; but spring is 

 where the trouble comes in, especially when 



PAPER-SHELL PECAN-NUTS. 



By this mail I send you a pound of these nuts. 

 They have the distinction of being served at 

 the royal table, Windsor Castle; and although 

 as yet I have not been able to get a testimonial 

 from the queen I have some nice letters from 

 other persons of distinction. Don't plant these, 

 but let Mrs. Root and the children finish them. 

 Should it happen that you want some for plant- 

 ing I shall have to charge you the same as every 

 one else— $1.00 per lb. These are cheap at this 

 price, for planting; but I fear you are living a 

 little too far north. I have a letter before me, 

 saying that my pecans took the premium at the 

 World's Fair. I am writing to find out more 

 about it. E. E. Risien. 



San Saba, Texas, Jan. 17. 



