372 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



laid with water-limo. From the ground-level the 

 wall is laid with hrick, with an opening- on the back 

 side at the bottom, ton inches high, covered by a 

 lattice screen hnng on hinges, so as to open upward. 

 A box of pine plank, made to just fit the bottom of 

 the vault, is nine inches high; this is water-tight, 

 and prevents any possible leakage, so that the ma- 

 son-work below is kept drj', and is in no danger of 

 freezing- and cracking. This may be unnecessary; 

 but where health is at stake, it is better to make as- 

 surance doubly sure. Typhoid fever is not i-are, 

 even in the countri'. It is thought that it comes 

 from pollution of drinking-water. 



The seat, and the special covers to each of its two 

 openings, all hinge at the back, and so can be raised 

 ui) where they will remain till put down. This 

 makes a neat and convenient gentleman's water- 

 closet, and makes it easy and neat to add road-dust 

 whenever the place is used. At one end of the seat 

 is the door to the dry-dust closet, which is made 

 (luite large, and with a slanting floor, so that the 

 (Uy earth is always at the door. The space just 

 back of the door has a fender, so that the dust will 

 not run out when the door is opened, and this also 

 gives a nice place for the shovel which is used to 

 apply the dry earth. A door outside, nine feet from 

 the ground, enables dry earth to be shoveled 

 into the earth-bin from a cart with ease. A carpet, 

 two or three neatly framed pictures, and a printed 

 sentence on the door which says, " Never leave this 

 room without adding dry earth," makes the neatly 

 plastered room quite a contrast to most places of 

 the kind. Need I say that our children have never 

 thought to mark on the walls, although they have 

 had lead-pencils ever since they could use them? 

 We have never been annoyed Avith any offensive 

 odor in the wood-shed, even in mid-summer. Indeed, 

 the very location makes it imperative to use such 

 caution that the place will ever be sweet, and so in- 

 sure thought and painstaking. Two good loads of 

 road dust sutflccs for the year. Shoveling out the 

 contents, and drawing the useful fertilizer to the 

 tields or garden is not at all offensive if the dry 

 earth has been added properly. 



A recent writer in the New-York Tribune suggests 

 an improvement to the above. He places a large 

 heavy tin pail under each opening in the seat. 

 This makes it necessary to empty often; but the 

 work is easy, and there is no possible chance to con- 

 taminate the soil. In winter, a little hot water 

 poured on to the outside of the pails will loosen the 

 frozen contents. * A. J. Cook. 



DAgricultural College, Mich., Apr. 20, 1886. 



Many thanks, friend Cook, for your excel- 

 lent report and suggestions. I agree, that, 

 as you manage it, nothing can be nicer or 

 more convenient. It was tlie sight of that 

 pleasant little room that opened my eyes to 

 the fact that it was possible, with so little 

 expense, to make such a very great improve- 

 ment in these adjuncts to our homes. 

 When I think of those children with their 

 lead-pencils, I feel like saying, '• May God 

 bless them, and help them to grow up just 

 such useful members of society as their fa- 

 ther and mother are." We gathered road 

 dust one year liere at the factory; but we 

 found it quite heavy to shovel and draw 

 around, and I am afraid we got weary in 

 well doing. Somebody has suggested that 

 iishes from the kitchen-stove will do very 



well when road dust is not at hand. They 

 are lighter to handle., and many times easi- 

 er of access, even if the resulting fertilizer 

 should not be quite according to the teach- 

 ings of modern science. 



Gleanings in Bee Cdltcre, 



Published Setni- Monthly. 



.^. T. IROOT, 



EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, 



MEDINA, O. 



TERMS: $1.00 PER YEAR, POSTPAID. 



For ClttbbiEg Eites, See First Pago cf Eeidia' Matter. 



Wlio'^oever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall 

 never thii-ht; but the water that I shall jrive him shall he in 

 him a well of water springin;? up into everlasting life.— John 

 i 14. 



We should like reports of the new perforated 

 honey-boards, now that the price is so low as to be 

 in reach of every one. 



COMU HONEY AT A BAHGAJN. 



As the lot of comb honey mentioned on page 329 

 docs not seem to move off' very rapidly, we make 

 the price 13 instead of 14 cts. Discounts same as 

 before. 



20,00J SECTIONS SHIPPED PER DAY. 



The foreman of the freight department has just 

 informed me that we are shipping sections at the 

 rate of twenty thousand pei- day, and sometimes as 

 many as 100 hives. Does it not look, friends, as if 

 our goods are giving satisfaction, and that eveiy 

 one is getting ready lor a big run of honey? 



ANOTHER bee -JOURNAL. 



From E. H. Cook, Andover, Ct., comes now a little 

 pamphlet, called The Bee-Hive, published everj' 

 other month, at the insignificant price of 20 cts. a 

 year. Friend Cook is good for all he promises, or, 

 at least, always has been ; and as the initial number 

 is worth the 20 cts., without question, we don't see 

 why it shouldn't have a good circulation. 



THE AUSTRALIAN BEE-M.\NUAL. 



We are just in receipt of a new book on bees, 

 bearing the above caption, by Isaac Hopkins, Mat- 

 amata, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a large work, 

 of 330 pages, and illustrated with 113 engravings. 

 The author seems to take up very thoroughly the 

 scientific and physiological structure of the bee, at 

 the same time setting I'ortli a full elucidation of the 

 practical management and care of an apiary. We 

 liresiime it is written for and adapted to the climate 

 of Australia, and we are glad to note that the friends 

 of that fai-off' land have made such progress. We 

 have not had time to examine into the Soundness 

 of the author's views on the various subjects, but 

 may give a more extended review of the same soon. 



THE PRESENT SEASON. 



Bees, as a rule, wintered vei'y successfully, and 

 the month of April has been so far, perhaps, one of 

 the finest for our industry ever known, especially 

 in the Northern States. Apple-lrees are now in 

 bloom this '^Vth day of April, and honey is coming 



