1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



237 



on, with the help of my wife, a subscription busi- 

 ness, amounting to several thousand dollars each 

 year; run my own shop and steam-engine, sawing 

 sections, etc., for myself and neighbors; write for 

 five different papers, and answer a host of corres- 

 pondence. The old saying is, "The proof of the pud- 

 ding is the eating," and so I now say, as I have said 

 before in these columns, that all I have to recom- 

 mend the plans I use is the success attained by them. 



THAT PAMPHLET. 



On page 165 I find these words: " Doolittle sells a 

 little pamphlet telling how his hives are made, and 

 used, for 10 cents, if I am correct." But, friend Root 

 is not correct; and this notice has caused quite a 

 boom to my already too large correspondence. The 

 sale of this pamphlet is controlled by T. G. Newman, 

 925 West Madison street, Chicae'O, 111., and the price 

 is 5 cents, instead of 10. Will all reading this please 

 take notice, and thus save me much correspondence? 



FUMIGATING COMB HONEY AVITH SULPHUR. 



On page 166, 1 am aslied if tne fumigating of comb 

 honey will make it taste of sulphur. In reply, I will 

 say that, after a week or so has elapsed after the 

 fumigation, 1 could never detect any taste of sulphur 

 about the honey. If eaten immediately after being 

 so treated, it might taste of the sulphur. The great- 

 est trouble, and the one I cautioned about, was the 

 using of so much that the combs will be given a 

 greenish hue, which will detract much from the sale 

 of the honey. By keeping watch of the flies that 

 collect on the window, and letting the smoke out a 

 moment or two after the last fly expires, the moth 

 larvfe will be killed, and no harm be done to the 

 combs. 



AN ITEM IN FAVOR OP FDN. IN SECTIONS. 



After repeated examinations I find that comb 

 honey built on foundation rarely needs any fumiga- 

 tion. Why this is, I don't know. I only know that 

 it is so. For the past two years I have not seen a 

 single section so built, that showed any signs of the 

 wax-moth larva, unless such section had once had 

 brood in it, or cintained pollen. By keeping these 

 inferior sections (which are always less than two per 

 cent of the crop with me) by themselves, the bulk of 

 the crop need not be fumigated at all. At least, this 

 is my experience for the past two years. 



Borodino, N. Y., March 17. G. M. Dooi.ittle. 



Friend U., I was afraid, when friend Hed- 

 don wrote as he did, that it would stir you 

 up a little, even thougli you are pretty level 

 generally. After reading the above, I have 

 concluded it did not stir you up so as to do 

 you any harm, after all, especially when 

 you swing around on your feet as you do in 

 your last sentence. If I remember correct- 

 ly, you gave me quite a *' sweetener" a few 

 years ago, because I advised not to brim- 

 stone the honey till you detected moth 

 worms. And now it transpires that my free- 

 dom from the moth worm was because our 

 comb was all built on comb fdn. I confess 

 I do not see what dilference that should 

 make, but I am quite willing to let it go 

 without explanation, if they will keep out of 

 our honey.— I confess I was very thought- 

 less in directing more correspondence to 

 you, and I humbly beg pardon. But it does 

 seem to me as though some sort of a little 

 book, or '■'■ big book," would be a pretty good 

 thing for you to have, to answer questions. 

 —In regard to side storing, if I am correct 

 quite la large ^number ' of bee-keepers are 



working in that way, and I should be very 

 glad indeed to hear from the following per- 

 sons in regard to this matter: T. 11. Elwood, 

 Capt. Hetherington, W. E. Clark & Son, and 

 Mrs. Axtell. These all use the Quinby 

 closed-end frame, if I have made no mis- 

 take. 



^ ••• ^ — 



NAILING ONE-PIECE SECTIONS AT THE 

 I..%ST CORNER, INSTEAD OF DOVE- 

 TAILING THEM. 



SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM OUR FRIEND BYRON 

 WALKER IN REGARD TO THE MATTER. 



ITH US, having a section fail to bend right is 

 of such rare occurrence as to be hardly 

 worth mentioning. The only reason that 

 occurs to us as a cause of partial failure with you 

 is, that you have to make your corner so nearly 

 square cut, in order to avoid binding at the corners 

 when folded; as this, of course, has a tendency to 

 throw the section out of square- a tendency which 

 dovetailing the ends fails to correct, according to 

 our observation. We prefer joining the extremities 

 with wire nails, especially where one is slightly rab- 

 beted, so as to fit the other (as ours are at present), 

 as we do not wish to avoid this binding at the cor- 

 ners, as it adds greatly to the stiEfness of the sec- 

 tion; and when properly put together (see directions 

 for this in our circular for 1881, a copy of which we 

 send you), they are as square as could be desired.. 



You have intimated that there had been some com- 

 plaint about my sections, on account of their having 

 to be nailed. The only cases that we remember of, 

 were those of M. H. Hunt, of Bell Branch, Mich., and 

 Mr. Gray, of R.eese, Mich. The former, I believe, 

 had never used the right size of nails to make a real 

 success of it; yet, notwithstanding this, has after 

 having once tried them, repeatedly sent us large or- 

 ders for sections. The latter man tried our section, 

 but imagined he wouldhave trouble, as he is getting 

 to be quite an old man, with failing eyesight and un- 

 steady hand. However, he told us at our conven- 

 tion the other day, when we met him for the first 

 time, that he thought he would have done about as 

 well with the nailed sections, as he had to glue yours 

 before he could keep them in shape. We can put 

 ours together at the rate of about 200 an hour, and 

 never think of asking ourselves whether they are 

 bending right or not. We think the great mistake 

 made by those who have hal trouble with nailing is, 

 that they do not use the right size of wire nails— No. 

 19 wire, % inch long. B. Walker & Co. 



Capac, Mich., March 10, 1884. 



I know there is an advantage in having the 

 sections nailed, friend \V. ; but why not 

 have them nailed and dovetailed bothy that 

 is, why not fold them up with the dovetail, 

 and then nail them afterward, to make them 

 stiff and square ? We have tried nailing 

 them, but have never been able to come 

 anywhere near 200 an hour, although we can 

 put up oOO an hour, as we make them. I 

 suppose with this, as with many other mat- 

 ters, there will be differences of opinion ; 

 and as our machinery is all rigged for mak- 

 ing sections dovetailed, perhaps the friends 

 who prefer them made on friend W.'s plan 

 had better order of him. At the present de- 

 mand for sections, there is not much need of 

 any great anxiety as to who shall get the or- 

 ders. As they are heavy goods to ship, we 

 hope arrangements are being made for hav- 

 ing them manufactured all over the land. 



