GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



laken into consideration, and we are to study 

 carefully the habits and disposition of the 

 little insects. But I know I have made 

 cross bees easy to handle, by managing just 

 right; and although there have been some- 

 times unkind words said in regard to our 

 metal corner.s, for me they are absolutely in- 

 dispensable for handling cross hybrids, and 

 teaching them to be gentle. I have before 

 mentioned, that my brother, M. S. Root, of 

 ."^nn Diego, Cal., is president of the society 

 there for the prevention of cruelty to ani- 

 mals, and it makes my heart bound when I 

 think that there is a "great organization in 

 our land to this end, and that they are do- 

 i ng a great amount of good. AVhen you have 

 love iu your heart for your cows and horses, 

 —such a love that makes it a privilege to 

 minister to their wants,— very soon you will 

 find a love has grown in them also, and they, 

 too, will soon think it a pleasure and a priv- 

 ilege to do your bidding. Oh that all man- 

 kind could learn this ! I do believe, friend 

 Cook, that that little colt was actually "cog- 

 itating " in his mind how best he might 

 please you, for you have been his best and 

 kindest friend so far back as he, with his poor 

 little "horse sense,'' can remember. Another 

 thought : Knowing your dear children ats I 

 do, I can readily imagine their delight in be- 

 ing permitted to have the colt in the carriage 

 as one of them. May God help us to remem- 

 ber these dumb brutes are I1I8 creatures ! 



THE FLOOD. 



FRIEND DYKE'S LETTER. 



^A^OT Noah's flood, but the great flood of modern 

 times. The residents of the Ohio Valley have 

 seen hard times during the past three weeks, 

 and there will be much sufifering and destitution for 

 months to come. Tfie river at this point began ris- 

 ing on Monday, Feb. 4, and on the following Thurs- 

 day it had invaded nearly all the business houses of 

 Pomeroy. It still continued to rise until Monday, 

 Feb. 11, when it ceased. The water then stood 7 ft. 5 

 in. above the mark of last February, which was con- 

 sidered the highest water we had known since 1833. 

 This is a mining town, and many of the mines are 

 flooded, and it is estimated it will take from six to 

 eight months to pump them dry. In the meantime, 

 one-third of our laboring population depends upon 

 mining for a livelihood, and will hence be without 

 means or work. A great many buildings floated 

 from their foundations, some going away and others 

 total wrecks. The call for relief met with prompt 

 attention, and we do not know of any who have 

 sufl'ered. My shop was flooded to the ceiling, and 

 my loss amounts to considerable in material, etc. 



BEE-KEEPING 



Is on the ascendancy, in spite of the warnings of W. 

 Z. H., Hedion, and others. We have some very suc- 

 cessful farmers who take a lively interest in bee 

 culture. 



CLIMBING BEETREES 



Is spoken of by one of your juveniles in Gleanings 

 for Feb. 15. Perhaps a little account of mine will be 

 Interesting in this connection. In June, 1878, 1 put 

 a very large swarm of hybrids into an L. hive, but 

 did not shade. They remained all right for several 

 days ; but In about a week they swarmed in my ab- 

 sence. My wife tried to settle them, but they re- 



fused to cluster, and made directly for a tall poplar- 

 tree about 100 yards distant, the top of which they 

 entered. I left them alone until August, when I 

 took a notion to see if I could not save the swarm. 

 So I climbed the tree, took up a rope to get down by, 

 and draw up tools, etc., and first smoked the bees out 

 of the comb, then cut the top oflf, which was about 

 15 inches in diameter, and 60 feet from the ground. 

 It fell to the ground, carrying with it bees and hon- 

 ey. The bees would not come clear out of the hol- 

 low, but went into the upper part of it above the 

 comb, so that I was able to save them; but the hon- 

 ey was in bad shape. The top came near taking me 

 along. I have often thought of my escape since, 

 and have never felt desirous of trying such an oper- 

 ation again. The tree was a valuable one, and I 

 could not get the privilege of cutting it down. 



THE REWARD FOR AN IMPROVEMENT IN CHAFF 

 HIVES. 



Do you still offer a reward to the one who will in- 

 vent that chaff hive, of which both stories will be the 

 same? I have an idea it is possible. It certainly 

 would be a great improvement, if we could have a 

 hive that would admit of hanging the frames of both 

 stories the same way. I know I should liKe such a 

 one better than the other way. S. A. Dyke. 



Pomeroy, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1884. 



There is no standing offer that I know of 

 friend D., for that desirable feature for chaff 

 hives ; but I am willing to pay anybody who 

 will give me an idea that would be as simple 

 as the chaff hive in its present form, and 

 yet admit of taking out lower frames with- 

 out removing all, or nearly all, of the upper 

 ones. Perhaps this reversible frame which 

 is now being considered may solve the prob- 

 lem. 



HOW TO MAKE SQUARE HONEY-CANS. 



FULL DIRECTIONS SO PLAINLY GIVEN THAT ONE 



WHO IS NOT A TINNER CAN, WITH THE AID OF 



OCR SOLDERING IMPLEMENTS, MAKE THEM. 



fjjOR 10-lb. cans, take a sheet of tin 914x20 in. ; fold 

 both edges of the 20-in. way U inch at right 

 angles, so it will look like Fig. 1, when looking 

 CJ5 /--I_ ___! 



^<3 ^^-ji 



at it endwise. Now snip out i notches in the folded 

 edges, Fig. 2, 4 15-16 inches apart; measure from the 

 same end for both edges. Now fold it up; have the 

 folded edges come on the inside. The ends lap H 

 inch. Solder them together from the outside, and 

 you will have a can like Fig. 3, without top or bottom. 

 Cut two pieces 4 7ixt7« inches; in one piece punch an 

 inch hole near one corner for screw cap; solder the 

 piece with hole in first; let the folded edge of the 

 can come on the outside of the piece, and solder, and 

 you have got the top. You can hold the bottom to 

 its place while soldering, by putting a stick up 

 through the inch hole in the top. Now solder on 

 your screw cap, and you will have a square can that 

 will hold 10 fts. of honey, costing about six or seven 

 cents. Any boy can make them ; and with a little 

 pains they look nice. W. W. Tdbneb. 



Oak Hill, Greene Co., N. Y., Nov. 24, 1883. 



