484 



GLEANINGS IN BeJ: CULTURE. 



June 



ing-s on all sides serve as a guide to insure straight 

 combs. 



Sti-enuous efforts are now being made to pot all 

 the honey stored in the sections and none in the 

 brood-nest. While we would not advise the prac- 

 tice of this with a view to feeding sugar for winter 

 stores, still it Is an acquisition to be able to get a 

 colony to put all their honey in the sections ivhile 

 they are at it. 



Some unnatural operations are being resorted to, 

 to (lisconrdtje the deposit of honey in the brood- 

 chatnlier, such as contracting or inverting that 

 apartment. While this plan has its advantages, 

 and may succeed, we would accomplish our object 

 by milder means. If the foi-egoing and the follow- 

 ing- conditions are observed, bees will store their 

 honey in the boxes, and not below. 



It is to be observed from the foregoing-, that Mr. 

 Foster does not recommend inverting to bring the 

 brood next to the surplus-apartment. He advo- 

 cates, instead, putting the crate of sections on the 

 hive when the honey begins to yield, or at the time 

 when the brood-chamber is full of brood, and with 

 but little honey. The brood is thus brought close 

 to the surplus-apartment. This, Mr. Foster claims, 

 brings about the same results as inverting. 



FOSTER'S ADJUSTABLE CASE. 



This is quite an ingenious eonti-ivance, which. 

 If I am correct, accomplishes about the same re- 

 sult as Heddon's new surplus-arrangement, but in a 

 different way. Briefly, it is simply an oblong box 

 or tray without bottom, of nearly the depth for 

 sections. Two of its diagonally opposite corners 

 are made separable, while the other two corners 

 are fastened permanently. The ease, when laid up- 

 on a flat surface, can be enlarged or drawn out, 

 thus greatly facililating the putting in and tajiing 

 out of sections. The latter can be arranged in the 

 case carelessly, and then be quickly drawn into po- 

 sition by sliding together the two pairs of L-shaped 

 Bides. An iron clamp, which Mr. Foster has de- 

 vised for the purpose, is adjusted over the case. 

 The two L-shaped pair of sides, as well as the sec- 

 tions which they inclose, are firmly and compactly 

 pressed together. A pair of very simple and in- 

 genious wedge-shaped pieces of tin now hold.the 

 whole in position, when the iron clamp, before 

 mentioned, is removed. The sections are so com- 

 pactly compressed together that the crevices be- 

 tween the sections are closed, preventing, to a 

 large extent, the soiling of the edges of the poijind 

 boxes with bee-glue. This takes advantage of the 

 fact that bees seem to abhor a crevice, and so fill it 

 with propolis. Another advantage is, that ,|the 

 mere tension of the case holds the sections in ppsi- 

 tion, i-endering a bottom unnecessary, so that the 

 case can easily be inverted if desired. When plac- 

 ed upon the hive it rests upon a slotted honey- 

 board, the strips of which correspond to the bot- 

 toms of the sections, thus preventing the unders, 

 sides of the sections from being soiled by the bees. 

 When the case of sections is filled it is taken off the 

 hive and laid upon a level surface, and the adjust- 

 able sides drawn apart. The filled sections can 

 easily be taken out without prying with a knife or 

 screw-driver to get the first section out. 



The foregoing are, in brief, the advantages claim- 

 ed by the author, and it seems to me we have all 

 got to adopt some such surplus-arrangement as 

 this or something similar, sooner or later. There 

 is only one objection I would urge: If it is not 

 made perfectly true to measurement, or if the sec- 

 tions are not of the right width, cither from shrink- 

 age or bad workmanship, we should be likely to 

 hav trouble. Perhaps the inventor does not find 



this an objection after all, as he has used it two sea- 

 sons. 



There are a number of other valuable hints in 

 this little work, and 1 feel assured the reader will 

 be well repaid if he will read it carefully. I do not 

 know the price of the work, but I presume it can 

 be obtained for a small amount, of the writer, Mh 

 Oliver Foster, Mt. Vernon, la. Ernest. 



MAKING FOUNDATION. 



ORDERING QUEENS FROM THE SOUTH, ETC. 



fRIEND ROOT:— I want to tell you that I have 

 never bought an implement which has 

 pleased me more than the comb-foundation 

 mill I ordered of you. Yesterday we made 

 our first run of fdn., and everybody on the 

 place was smiling nearly all day. Every little while 

 some one was saying, "Oh! isn't that nice?" I 

 had just been buying up all the beeswax I could 

 hear of for sale until I had so much on hand that 

 it looked almost reckless; and my neighbors won- 

 dered what in the world I wanted with so niuch; 

 and, in fact, I began to think may be I had better 

 stop buying, until I was sure I could make good 

 fdn. I am just more than pleased now. As I have 

 used fdn. of the different makes for 8 yeai-s, I think 

 I know what good fdn. is, and am not satisfied with 

 anj' except the Jiest. 



Many thanks for the queen you sent on the 13th 

 inst., to replace one that was lost in the mail, sent 

 the 38th of April. The directions were printed on 

 the cage as plain as could be, and yet they were 

 missent, and were out some 18 or 20 days; and when 

 they did come, of course were all dead. But this is 

 the first queen I ever lost or had delayed thi-ough 

 the malls. 



Bees are stronger for this date than I ever before 

 knew in this latitude. Fruit-bloom was quite good. 

 By the way, how many of our bee-keepers appreci- 

 ate the value of the white willow (or fence willow) ? 

 I have some 400 rods of it here on my farm, and 

 there is plenty more all over this country; and 

 when it came out in bloom it reminded me of bass- 

 wood time. It is now the third year that my bees 

 have done exceedingly well on it (before that I had 

 not noticed it so closely). 



I don't wish to complain; but what success, I won- 

 der, have other parties had in getting queens from 

 the South early. Out of five ordered and specially 

 desired early (to give to queenless colonies early in 

 the spring) from dift'erent parties and at different 

 seasons, I have never yet received one any sooner 

 than I could have raised them or got them from 

 parties in the latitude in which I live. Now, this is 

 quite an item to me, for I had thought, "How nice 

 this is, when we find a colony queenless in early 

 spring ! Why, all there is to do, just inclose $1.00 

 to some queen-raiser away down South', and in a 

 few days we can have that colony all right;" but 

 with my past experience I shall have to modify my 

 expectations in that direction. This spring I or- 

 dered of an extensive breeder in the South, request- 

 ing him to put with the queens an extra number of 

 bees, and send as soon as possible (the order was 

 sent April 13). After waiting some ten days, and 

 looking for the queens, I received a note, .thanking 

 me for order, and stating' that as soon as the weath- 

 er would do to risk sending them he would ship, 

 etc. Wo were having 60 to 75° in the shade at the 



