422 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



queen hatches that there is no danger of swarm- 

 ing again. The device must, of course, be re- 

 moved in time to allow the young queen to re- 

 turn after a wedding-flight. 



The only trouble I experienced was from the 

 escapes getting clogged up with drones; and I 

 should liice to know the best size and shape to 

 make them, to prevent that. I should also like 

 to know what objections are likely to arise to 

 this manner of preventing after-swarms. 



C. F. Batham. 



Houstonia, Mo., March 19, 1894. 



[As we have never experimented with non- 

 swarming methods we refprn^d this matter to 

 Dr. Miller, who replies: — Eu.J 



Perhaps all that is necessary to prevent clog- 

 ging in the cones is to have them larger. One 

 with an outlet half an inch or more in diameter 

 would probably not be clogged. An objection 

 to the plan, aside from the extra trouble, is that 

 the old hive has no bees entering it for a week 

 or so, and all bees old enough to fly out leaving 

 It. That will result, at least at times, in the 

 partial destruction of the young brood. Would 

 you not accomplish the same result, with less 

 trouble, by the old method of moving the old 

 hive to a new location at the time of hiving the 

 swarm on the old stand? The only advantage 

 that your plan has is the greater depletion — a 

 depletion that may be carried to excess. If the 

 simple plan mentioned does not deplete as much 

 as you like, then you can do this way: Hive 

 the swarm on the old stand, setting the old hive 

 beside it, but with the entrance in another di- 

 rection. A week after swarming, put the old 

 hive in a new location. In this case the brood 

 stands but little chance of being neglected, 

 while all the bees will be added to the swarm 

 that your plan would give them. 



Marengo, 111. C. C. Mili.ek. 



AN OFF YEAR FOR CALIFORNIA. 



This is going to be one of our off years in this 

 southern county, for honey. I do not look 

 for an extracting. The off years are be- 

 coming monotonous — '91 and '93 no honey, 

 and now '94 none. It will give the glucose 

 fiends a chance to get in their work as tliey did 

 in '91 and '92. There was not a hundred tons 

 of honey gathered, yet they shipped that many 

 carloads, purporting to he pure honey.* 



Newhall, Cal., Mar. 30. G. W. Lechi.er. 



ker: and you would be surprised to see how 

 soon the bees will be out of the crate. The 

 smoke comes up so evenly all over that they 

 can't stand it. Robbers have no chance to 

 bother; and by using a brush you can keep the 

 young bees all at home. S. S. Kissel. 



Horatio, Ohio, March 22. 



HOW TO SMOKE BEES OUT OF SUPERS. 



I got hold of an idea last summer, in the way 

 of taking off crates of sections, that beats all of 

 the escapes I have ever tried yet. I call it my 

 smoke-house. I took a Simplicity body and 

 nailed a bottom to it, and pieces around the top 

 edge within half an inch of the top for the 

 super to rest on — that is, my size of the super 

 for the ten-frame hive. Then I bore a IK-inch 

 hole in the center of on(^ <mp1. and set the crate 

 on, and blow smoke in at the hole with a smo- 



SUNFLOWER TO SHADE HIVES. 



Last spring my six-year-old Winnie planted 

 some sunflower seeds not far from the bee- 

 hives. During the summer, while the bees 

 were working on the blossoms, the idea oc- 

 curred to me that the plant would make an 

 excellent shade for the hives. By setting twu 

 plants at each hive, south and west, I think 

 there would be sufficient shade from the mid- 

 dle of June till along in September, or as loni; 

 as shade is necessary. As we live on a new 

 place, and have no trees large enough for 

 shade, I will plant sunflowers at each hive this 

 spring. The plants may be transplanted, and 

 will grow equally well, and will produce a 

 greater number of flowers, though not as large 

 as those from plants not transplanted. 



Glidden, Iowa. Mrs. M. E. Moffatt. 



[On our old honey-farm we grew sunflowers 

 to test tliem for their honey, but we do not re- 

 member to have noticed that the bees worked 

 on them. It is said tliat bees will visit them ai 

 times; but you refer to them only as shade 

 Those we have grown would be too tall and 

 spindling to afford very much shade. — Ed.1 



OUR SPECIAL ARTISTS METHOD OF CLEANIM 

 WALL PAPER. 



As we at our house are in the midst of house- 

 cleaning, it has occurred to me that tiie knowl- 

 edge of how to clean wall paper properly would 

 be a thing greatly to be desired by many of tin 

 readers of this journal. Preparations of vari- 

 ous kinds are sold in many of the stores ; nont 

 are any better than the one I use. and several 

 are expensive and uncertain, while the cleaner 

 I shall describe is neither expensive nor lacking 

 in its qualities. We have used this cleaner for 

 years, and know '"whereof we speak." Prepari 

 the cleaner, just as given below, and any one 

 can make a success of it. 



Take a quart of finely sifted common while 

 flour, and pour boiling water upon it, to scald it 

 thoroughly, and make a moderately thick dough. 

 After removing it from the stove, add one liber- 

 al cup of common household ammonia and mix 

 very thoroughly, so as to permeate the mass. 

 When cool enough to handle, cut the dough into 

 convenient lumps, and, while it is now sticky, 

 knead dry flour into it until the stickiness is re-i 

 moved and it can be handled with ease. Don't 

 add any more dry flour than will accomplish the 

 desired result, or else the mass will become 

 crumbly. It is now ready for application to the 

 walls, which must always be done in good long 

 strokes, always being careful to wipe or work 

 from the cleaned paper into the dirt, and never 



