1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



587 



venture the assertion, that no one ever knew 

 eggs, deposited above the queen -excluder, to 

 hatch out any thing but drones, unless by 

 chance the queen got through; and if she did 

 get through, was sh(! ever known to get back 

 alone? We believe a queen could pull herself 

 up through the perforated zinc much easier 

 than she could dow)i. I believe that, if bee- 

 keepers would only look for fertile workers or 

 laying workers — whichever you wish to call 

 them — they will find them more numerous than 

 expected. M. W. Shki'iikko. 



Rochester, O.. June 30. 



A SUGGP:8TI0N for F()UNDATI0N-MII.I,S. 



It seems to rae I have struck on a valuable 

 point in the construction of foundation-ma- 

 chiues. I inclose a draft that illustrates the 

 point. It is simply a groove, or depression, in 

 the rollers, and matched so that, when the 

 sheet is started in. there will be a bit of the end 

 that will not be pressed or stuck to the roll. 

 Thus the end of the sheet can be grasped at 

 once, and the rolls need not be stopped to pick 

 the end loose. The rolls would have to be thick 

 enough so that they would make the longest 

 sheet with one turn of the roll. A six-inch 



diameter in the roll will make a sheet long 

 enough; and they can be made as short as 

 wanted, on the same roll. If it runs too hard 

 for direct power, gear back. Have the groove, 

 or starting-point, so that it will always stand 

 open, just ready for the sheet when the crank 

 is at rest. The idea may be old to you, but it 

 seemed valuable to me, so I suggest it. 



Loveland. Col., March 7. R. C. Aikin. 



[The idea is a good one ; but it is not practic- 

 able to make roils 6 inches in diameter. They 

 would cost three times as much as the present 

 mills.— Ed. J 



DOES THE ACT OF CMPPIXG A WING HUKT? 



Why don't some of those old bee-keepers who 

 clip queens' wings off get Quinby's old " Mys- 

 teries of Bee-keeping " and learn how to pre- 

 vent swarms from putting off to the woods'? It 

 would save them the cruel practice of cutting 

 wings. They say it doesn't hurt ; but nobody 

 with feeling believes it. I suppose dehorning 

 cattle doesn't hurt. Some say it doesn't. Every- 

 body knows better. I live surrounded, within 

 600 yards, of woods on three sides, and my bees 



never elope. Quinby's plan is — as soon as 

 hived, move the hive at once to some other 

 place, say two rods off. They never leave with 

 me. Before I read this and practiced it, about 

 a half cleari'd out. I. Bakfoot. 



McClure. (Ja. 



[Unless thore are nerves in the wings the 

 clipping of lliem can give no pain whatever. 

 The mici'oscope. if we arc correct, shows no 

 nerves, nor any tiling that corresponds to them. 

 There are nerves in the hollow of the horn of 

 cattle, the sam(> as in the human tooth. Hence 

 the cutting of eitlier causes pain.— En.] 



EXCESSIVE SWA15MING OF CARNIOI.ANS. 



[The following card will explain itself:] 

 I wish to ask the Carniolan bee-keepers how 

 they keep the Carniolan bees in the hive long 

 enough to get a box of honey put up. I wish 

 the answer to come through Gleanings. 

 Emporia, Kan. Chas. Chandler. 



[There are a number of Carniolati bee-keep- 

 ers who can give their experience. Carniolans 

 with us seem to be more inclined to swarm 

 than any other bees we have. Still, we have 

 not had any special difficulty with them.— Ed.] 



IMPORTS 



Encouragi 



Bees are doing nicely on raspberries and 

 clover, with excellent prospect for basswood. 

 So far this seems like one of our old-time honey 

 seasons. A. E. Manu.m. 



Bristol, Vt., June 31. 



Bees are making us hustle here now. Swarm- 

 ing has commenced. N. D. West. 

 Middleburgh, N. Y., June 11. 



Honey crop is nearly .50 per cent above an 

 average, and of good quality. Our honey-flow 

 is now about over, and we have only to clean 

 up for the summer. W. J. Drumright. 



Sarasota, Fla., June 10. 



.^^SifWDlSCOURAMl 



I shall not make a pound of surplus. In this 

 section we iiave to feed our bees now. Cold 

 spells in March and April ruined everything. 

 I want to supply my local trade at least. 



Glasgow, Ky., June 13. F. G. Railey. 



discouraging for MISSOURI. 



I have had the poorest honey-flow for 8 years. 

 Frost came for three nights and killed raspber- 

 ry-bloom, oak and sumach leaves, till the woods 

 look as if a fire had passed over them. Bass- 

 wood buds are killed. If I were able I would put 

 130 colonies on cars and go to Wisconsin woods. 

 I shall not put on the sections. No rain for a 

 month, and grass and clover are burned up. 



Hopkins, Mo., June 4. John C. Stewart. 



