121 



GLEANIXGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



combs of the last hive opened, so that no colony 

 g-ets its own combs back again. Now, after each 

 set of hands has a liivc shut up without combs, and 

 the combs are all in t lie house toj-ether, then each 

 set opens another hive, flnds the queen, cages her, 

 and then the foreman and one of his assistants take 

 a comb by the corners and sweep each one side of 

 the comb— brushing the bees either into the hive or 

 swarming-box. When tiiey liavc four or five combs 

 clear of bees, the other boy takes them, two or three 

 in each hand, and carries them to the house, 

 and brings back as many empty combs and 

 sets them into the hive. By that time the rest of 

 the combs are ready to go to the house. When the 

 boy takes them and brings back enough to fill out 

 his hive, he fills up the hive and liberates the queen, 

 and then shuts up the hive. By the time he gets 

 liis hive done, the other two boys have some combs 

 from another hive, ready to go to the house, and so 

 we go, some taking out combs and sweeping off 

 bees, others going and coming with combs, and 

 shutting up, others extracting and putting up 

 honey, all as busy as bees, while the boss does what 

 ho can and oversees the whole yard. We take our 

 dinner and supper with us, and have a picnic every 

 d'.iy. When we get done we down with our tent, 

 load up, and then hitch uji and drive home, and then 

 draw our honey out of the kegs into barrels in the 

 honey-house, and mark the date of the year and 

 day of the month on each barrel; also mark X for 

 the first extracting, XX for the second, and XXX 

 for the third, etc. 



During the extracting season we have very busy 

 times. ]f we lose a daj', from any cause, it just 

 means a loss of 1003 to 1500 lbs. of honey. The most 

 we ever took out in one day was the 20th of July, 

 If'SS, when seven of the boys, including my son, 

 went four miles and took 2075 lbs , and I had two 

 boys to help me in the home yard, and we took 880 

 lbs. the same daj', making 2956 lbs. of basswood 

 honey. There were 15 days that we took 1000 lbs. 

 and over each day, in the season of 1885. 



Platteville, Wis. E. Fkanck. 



Why, friend France, you almost take 

 away one's breath. I do not know that we 

 have before had an accoujit of where ex- 

 tracting is done with siicii system as you 

 manage it; and, best of all, instead of adver- 

 tising for experienced help, you take boys 

 right around your own home — common, 

 every-day boys,' such as all of us find every- 

 Avhere. These boys enjoy the work, of 

 course they do. It is a ''picnic" to them, 

 as you say, and yet they earn money, and 

 learn industry and thrift. The education 

 you give them is, without doubt, worth 

 more than the money they receive, and you 

 are helping to solve this vast problem of 

 linding something to do for a world full of 

 uneasy and discontented people. I can easily 

 understand how every thing goes along like 

 clockwork, when the bees are not disposed 

 to rob ; hut let a dearth of honey come, when 

 the hives are full, and, oh my ! 'what a time ! 

 But very likely you keep so well up \vith 

 your work, that, when the dearth comes, 

 you are ready to stop. I know you have had 

 some experience with robbers, from the pre- 

 cautions you take ; and if such precautions 

 are not taken, the bees often get to robbing 

 when there is not a dearth. Now, friend F., 

 you have given ns a glimpse of your busy 



home, and we w^ant to know more. How do 

 you sell all this honey ? What do you do 

 when swarming time comes? IIow^ much 

 increase do you make ? Tell us more about 

 it. With ten men and boys to look after, I 

 can readily imagine you have all you Avant 

 to do, without working very much yourself, 

 and I shouldn't wonder if you woiild have 

 abundant need of that "greenest boy" to 

 run errands for you. It reminds me"" a 

 good deal of the way we often manage here 

 on our own grounds. 



SOMETHING MORE ABOUT THE APIS 

 DOKSATA. 



now THE COMU IS BUILT; SIZE A.ND DEPTH OF 

 CELLS, ETC. 



fUIEND ROOT:— Herewith I send a drawing of 

 Apis dorsata comb. I hope it will make my 

 description clear. 1 shall try again this year, 

 if I can get time, to investigate this bee. I 

 wish you could be with me here a month or 

 so this cold season. I would show you all the bees 

 of the country, and, best of all, I would show you 81 

 churches, nearly 2500 baptized adult members, with 

 schools, etc., that you might rejoice with me in the 

 ability of God's word, in the hands of the Holy 

 Spirit, to lift the lowest. 



APIS-DOKSATA COMli. 



A is the brood comb, which is of a pale amber 

 color. Cells here are beautif ully^regular, and comb 

 perfectly straight. See measurements formerly 

 given. B, is a limb of a tree. C, new brood-comb, 

 and enlarged in dii-ection of CC; a, honey-chattie, 

 sijherical in shape. Deepest honey-cells are at a, and 

 three to the inch; 5, shallowest honey-cells. Honey- 

 cells are so arranged in honey-chattie, as regards 

 length, as to form- a cylindrical shape on the limb. 

 No brood is ever placed in " honey-chattie." It con- 

 tains pure white, or jiale amber honey, and the 

 comb for honey is beautifully white. 



Toungoo, British Burmah. A. Bunker. 



For an explanation to the above cut, our 

 friends are referred to page 342 of our issue 

 for May 15, 188-5. You will tind there that I 

 could not quite understand friend Bunker's 

 description of the peculiar comb which the 

 bees build, expressly to store honey in. 

 This comb is, named, as you will notice 

 above, "honey-chattie." The large comb 

 occupying the central part of the engraving 



