402 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTtjiiE. 



May 



Just hel'e let me remark, that the beo keeper who 

 is so reckless of the powers of vision that God has 

 given him ds to strain his ejes peering- througrh a 

 110-glass veil, deserves the punishment so surely to 

 be meted out to him. What did friend A. H. K. 

 Blood, of Quincy, Mass., mean when he wrote us it 

 would have been worth thousands to him had he 

 never seen a bee, rather than injure his eyesight as 

 he had by using a veil without glass ? 



OBJECTION NO. 1. — " GLASS WILL BIIEAK TOO 



EASILY." 



Then discard it from your windows and honey- 

 packages. This liability depends upon the kind of 

 glass, its manner of insertion, and the carelessness 

 of the wearer. Some of our friends, little girls 

 among them, have worn the same glass two seasons 

 through. If an accident should break it, it is but 

 the work of a moment to insert another. Better a 

 little trouble this way and have the satisfaction of 

 unobstructed vision. 



OBJECTION NO. 3.—" TOO MUCH TROUBLE TO KEEP 

 THE GLASS CLEAN." 



My friends, if you expect to enjoy the good things 

 of this life and shy around trouble, you will be 

 "weighed in the balance and found wanting; " but 

 let us suffer the "accumulated dirt of ages" to 

 gather upon the glass, and we are not peering 

 through so much misery as when trying to exercise 

 a clear vision through a mosquito-har, or Brussel.* 

 net, if you please. 



However, no need of "seeing through a glass 

 darkly," when it is as easily kept clean as your 

 spectacles. 



OBJECTION NO. 3.— "made OBSCURE BY THE DAMP- 

 NESS OF THE BREATH." 



This is not so, even In cool weather, when a flve- 

 inch hat-brim is used; but allowing it for argu- 

 ment's sake, how easy and convenient it is to take up 

 a fold of the veil and rub off dampness ! Should 

 this, for two or three mouths in the North, cause 

 us to lay aside, for the remainder of the season, 

 this "blessing to bee-keepers," as J. B. Mason, of 

 Mechanic Falls, Me., terms the glass veil ? 



OBJECTION NO. i. 



In this you say, " Beginners can't use them ; for if 

 a bee should get inside, the novice would ruin the 

 veil knocking him out." What a compliment to 

 beginners ! 



OBJECTION NO. .5.— "GLASS, BEING SO HEAVY, JOS- 

 TLES ABOUT SO AS TO BOTHER ONE." 



We guarantee our contrivance not to "jostle;" 

 Veil complete, glass 4X6 in., weighs^^i oz. 



We unhesitatingly aflBrm, that a practical glass 

 Veil is a nearer approach to a Godsend to bee-keep- 

 ers (and all should use veils when so comfortable 

 under them) than all your pollen theories, hibernat- 

 ing theories, non-separator appliances, two-story 

 brood-flxin's, etc. Why "? Because thereby are pre- 

 served those precious organs of the body, the eyes. 



Now, dear mine fraternally, in conclusion, let me 

 say that, if you want to buy a veil from us, all right; 

 but our improvements are not patented, nor will 

 they be, contrar.y to the wish of our friends; and 

 by sending to us we will either tell you where you 

 can get the material we use, or furnish it to you at 

 a slight advance on cost, and you make your own 

 veil; but under no circumstances use window glass, 

 or you will be forever disgusted with the idea. 



St. Albans, W. Va. J. C. Capekart. 



Thanks, friend C; but I don't quite see 

 how you answer all the objections which yon 



quote. Discarding glass from windows and 

 shipping-cases because it will break when 

 used in bee-veils doesn't necessarily follow. 

 There is no possible substitute for glass in 

 windows ; as for shipping-cases, the very 

 fact that the glass will break is a security 

 against damage to the honey which it inclos- 

 es, when handled by expressmen. Again, 

 at the heading of the article you put "■ mos- 

 quito - bar veil versus the glass front." 

 Against the former you seem to direct your 

 arguments, and I think we shall pretty 

 much agree with you there ; but when you 

 include a veil made of grenadine and Brus- 

 sels netting, then I can't quite agree. I 

 have used a veil of this kind six or seven 

 different seasons in the apiary. I never had 

 any difficulty in seeing, and do not know of 

 any one who has injured his eyes by their 

 use — I mean a veil with a front of a fine 

 grade of silk Brussels netting. I have used 

 several glass-front veils, and they all became 

 more or less covered with steam from the 

 breath, and half the time the glass would get 

 out of place, so that one eye peered through 

 the glass and the other through the mosqui- 

 to-bar, making me feel vexed and cross- 

 eyed. Although the glass may be a trifle 

 clearer than the Brussels netting, yet as the 

 latter never becomes greasy or covered with 

 steam, in the long run the glass will be no 

 easier on the eye. Lastly, the glass veil can 

 not be carried in the pocket handily, and I 

 always like to have a veil tucked away like 

 a pocket-handkerchief for emergency, even 

 if I do not use them now to any great 

 extent. Nature's substitute, a full beard, 

 does very nicely, besides catching the little 

 rascal of a bee where his annoyance can 

 speedily be put to an end. Ernest. 



HANDY TOOL FOR A SMALL AMOUNT 

 OF MONEY. 



A BENCH-VISE FOR ONLY 15 CENTS. 



&KEAT improvements have been made, 

 not only in the construction of bench- 

 vises, but also in the prices. A few 

 years ago, no sort of a vise could be 

 bought for less than a dollar or two. 

 Finally some enterprising hardware men got 

 one up that could be sold for 75 cts., and it 

 had a large sale ; and a little later a 50-cent 

 vise was put on the market, and then one for 

 20 cts., which we advertised about a year 

 ago. And now we take pleasure in showing 

 you a very handy little vise for the almost 

 insignificant sum of 15 cts. It is true, the 



machine is 

 small, the jaws 

 being only one 

 inch wide, and 

 the entire vise 

 3 inches long; 

 but yet it is ex- 

 tremely handy 

 for a great va- 

 riety of work, 

 OUR 1.5-cENT BENCH-VISE, just bccause it 

 is small. The w^orkmanship is surprising 

 for so small a price. Prices are as follows: 



One, 15 cts.; 10, $1.40 ; 100, $13.50. If want- 

 ed by mail, add 6 cts. each for postage. 



