'J28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE* CULTUitE. 



Dec. 



the center of the plant. It is so brittle that a 

 slight ptitsh will snap it off. This stalk reaches 

 a heig'lit of 4 or 5 feet, and terminates in what is 

 called the •'kinjr teasel," or the largest head on the 

 plant (2'j to4'/2 inches long). Below the "king," 

 several branches will start out, each bearing teas- 

 els, or heads. The center head of these branches, or 

 laterals, is called a "medium." "Mediums" are 

 from Ifo to 2% inches in length. From these later- 

 als spring still other branches that bear still smaller 

 heads called "buttons." These are 1 to I'j inches 

 in length. One plant will produce from 10 to 35 

 heads. 



They begin to blossom early in July. The "king" 

 blossoms first; the "medium" next; and the "but- 

 tons" last. Each individual head remains in blos- 

 som from seven to ten days. The whole season 1 

 should put at about 25 days. Of course, the largest 

 number of heads would be in bloom about the mid- 

 dle of the 35 days. 



As soon as the blossoms all fall off, the heads are 

 cut (one ;at a time) with stems from 4 to 6 inches 

 long, loaded in wagons, and drawn to the dryhouse, 

 where thej' are spread on scaffolds and allowed to 

 remain until they are dry. They are then ready for 

 the middlemen, who buy them by weight (6 cts. per 

 lb. is the present pricei. With shears they cut off 

 the long spikes at the base of the teasel, as shown 

 in Oct. Ist Gleanings, p. 769 (a very good cut). The 

 stems are cut to a uniform length of 4 inches, and 

 assorted into sizes according to length. A pound of 

 " kings " is worth as much as three pounds of " but- 

 tons." They are packed by hand, one at a time, 

 in large bo.xes, ready to ship to woolen-factories, 

 where they are used in raising a nap on eloth. 



The teasel district is not more than ten miles 

 square. The soil and climate must be favorable, to 

 grow them of good quality. They have been exper- 

 imented with in other parts of the State, and in 

 other States are said to have produced vigorous 

 plants; but the teasels at maturity lacked firmness 

 of hook, and at present I know of no place where 

 they are grown, exeei)t here and in Europe. 



C. M. GOOUSPEED. 



Thorn Hill, Onondaga Co.. N. Y. 



And SO it would seem, friend G., that 

 there is not inucli hope for bee-keepers to 

 raise teasel, unless they raise it for honey 

 alone, which very likely won't pay : but as 

 there are woolen-mills all over our country, 

 it may be worth while tf) test the matter 

 and see if it is not likely that g(jo(l teasels 

 can be raised in other places as well as in 

 this favored ten miles square. I woidd ad- 

 vise bpe-keepers to talk with the proprietors 

 of woolen-factories, and see if some arrange- 

 ment can not be made to at least test the 

 matter. We certainly do not want to im- 

 port teasels from foreign countiies, unless it 

 has been well proven tliat just as good ones 

 can not be raised here at home. 



SHOOTING TO BRING DOWN SWARMS. 



INVERTING TO PUEVENT SWARMING. 



"Wp FEW weeks ago you asked for reports about 

 9fl>^^^ shooting into swarms to make them settle, 

 ^^ and about inverting hives to prevent swarm- 

 ■^"■^ ing. Three or four years ago a swarm came 

 out when I was in the field. My wife first 

 shot past the swarm. This did not seem to affect 



them. She then shot right into them; and, although 

 they had by this time started to leave in earnest, 

 they came down as (juick as possible, and were 

 hived all right. 



Last summer I had a prime swarm cast a swarm, 

 but the swarm did not settle, but went back to the 

 hive again. I inverted the hive (a Shuck hive with 

 a queen-excluding honey-board), and they gave no 

 more trouble. 



1 don't like queen-excluding honey-boards made 

 of wood. The bees fill the spaces too much. 1 

 should be glad to hear more from those who have 

 used the combined wood and zinc boards. 



A FOLLOWER FOR THE HEDDON CRATE. 



For getting sections out of cases made on the 

 Heddon principle, I use a follower made as follows: 

 I dress a piece of 3X4 scantling to the proper width ; 

 a piece the same size, but v inch thick, is nailed on 

 top with a narrow piece 'a inch thick, separating 

 them at each end. In the top piece I make a hand- 

 hole 1 inch by 4. I support the cases on a bench, as 

 recommended by Mr. Heddon. 



BEE-BHUSHES. 



Some one recommends fastening the bee-brush to 

 the operator with a string. I have tried it this sea- 

 son; but when the cord is sufficiently long for con- 

 venient use, the brush is sometimes in the way. I 

 think a light rubber cord would be an improvement. 

 If the cord passed through a loop or button-hole at 

 the v/aist, and were fastened to the collar-button, it 

 would hold the brush close to the body when not in 

 use. ti—G. M. THOMSON, 25— 51. 



Grand Junction, Iowa, Nov. 20, 1886. 



FAIRGROUND EXHIBITS. 



A GLIMPSE OK A YORK-.STATE FAIRGROUND HON- 

 EY-EXHIBIT. 



TT is unquestionably one of the great helps 

 |IF toward educating the people up to the 

 ]jt capabilities of modern bee culture, to 

 "^ take advantage of our State and county 

 fairs ; and it well behooves us to bestow 

 thought and money in devising ways and 

 means to make these exhibits attractive to 

 those who attend our fairs. The engravmg 

 opposite gives us a glimpse of one of the best 

 of these arrangements, in my opinion. I do 

 not know whether the managers furnished 

 this attractive tent for the honey-exhibits or 

 not ; in any case. I think ygu will agree 

 with me that the whole arrangement is quite 

 taking to the eye. Inside there is plenty of 

 room, and things are so nicely arranged that 

 even the ladies find it an attractive place. A 

 couple of windows are shown in the cut, to 

 make it light and airy, enabling the occu- 

 pants to lock out over the grounds. Around 

 the outside are benches, affording a seat, 

 while the weary visitor finds a shady place 

 under the wide canopy of the projecting ver- 

 anda around tlie tent. The doorway is 

 tastefully looped up to make it look inviting 

 to visitors, and a pretty card attached to the 

 center-pole tells everybody what the tent is 

 for. '• Roofs chaff liives ■" stand promi- 

 nently in the foreground. Honey in jars, 

 cans, and sections, stands a little back of it. 

 On the other side is a Bingham smoker, as 

 we take it, a case of the new shallow frames 



