1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



201 



ONE OF THE JUVENII^ES WHO ATTEND- 

 ED THE TORONTO CONVENTION. 



HOW I MADE A MISTAKE OF 13,500 BASKETS OF 

 PEACHES. 



!)ELL, Mr. Root, I am pretty much interested 

 to-night— so much so that mother sent me 

 after a pan of flour and I brought her a pan 

 of meal, and then I had to go back. I was looking 

 over some of the back numbers, and I came across 

 the October number, in which was the report of the 

 Toronto Convention, in which you told us what you 

 saw from Medina to Toronto. Pretty good it was 

 too; but it made me feel a little bad when you tojd 

 us about that man in Buffalo who made the remarks 

 about his family when he drank that poison whisky, 

 for I am all temperance. 



Well, now, about Niagara Falls. i''ou got only a 

 small view of the Falls on the cars, for I think if you 

 would stop and look around you would change your 

 mind when you see what nature has done. Now 

 about Niagara, and that 15,000 baskets of peaches 

 that that fellow told you there were. Well, he was 

 just about 12,500 out of the way, for the captain said 

 there were about 2500 baskets, and about 700 pass- 

 engers on board, which makes a good load for that 

 boat. A few of those nice peaches on the boat were 

 from our orchard. 



Well, you will like to know how I know. I was 

 there, and friend Moon too, for we were bound for 

 the convention, for we live just across the river. I 

 said friend Moon, and so it was, if it was a man and 

 boy, for we both keep bees. When the train came 

 down, I looked to see if I could see any one who had 

 a ribbon on his coat, with a bee on it, but could not. 

 1 think it would be a good plan if A. I. Root would 

 wear something different from other folks (when he 

 goes to conventions), so we could tell him; but the 

 next day I made out to get a sight of him; for when 

 I first went into the apiarian building, I looked 

 around to see Mr. Root, but could not. Pretty soon 

 a man says, " Where is Root? I want to give him a 

 taste of this honey;" and another fellow standing by 

 him says, "Oh! Root is like bad weather." But pret- 

 ty soon up he comes, and gets a taste. "Pretty 

 good," he says. Well, I should judge it was, by the 

 looks of it. It was wonderfully clear. 



Now about my bees and honey. Started in with i 

 stands; increased to 13, all in good condition; got 

 only about 100 lbs. of honey; bought lumber today 

 to make my hives. Augustus Morris. 



Youngstown, N. Y., Feb. 12, 1884, 



Friend Augustus, you ask why I did not 

 tell who I was, or wear a badge with a bee 

 on it. "Why did you not tell me who you 

 were V or, in other words, why didn't yon 

 come right up to me and say, "Mr. Hoot. I 

 am Augustus Morris, a l)oy bee-keeper, and I 

 have wanted to see you''V That would have 

 been just what I wanted to hear when I was 

 away up in Canada, away from ray own peo- 

 ple. Some of them did say so. it is true, but 

 I presume there were a good many others 

 who, like myself, felt a little bashful and 

 backward about making themselves known. 

 On some accounts I should like to wear a 

 badge, and then, again, it makes one look a 

 little conspicuous, and I always dislike to 

 crowd myself anywhere. I found some very 

 warm friends indeed in Canada, and espe- 

 cially do I remember some bright-faced boys 



whom I should long to get better acquainted 

 with, so I might remember them when they 

 write to me. 



AN INGENIOUS SUGGESTION BY A NINE- 

 YEAR-OLD JUVENILE. 



REMOVING DEAD BEES WITH THE EXTRACTOR. 



N the 2d of February, the sun shone bright, 

 with a light warm breeze from the southwest; 

 thermometer at 59°. Bees were flying at 11 

 A. M. as if in the height of the clover season. While 

 looking at them and rejoicing, I noticed that there 

 was something the matter with colony No. 16. On 

 opening it I found the bees dead— queenless— and 

 that the bees leaving and entering it were robbers. 

 I closed the entrance until evening; then I examin- 

 ed it, and found that they had about 20 lbs. of cap- 

 ped honey yet, and that the bees, about one pint, 

 were all in the cells of one comb. While I was pick- 

 ing out the dead bees with a pin, my son (the only 

 one) 9 years of age said, " Pa, why don't you put the 

 comb in the extractor, and throw them out?" I told 

 him the wire would prevent it. " Well, can't you 

 fasten it on the outside of the wire ?" The idea was 

 a good one, so I told him we would try. I tied the 

 comb to the outside of the comb-basket, so that in 

 turning, the top-bar of frame (Langstroth) would 

 follow the bottom-bar, and, to my astonishment, 

 about ]i of the bees were slung out of the comb 

 against the can, rattling as if shot were thrown 

 against it; but the rest would not come. I put the 

 comb in a warm room. A few days after, I tried 

 again. This time it cleaned the comb. Did you ever 

 try it? I wish that those who lose bees, and which 

 stick in the comb, would try to report. The reason 

 it did not do its work effectually the first time was 

 the bees were swollen by the dampness of the hive; 

 but after the dampness was gone, they could be eas- 

 ily ejected, because they became smaller by shrink- 

 ing. John W. Sturwold. 

 Raymond, Ind., March, 1884. 



Friend S., tender my thanks to your 9-year- 

 old hopeful for his very ingenious idea. 

 Many years ago one of the friends invented 

 a pair of pincers with which to pull dead 

 bees out of the combs. I presume that more 

 than one of our friends have tried the job, 

 and gave it up in disgust. If you get hold 

 of a dead bee's wing, you can usually pull 

 him out ; but, oftentimes, off comes the 

 wing, and then half of the body, and he 

 is not out yet ; and, worse still, even if they 

 come out nicely, it is a pretty big undertak- 

 ing to pick a swarm of bees out of the combs 

 with one's lingers, or even with the pincers. 

 The boy's idea is away ahead of it, especially 

 after your improvement of drying the bees 

 so they will come out easily. Perhaps if they 

 were dried enough they would jar out. 13ut 

 now after all this talk about it, why not just 

 hang them in the hive and let the bees do it V 

 They work cheap, and seem to have the 

 knack alieady learned, for I have known an 

 active swarm of bees to clean out and fix up 

 and scrape off the mold from an old comb, 

 and get it partly filled with honey, in just 

 one afternoon. Circumstances, however, 

 might make it quite haudy to do it with the 

 extractor. 



