950 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



so that the rays of the sun may keep It as warm 

 as possible. The door should be in the center 

 of one side, so that on each side of the room a 

 platform can be built upon which to place the 

 honey. Perhaps all will not agree with me; 

 but I think that all comb honey should be stor- 

 ed in such a room at least a month before crat- 

 ing, to ripen and sweat out. I know it is a 

 saving of labor and time to crate it as fast as 

 taken off the hive, but I think it pays for all 

 the extra time and labor, in the better quality 

 and appearance of our product. The platform 

 should not be less than six inches higher than 

 the floor, and so fixed that air can circulate 

 under it freely. Then whatever style of super 

 you may use, arrangement is to be made so that 

 each super is separated from its neighbor an 

 inch or so at bottom, top, and all around, so 

 that the air can circulate all through and all 

 about the honey, thus curing and ripening it 

 thoroughly. Also, fixed in this way the fumes 

 of burning sulphur can penetrate the whole 

 pile should it be necessary to sulphur it on ac- 

 count of the larviB of the wax-moth being liable 

 to injure it. 



Before closing I must tell you how to fix a 

 closet for all combs in frames, not in use. As 

 you are building, place the studding on one 

 side just as far apart as the top-bar of your 

 frame is long. Now nail strips of %■ stuff, 23.2 

 feet long by 5 inches wide to these studding, 

 letting them stand out into the room in a hori- 

 zontal position. Let the distance between each 

 strip from top to top be two inches greater than 

 the depth of your frame, so as to give sufficient 

 room to manipulate the frames handily. Three 

 inches from the ends of these strips run a par- 

 tition clear across the room, which is to have 

 close-fitting narrow doors placed in it, spaced 

 so as to be most convenient. Now hang in your 

 combs whenever you have any not occupied 

 by the bees from any reason, and see that all 

 combs not in use are in their place, and not 

 lying about somewhere else. As often as any 

 signs of worms are found, put in a pot of burn- 

 ing sulphur, close the doors, and the work is 

 done. 



p^ac^^/^g^^l 



THE GRAIN OP FOUNDATION. 



I want to offer a suggestion in regard to 

 foundation-making. On page 557, 1890, you 

 advise hanging the foundation in the sections 

 crosswise of the sheet as it leaves the mill. I 

 do not know how it would test in the hive, but 

 I have been trying the same test you did— 

 welding together pieces of equal dimensions, to 

 test the strength both ways at one pull, and I 

 find that the greater strength is the long way 



of the sheet. A bar of iron is by far the strong- 

 er the long way, because of the rolling process 

 lengthening the grain. Why may there not be 

 some of the same in wax ? If you think worth 

 while, won't you look into the matter? 

 Loveland, Colo. R. C. Aikin. 



[There is something in what you say. I had 

 not thought of it in that way before.— Ed.] 



HONEY AS FOOD AND MEDICINE; A GOOD TESTI- 

 MONIAL FKOM AN 01 TSIDE SOURCE. 



In a journal published by a certain health 

 club I find the following splendid testimony in 

 favor of honey as food: 



'• Honey is concentrated nerve food in its very 

 sweetest foi'm: and if people would use honey 

 on their bread, instead of butter, they would 

 have more vitality, better complexions, and a 

 more even disposition. The ancient patriarchs 

 regarded honey as the cream of food ; and so It 

 is if eaten lightly. Honey-eaters are the kind- 

 est, best-dispositioned, and most benevolent of 

 people." 



On another page of the same journal I find 

 the following reference to glucose: 



"Glucose, a perverted form of corn, is preva- 

 lent in beer and in other drinks, and especially 

 in soft caramels and creams, and in syrups, jel- 

 lies, and similar things. Although derived 

 fi'om nutritious food, it is in a perverted shape; 

 and to glucose may be attributed the rapid 

 spread of Bright's disease." 



It is my firm conviction, that, if people knew 

 the truth as to the real nature of glucose, they 

 would purchase less cheap syrup and more pure 

 honey. It should be the constant aim of bee- 

 keepers to educate the people on this point; 

 and when we seek to advance our product we 

 are only advocating something that will add to 

 the comfort and health of those who use it, and 

 we can do so with a clear conscience. 



Harry Lathrop. 



Browntown, Wis.. Nov. 7. 



ALSIKE CLOVER, ETC. 



About two years ago I wrote an article for 

 Gleanings on the subject of alsike clover, 

 printed in the February issue, I think. Our 

 neighbor. Mr. McColl. mentioned in the article, 

 has just finished cleaning the seed raised upon 

 twenty acres of specially prepared land. 

 Though the land was not in what Mr. McColl 

 considers perfect condition, the result was an 

 average of seven bushels of perfectly clean 

 plump seed to the acre, besides a considerable 

 amount of good seed in the screenings. Mr. M. 

 is very particular as to the quality of his clover 

 seed. This crop was all profit, for the by-prod- 

 ucts have paid the cost of production. My 

 object in sending you this item is to emphasize 

 the point upon which you have always laid so 

 much stress; namely, that nothing pays better 

 than thorough, intelligent preparation of the 

 ground in growing any kind of crop; also, that 



