1&2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. L 



waterworks of their own. All they have to do 

 to get water is to pump it out of the big lake. 

 When we were walking along the tramways 

 outside we saw something that looked like a 

 mounted telescope. It could be aimed at any 

 point of the compass, and raised or lowered. 

 This could throw a stream of water the size of 

 a man's arm to an immense distance. We met 

 one of the partners, and he kindly turned on 

 the water to show us the volume, but, of course, 

 he did not show the force of it. He pointed to 

 a large lumber-pile standing near, and said he 

 could tear it all to pieces by turning the whole 

 force of the water on it. I think one of these 

 arrangements would cover our whole lumber- 

 yard. They had enough to reach all points of 

 their yards. 



It was refreshing to see the exquisite neatness 

 and order everywhere. Every little hit of grass 

 between lumber-piles was just a bit of green 

 lawn, and there was not a stick out of place. 



As we were walking through the yards to 

 the farthest mill we noticed two or three boards 

 broken in the tramway. When we came back, 

 ten minutes later, every broken board had been 

 replaced by a new one. Mr. Newark says they 

 have a wonderful system of foremen and super- 

 intendents. The man who founded this great 

 business is a millionaire several times over, and 

 he had nothing to start on but brains. 



NOTES OF BICYCLE TRAVEL. 



Bu Ernest R. Rout. 



I arrived at Toledo on the evening of the 1,5th, 

 and it did not take me long to make my way on 

 the wheel over those beautiful asphaltum 

 pavements to that part of the city known as 

 Auburndale. Passing by the great Wagon- 

 works manufactory, I soon recognized the fa- 

 miliar street on which Dr. Mason lives, and in 

 a few minutes more I was enjoying a good visit 

 with the Mason family. The doctor had just 

 been recovering from sickness, and was begin- 

 ning to feel like himself again. In the course 

 of our conversation I told him I was out on a 

 trip to learn, if possible, the exact right size of 

 brood-chamber, or whether said brood-chamber 

 should be made into divisible halves. The 

 doctor laughed, and, like H. R. Boardman, he 

 very much doubted whether I would get a sat- 

 isfactory answer; but as for him, he wanted 

 nothing larger nor smaller than the eight- 

 frame Langstroth hive. For his locality, he 

 was sure it was best. Being a little tired, and 

 having a "game" ankle, I retired at a season- 

 able hour — something I do not ordinarly do at 

 the home of a bee-keeper. During the trip 

 that day it seemed as if the right ankle vvas 

 going to give out, for it was slightly swollen, 

 and was unwilling to respond promptly in its 

 usual way. Under the instructions of the doc- 

 tor I bathed it well in camphor. As the doctor 



poured out the camphor he remarked, "I sup- 

 pose your father would not think this would 

 amount to much, because it comes out of a 

 bottle; but I know," said he, with a look of de- 

 cided assurance, "that it will do that ankle 

 good," and it did, for it helped pedal nearly 90 

 miles the next day. 



After breakfast we looked over the Mason 

 bees. As usual, the doctor would not stop to fus& 

 with a smoker, but opened up the bees that 

 morning bareheaded (he is baldheaded, you 

 know), without veil or smoker. 



" Yes," said I, " you are at your old tricks 

 again, but I think I will put on my veil." 



" Here," said the doctor, after he had remov- 

 ed one hive-cover, " is the way I keep my 

 records." 



He then produced from under the cover one 

 of the pieces of a broken one-piece 414 section. 

 On it was written in lead pencil - briefly the 

 record of the queen and the colony — its strength 

 at the beginning of the season, when it began to 

 store surplus, etc. In the home of almost 

 every bee-keeper there will be a surplus num- 

 ber of broken pieces from 414 one-piece sections 

 to go on everv colony. These record tablets, 

 of course, are 414 inches long, and the width of 

 the section, whatever that is — probably 1J4 

 inches. As almost every bee-keeper has his 

 own method of abbreviating records, it is possi- 

 ble to get on this the whole year's history of the 

 colony. But perhaps some may object to put- 

 ting the tablet in under the hive-cover, espe- 

 cially if they do not use a quilt or enamel cloth, 

 A small wire nail through the middle at one 

 end will hold it securely on the cover; and 

 each time the colony is examined, the record 

 can be attached to the section -piece fast to the 

 cover itself. The next year a new section-piece 

 or tablet may be used. 



The season had not been an extra good one 

 with the doctor; but still he would get some 

 surplus. On some of the hives there were full- 

 depth Langstroth extracting-supers that were 

 waiting to be extracted. On others I noticed 

 half-depth extracting-supers. 



"Hello!" said I; " are you using half-depth 

 brood -chambers ? " 



" No, sir; beee do not breed right in the half- 

 depth brood-chambers, for me." 



" Well, what are you using them for on full- 

 depth brood-chambers?" 



" Why, look here," said he, turning to his 

 record, "This colony, you see, was not very 

 strong at the beginning of the season, and I did 

 not care to give them a full-depth extracting- 

 super when they showed they were ready to 

 store some surplus; and. having these half- 

 depths, I put one of them on the hive." 



" But over there," said I, " you have one hive 

 with two half-depth chambers." 



"Well, that colony did better than I expect- 

 ed, and so I simply gave them another one. If 

 I had known at the ontset that they would 



