404 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



treatment. We have tried essentially this, and 

 it was a failure.— Ed.] 



A GRAIN OF POLLEN is mentioned on page 377 

 as "conveyed in some occult way through the 

 whole length of the silk," to make a perfect ear 

 of corn. Doesn't a pollen grain alight on the 

 end of each silk and stay there growing down 

 to the grain on each ear? 



A SCHOOLTEACHER in Germany distributed 4 

 lbs. of sunflower seed among his scholars, and 

 gave four prizes of honey at harvest to the four 

 who had most plants; ir)00 plants were in the 

 village, instead of 10, as formerly, and the next 

 year none of the scholars ate the seed given 

 them, as some did the first year. 



C. J. H. Gravenhokst, the able editor of 

 Deutsche Illustrierte Blenenzeitung , mentions 

 with evident approval the cordial feeling that 

 prevails among editors of bee-journals in this 

 country. He seems to tliink the writers are all 

 on good terms, but he hasn't noticed how Tay- 

 lor is going for my scalp. 



DooLiTTLE properly advises making special 

 dummies after you're satisfied yon want to use 

 only 4 or 5 frames. Possibly you may not want 

 to continue witli so few frames, and you can 

 experiment with thin dummies, or with a single 

 dummy and the vacancy filled with hay. I 

 used a good deal of hay one year. 



Top-bars It's square, with }4 inch between, 

 in 15 colonies, says Hon. R. L. Taylor, in Re- 

 view, gave •' scarcely a sign of a burr-comb 

 except where a frame was improperly spaced. 

 The results were very satisfactory, 

 and, unless seasons of more abundant honey- 

 flow produce different results, leave nothing to 

 be desired." 



The average distance that bees naturally 

 space combs is !}{ inches, according to Doolittle, 

 and \% according to Mrs. Atchley. Which is 

 right ? Or do bees space closer in a warm 

 climate? [We are coming more and more to 

 believe that bees don't have any average dis- 

 tance, else why do authorities disagi'ee? But, 

 why ask what spacing the bees prefer? Rather 

 ask what spacing gives the most worker brood, 

 least drone brood, the most honey in the supers, 

 and the truest combs. — Ed.] 



Hurrah for you! I believe you've struck 

 it with that soft-walled foundation described 

 on p. 383. At any rate, it looks hopeful. Get 

 ready for an order from me. [But, say. Doctor, 

 do we want foundation so soft? We should be 

 afraid just yet to offer it to the public, for /c((r 

 it would buckle between the wires in drawing 

 out, and if not put on wires for fear it would 

 stretch. From some little tests we liave made, 

 there is danger of this. But by making the 

 sheets very heavy we get beautiful comb. The 

 Given foundation, such as we have seen for 

 the brood-chamber, is heavy, but such heavy 

 wax is expensive.— Ed]. 



GALVANIZED IRON FOR BEE-KEEPERS. 



waxing galvanized can,'- 



Friend Root: — In regard to galvanized tanks, 

 three years ago I was forced to have me thn i' 

 large tanks made for storing honey; and as I 

 wished to have them very stout I had each of 

 the three tanks, holding 50 gallons, made out (it 

 galvanized iron. I had all of them made with 

 a large-size molasses-gate at the bottom. I 

 had two made for extracted honey. They were 

 about as tail as a common abohol-barrel. The 

 one for comb honey was made larger across, 

 and not so tall — say about half. 1 had them 

 made to store honey in for my own use. When 

 1 released them my wife told me I should not 

 put any honey in them as they were. "What 

 shall I do, wife ? I have bought the tanks at ;i 

 cost of 14.50 each, and they are all I have vj 

 store our surplus honey in." "Oh! " said slu'. 

 "that can be very easily remedied. You li i 

 them alone and I will fix them all right." So 1 

 thought it best to let her have her own way. 

 She washed them out clean and nice, and in a 

 couple of hours she called me in to look at cm 

 tanks. What do you think she had done to 

 them? She had given them about two coats 

 of wax, and no honey could come in contact 

 with the cans. I have been using said can- 

 now for about three years, and I do not wat 

 any thing nicer, though I see one of the ca. 

 has got some of the wax coating knocked oil 

 and if my bees do anything this year Iwii 

 have the cans rewaxed. I do not think tin 

 would do well to ship unless the cans are w 

 cared for, as the coating is liable to be knocked 

 off when jarred much; but from my experience 

 I think they are as safe as any thing you can 

 store honey in, if well waxed. It costs very 

 little to do it, and it is not much trouble to wax 

 them. One good coat is enough. 



Franklin, Tenn. G. W. Reams. 



[And yet, friend R., you do not know whether 

 the cans would not have done just as well 

 without the waxing. See the following letter:] 



GALVANIZED IKON FOR HONEY-UTENSILS. 



In response to an article in April 15th Glean- 

 ings, page 334, in regard to galvanized vessels 

 injuring honey, I would say that I use a large 

 galvanized pan the year round. I draw every 

 drop of honey from the extractor into this pan, 

 and I use it during the winter for liquefying 

 granulated honey. I never could detect any 

 injury to the honey. I send you a sample of 

 honey herewith, that has been melted three 

 times in this pan. It is slightly darkened by 

 getting a little too hot at one time, caused by 

 the water getting too low in the sheet-iron pan 

 containing the galvanized pan. If there is any 



