1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



rs 



from a great many sources ut a pretty fair rate. 

 Bees and queens ought to be plentiful and cheap, 

 if conditions continue to he as favorable as they 

 now ai-e. 



HONKY FHOM THK WHITE -ASH. 



On Easter eve, April 35, while passing- along: the 

 street, toward sundown, my attention was called by 

 such a loud roaring: of bees that I commenced an 

 investig-ation. It came from a tree in a neighbor's 

 yard, and the roar was so loud that I heard it the 

 width of a wide street. It was a large, beautiful, 

 round-topped white ash, and there were moi-e bees 

 on the blossoms than 1 perhaps ever saw on any 

 other tree at a time. 1 do not remember to have 

 ever noticed bees on this kind of forest-tree before, 

 and it illuslrntes what has come up so many times, 

 that alnicst any tree or plant may yield honey pro- 

 fusely when it 80 happens that all the conditions 

 are just right for the secretion. 



Ai'K^ur/ruuE IN cou.NEr.r, university. 

 We are jileased to learn that Prof. J. Henry Com- 

 stock. Professor 6f Entomology and General Inver- 

 tebrate Zoology of Cornell University, is making an 

 effort to start a department of apiculture in the 

 college. We presume it is the intention to make it 

 a part of the course of study, under the general 

 head of agriculture. It is to be observed, that Prof. 

 Comstock occupies a position relatively the same as 

 Prof. Cook of the Michigan Agricultural College. 

 With three such able men as Profs. Cook, Comstock, 

 and JlcLain, the latter of Aurora, 111., great things 

 are in store for us. Surelj' the science of apiculture, 

 as indeed a science it is, will not lack for a good sci- 

 entiflc backing. 



A GOOD COMPOUND MICROSCOPE, FOR A SMALL 

 AMOUNT OF MONEY, FOR BKE-KEEPERS. 



We have just received anew lot of microscopes, 

 such as we have been advertising in our price list, 

 for the e.vnmination of the eye, sting, etc., of the 

 hee. They are remarkably well finished, and their 

 adjustment is perfect, and they are quite supe- 

 rior to those we have formerly advertised and 

 sold at $3.00. The lenses of these insruments, 

 however, are very clear, and are mounted after the 

 American pattern, which is decidedly a great im- 

 provement. I have no hesitation in saying, that, 

 for certain kinds of work, they compare very fa- 

 vorably with the forty or fifty dollar instruments. 

 With it most specimens from the bee will appear 

 to good advantage. It will reveal a wonder to 

 these desiring- to look into the intricate mechan- 

 ism of the bee; and to one who can not afford to 

 invest a very large amount, this, I feel sure, will 

 give excellent satisfaction. Price, complete, pack- 

 ed in a neat mahogany box with dissecting forceps, 

 two glass slips, and two mounted specimens, $3.00; 

 by mail, 15 cents additional. Extra mounted 

 specimens from the bee will be 1.5 cents each, or 

 f 1..".0 for a series of a whole dozen. 



us to be thinking about putting our bees in con- 

 dition for winter, by all means let us have them 

 then. If we discuss wintering during the honey- 

 flow, when our minds are taken up with other things, 

 even if we do read the articles we shall be likely to 

 forget the good hints that they contain. Meantime, 

 as far as possible, let us try to be just in advance 

 of the season. When we are running- for comb 

 honey, we all want to know whether any one has 

 discovered a better method than our own. The 

 same may be said of queen-rearing, robbing, and 

 wintering in its turn. Several of our contributors 

 are careful to carry out the spirit of the above. 

 Among them I might mention friends Doolittle, 

 Cook, Miller, France, and others. 



PEltFORATED TIN HONEY-BOARDS. 



Several have inquired why we do not make per- 

 forated till honey-boards, giving, as a rea?on, that 

 tin was cheaper. After several experiments with 

 our perforating-iuachine we have been forced to 

 abandon it as impracticable. Wo can perforate the 

 tin, but it does not give very good satisfaction. 

 When it leaves the machine it is considerably bowed 

 up in the middle, rendering it unfit for the purposes 

 of a honej"-board. The zinc, on the contrary, comes 

 out smooth. At present prices, tin is only a trifle 

 cheaper than the zinc; but as the latter is much 

 more rigid, and makes a cleaner cut, and the for- 

 mer is tiarder on the dies, and more expensive to 

 perforate, we must give our preference decidedly 

 in favor of the zinc, not only because it is much 

 more satisfactorj-, but cheaper when cut. Howev- 

 er, the tin will answer every purpose wlien used for 

 the perforated tin separators; i. e., with the oblong- 

 hole. Prices, as thus perforated, will be f 2.50 per 

 ICO, or f22..50 per 1000. Uy the way, 



sheets of PERFORATED ZINC ARE STILL LOWER. 



When we were constructing our perforating-ma- 

 chine our intention was to use sheets of zinc 28X96 

 inches, just enough for 10 honey-boards. When we 

 came to order the zinc we could not at first get 

 sheets longer than 7 ft. We have now succeeded in 

 getting sheets 8 ft. long, as first intended, and the 

 price of these sheets will be >?1.50 each; 5 :. oft' for 2 

 or more sheets: 10 :. off' for 10 or more. This is the 

 same price as was quoted on the sheets 7 ft. long, 

 but the sheet contains 'Z^j ft. more of the zinc. 



IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON. 



In spite of what I said last number about drop- 

 ping, for the present, the consideration of the win- 

 tering problem, quite a number of long articles 

 have since come In on the subject. I know it is 

 quite natural for us to discuss the question just aft- 

 er winter has past, when we feel full of good ideas. 

 No doubt your ideas arc good, friends, if you have 

 been successful; but just hold 'em in, and jot 'em 

 down in your note-book. Wlieu the lime comes for 



UNBOUND PERFORATED ZINC HONEY - BOARDS, 

 CHEAP. 



Later.- Our perforatlng-machine has just learned 

 a new trick, or, rather, our machinists have " tum- 

 bled" to a new idea. Said they, "Why can't we 

 make perforated honey-boards without the tin lin- 

 ing, leaving a margin of unperforated zinc in- 

 stead?" They accomplished this by taking out 

 five of the punches in the center of the great jaws; 

 and by stopping the machine at the proper inter- 

 vals there will be a good margin around each 

 honey-board. We next take the whole sheet to the 

 squaring-shears, and slice up our hone3'-boards by 

 the dozen. These boards will not be as rigid as the 

 tin-lined honey-boards, it is true; but might it not 

 be desirable to lift u|) one end in taking it off the 

 hive, somewhat as you do an enameled cloth ? 

 These unbound perforated honty-boards will yield 

 considerably without being bent up. Perhaps 

 there are some who would prefer them to the tin- 

 lined. We can furnish the plain, or unbound 

 honey-boards at 10 ets. each; 10 for $1.50; or Ifio 

 for $14.00. 



