1886 



GLEAXINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



8S9 



We find it best to add only cuough eomb for one 

 day's rendering-. This gives us better results than 

 to till up the extractors, as in this way we get the 

 wax very clean and nice. 



I have learned one little lesson Irom this wa.\- 

 e.\tractor experience. That is, when a man of the 

 ability, candor, and experience of (). O. Poppleton 

 recommends an instrunjent, practice, or system, it 

 is no part of wisdom to let the advice pass as an 

 idle tale. We ought to have had a solar wax-extruet- 

 <ir years ago. 



It may be said, " Yes, wa.\-extractors are a good 

 thing for one with a few colonies of bees; but they 

 are not the thing for the ' big guns.' " I.do not sec 

 tlip force of this. If they are desirable at all, 1 

 ihink the.\' are for all. We can enlarge or multii>ly 

 the number of extractors, and thus secure the same 

 advantages in a large apiary that the solar extract- 

 or gives in a small bee-yard. 



It seems to me that the style you sent leaves little 

 to be desired— a plain tin-lined bo.x with two hinged 

 covers, one a glass one, the other wooden, lined 

 with either a tin reflector or a glass mirror. I 

 would add a couple of iron strips, one at each end, 

 so that the upper cover could be held in just the 

 position desired. 



KEKUSENE OIL. 



I am glad you have told the readers of Gle.\n- 

 INGS how to light their smokers. The little oil-can 

 is safe, and its use saves much valuable time. 

 Knowing your desire to aid your readei-s in every 

 way, I wish to add a word as to the use of kerosene 

 oil. You know many use it to light the flres, espe- 

 cially in the kitchen stoves. I have seen several 

 parties turn kerosene right from the oil-can into a 

 stove, and in two cases there was abundant living 

 coals in the stove at the time, as shown by examina- 

 tion made upon the spot. 



Our children were much amused the other day in 

 reading in their Youth's Companion of a man who 

 '• swore a terrible oath; he said, 'By hemlock.'" I 

 am sure such terrible swearing would almost be 

 warranted by the sight of such a criminally careless 

 use of kerosene. I say criminally careless, and I 

 mean it. It is a crime to thus endanger life 

 and property. In our own State there have been 

 several funerals in consequence of just this reck- 

 less use of kerosene. It is certain that no one ever 

 has a right to induge in so foolhardy a practice. 



I wish now to give a modification of this method, 

 which is entirely safe, and which we find exceed- 

 ingly convenient. We roll up a small roll of cotton 

 cloth, about as large as a small orange, and satu- 

 rate this with kerosene. It is not necessary to add 

 so much oil as to cause the rolls to drip, or to be 

 unpleasant to handle. These are kept in a safe 

 place, in a close tin can; and as a dozen or so are 

 made at once, they are always ready for use. One 

 of these, laiil in a stove, and covered with the usual 

 stovewood, placed as required to make a good fire, 

 and the ball then ignited, will give us a good tire in 

 an astonishingly fiuick time. We value thes<' kero- 

 sene balls very highly. A. .1. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 

 Friend Cook, I knew, when Mr. Popple- 

 ton first told about the possibilities of the 

 st)lar wax-extractor, that they ought to ])e 

 offered for sale, and introduced generally; 

 but with the many burdens on my time and 

 brain I felt obliged to let it pass bv. and so 

 it went until it was revived bv soru"! 'mIv else. 



— I heartily indorse your remarks in regard 

 to kindling tires with kerosene. The plan 

 you suggest is now in use in many families ; 

 and a still cheaper absorbent of the oil than 

 a ball of rags is corn-cobs cut up into pieces 

 two inches long. Put these in a pail or 

 stone Jar. and pom- on your kerosene. After 

 they have absorbed all they will, poin- off 

 the residue and they will never drip. 1 be- 

 lieve there was at "one time a patent on a 

 piece of pumice-stone fastened to the end 

 of a piece of wire. This is dipped in a ves- 

 sel (jf oil kept at some distance from the 

 kitchen stove. After the tire is lighted, the 

 stone is removed by the wire handle, and 

 can l)e used over and over again. One of 

 the advertisers in Gle.\nin<js uses a little 

 ball made of old newspapers. 



SELLING BEES AT PUBLIC AUCTION. 



SdME SUOCiESTIONS IN KEG.\UU TO MANAGtN(i 

 Sl'CH A SALE. 



T HAD determined to reduce the number of my 

 i|l[ colonies, and also sell most of the stock 

 ]ll on the farm, in order to devote more time 

 to the ministry. It became a matter of consid- 

 erable anxiety as to whether the bees would 

 sell for what they were worth, being late in the 

 fall (19th of Oct.), when I was to have a sale. Of 

 course, the surplus honey was all removed, and the 

 crates and supers all packed away into the honey- 

 house. The apiary wore a kind of deserted appear- 

 ance, as is usual when the season's operations are 

 over. I stated, in the sale-bills, that the hives 

 would all be carefully and plainly numbered, and 

 the purchaser's name placed on the hive, and that 

 I would winter the bees, and guarantee them in 

 good condition the 1.5th of April, 1887. I also Avent 

 over the apiary before the sale, and carefully 

 graded them— No. 1. No. ~, Italians; and No. 3, 

 hybrids. 



The day of sale proved to be very fine and sunny, 

 and we had a large attendance. When we Anally 

 came to the bees the bids ran up to $.5.00 per colony 

 for the best, and all the No. 1 were taken at that 

 price. Then the No. 2 ran up *4.50 pei' colony, and 

 all of No. 2 were taken at that price. 



The bidding was more tardy and lifeless on hy- 

 brids, but finally #:'...50 was reached, and quite a 

 number were taken at that figure. But I conclud- 

 ed not to urge the sale of them at that figure, and 

 so I have left on hand some 50 colonies, which 1 

 will keej) and Italianize next season. 



The situation of the bee-keeper has been some- 

 what discouraging the past season, owing to the 

 depression of the market for honey. A great 

 many farmers saved their bees over last winter, 

 and nearly all have more or less, and quite a good 

 many had a surplus, and put it on the home market 

 at a low price, on account of its being in bad shape. 



I forgot to- state that my terms of sale were 12 

 months without interest, and also that purchasers 

 bought only the lower story of hives, with the 

 option of taking the suri)his arrangements in the 

 spring, at the regular price. The prices may seem 

 low to many of luy brother bee-keepers; but then, 

 they were all dispose<l of in an hour; and consider- 

 ing the low price of all classes of produce, I don't 

 know but the bees sold for enough— at least, I feel 

 pretty well satisfied. I am at present kK-atecl 



