188G 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



371 



COMFOKT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LONG BEEN USERS 

 OF THE WEED AND DESIRE TO QUIT. 



I often think if I couM wield the pen as well as 1 

 can handle the plow I would write for the tobacco 

 column— not for the purpose, however, of obtain- 

 ing' a smoker, for I have one, but for the purpose 

 of relating- raj' own experience with the weed, with 

 the hope that it would do some poor slave to ap- 

 petite good to see how one who has been a slave for 

 thirty years had g-ot rid of the habit, and for seseral 

 years has been breathing the pure air of freedom, 

 except only when coming in too close contact with 

 some one who was polluting it with the fumes of 

 his pipe or cigar. J. A. Haughey. 



Sabina, O. 



OUR OWN APIARY. 



NUMUER LOST DURING THE PAST WINTER. 



'ELL, friends, two more colonies have been 

 added to the death-list since our last re- 

 port. The cold spell of weather during the 

 fli-st week in April, together with the heavy 

 fall of snow, was too much for these two 

 colonies. One of them, besides being weak, was 

 queeiiless; the other was also weak, and during the 

 cold had deserted their brood for one corner of the 

 hive, where they perished. The total number of col- 

 onies lost the past winter is now five, or a loss of 

 something less than 3^/ of the number put into 

 winter quartei's last year. Oh that we hadn't lost 

 ajijy .' Suppore our bees had been fed on sugar 

 stores, then what? No one can tell. 



We have not had a single case of " spring dwin- 

 dling,"and the hives inside look comparatively clean; 

 *. e., not spotted in a manner to indicate the pres- 

 ence of dysentery. At this date, April 23, the col- 

 onies seem vigorous and healthy, averaging from 

 3 to 5 lbs. of bees per swarm. It will be remember- 

 ed that all our bees had nothing but their own nat- 

 ural stores, and in many cases it was found there 

 was considerable pollen in the frames of sealed 

 honey where we had supposed that there was an 

 absence of it. At any rate, it did no particular 

 harm, and in many instances it was just what was 

 wanted to start brood-roaring. 



Natural pollen is now coming in at a pretty fair 

 rate from the dandelion and fruit-bloom, which is 

 just beginning to appear. 



ANOTHER wax-extractor. 



Hugh Vankirk, of Washington, Pa., has ingen- 

 iously extemporized a solar wax-extractor, made 

 from an ordinary 48-lb. shipping-case, such as we 

 advertise. Those who have had such a shipping- 

 case will remember that the ends are rabbeted out 

 on the inside, in such a way as to let the cover drop 

 down plumb even with the top. Into these rabbets 



GUI' friend drops a sheet of glass, cut from an old 

 window-pane to the size of the cover. A flat gallon 

 crock, into which is fitted a common cullender, is 

 placed inside. This answers the purpose of the 

 dripping-pan as well as the perforated metal. The 

 wooden cover to the shipping case is painted black, 

 to draw the sun's rays. This is then, by means of a 

 stick, held at the angle that will secure the best re- 

 sults. The whole is now complete, and its manner 

 of using is illustrated in the cut. The scraps of wax 

 can now be placed in the cullender over the crock, 

 and in a short time, no doubt, a nice yellow cake of 

 wax will be found in the bottom of the crock. The 

 cakes, if the odd sci-aps of wax were not too dirty In 

 the first place, will not have to be melted over again 

 in pans, but are just the right size for eommei'ce. 

 The sides of the case being open, the sun will strike 

 the sides of the crock. This, being of a dark color, 

 will draw a good deal of heat. In regard to its 

 working, our friend speaks of it as follows : 



I took the extractor out and set the case right 

 down in the snow. I then put in the wax and left 

 it for some time; but when I went back the wax 

 was all melted and run through the sieve in the 

 crock. I thought that was melting two pounds of 

 wa.x in a short time, and this for a little money. I 

 think it would be hard to beat, for the lid can be 

 painted black, and used for a reflector, and it adds 

 to the case only the price of a glass IS^gXlS inches 

 wide, and a sieve and a crock, which almost any 

 one has. 1 must say I did not think it would melt 

 wax when snow was on the ground. 



Washington, Pa., April 8, 1880. Hugh Vankirk. 



I would suggest, that, instead of having the 

 cover painted black, we use a sheet of tin for a re- 

 flector, and that, whei'c we do not have any old 

 broken panes of glass largo enough, we can slip out 

 one of the sheets of glass in the sides of the case. 

 This is of just the right length, but it is a little nar- 

 row. Either a narrow piece of glass can now be 

 fitted in, or the other sheet can be drawn out of the 

 other side, and the two sheets be made to lap easily. 

 The sides vacated by the glass will have to be cov- 

 ered over with strips of boards to hold the heat ac- 

 cumulated. I have no doubt the extractor will 

 work well, and friend V. deserves our thanks. 



E. R. Root. 



SOMETHING FROM PROF. COOK IN RE- 

 GARD TO PRIVIES, ETC. 



THE dry-dust ARR.\NGEMENT as IT IS USED AT 

 THE GROUNDS OF THE AGRICULTUK.^L, COLLEOis. 



f^ HE recent articles in Gleanings in reference 

 ^ to privies are certainly called for, and heoce 

 > are opportune. I think you once described 

 ours briefly. It has been so entirely satis- 

 factory for ten years that I am led to give 

 a description again, and more in detail. 



Throe things are required in a perfect pi-ivy. 

 Convenience, neatness, and safety. Convenience 

 suggests that it be in the house, under the same 

 roof; neatness, that it be always clean and inodor- 

 ous; safety, that it can not possibly pollute the soil, 

 and through that the well and drinking-water. Ours 

 has fulfilled all these requirements for several 

 years. It is situated in the back corner of the wood- 

 shed, three feet from the ground, and on the same 

 level as the kitchen-floor. Old people and children 

 can visit it as easily as they can pass from one room 

 of the house to another. 



The vault is the same size as the seat above— 15 

 Inches by three feet, and has a solid foundation of 

 brick which extends two feet under ground, and is 



