1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



635 



Shaw device. If our friend Heddon allowed the 

 bees to get the same access to his close-fltting- up- 

 rights as Debeauvoys and Shaw did, he too would 

 need hot water or chisel to remove his frames from 

 the hive. L. L. Langstkoth. 



Dayton, O., August 8, 188S. 



KAMBLE NO. 5. 



SOME MOHE NEW DISCOVERIES. 



fROM Mr. Crane's we made a rapid retrograde 

 movement to Mr. Parent's; then dinner and 

 farewells. Then as we .iourneyed along, re- 

 grets were frequently expressed that we 

 could not call upon other bee-men in other 

 portions of Saratoga Co. We regretted that we 

 could not stop a week in Saratoga and partake of 

 the waters and the pleasures; also that we could 

 not visit Mt. McGregor, whose brilliant electric 

 lights beamed down upon us and reminded us of 

 the brilliant and useful career that was ended 

 there. 



Another night with Mr. P. and wife, and again 

 the Rambler found himsell on the road toward the 

 rising sun. Crossing the nolile Hudson we were 

 soon in the town of Eiiston. This town is noted for 

 its wealthy and intelligent farmers. It is a strictly 

 agricultural town, and owes its thrift perhaps to 

 the fact that many of its inhabitants are Quakers. 

 There is no extensive bee-man in this town, but we 

 found a man who practices a novel method of win- 

 tering his bees. This gentleman is a potato-grower, 

 and ships his product to market largely in large 

 burlap sacks. When cold weather approaches he 

 puts each hive in a sack, ties it up, and deposits it 

 in a light room in his dwelling. The porous sack 

 gives them plenty of air, and at the same time pre- 

 vents the escape of bees. If they come out they 

 have the sack to travel around upon until they get 

 tired, then of course they go back into the hive. I 

 can not vouch for the success of this method, as I 

 have not heard from the inventor since the advent 

 of warm weather. This method may aid Bro. Bing- 

 ham in his " light " theory for cellar wintering. 



WINTERING BEES IN POTATO -SACKS. 



The next novel plan for wintering bees I found 

 was being developed liy a 16-year-old bee-keeper. 

 Having purchased a swarm of a Frenchman he fol- 

 lowed his directions for management. The French- 

 man told him he never lost a swarm in wintering, if 

 the hive was placed upon a wagon-wheel. The 



young novice followed directions; and what was 

 the surprise of the father to find nearly all of his 

 wagon-wheels arranged in an upper room, and 

 hives placed upon them 1 



" For the land's sake, Brodie, what are you going 

 to do if you get a hundred swarmsV" 



" Why, dad, I can borrow wheels of the neighbors, 

 or I can hire a wheel for a pound or two of honey, 

 and it will pay; for the Frenchman said it's a sure 

 way to winter bees." 



After the Rambler's amusement subsided, a sober 

 second thought led us to believe that the boy was 

 only actingout the modern bee-keeper's spirit. Look- 

 ing over the field we found nearly every prominent 

 bee-man hanging on to his wagon-wheel. Doolit- 

 tle's wheel is nature; Heddon's is pollen; W. F. 

 Clarke, hibernation; A. I. Root, auti-putents; Mil- 

 ler's, T supers, etc. 



OUR RESPECTIVE WAGON-WHEELS. 



Our dreams that night as we rested under the 

 roof of a cousin's residence were filled with float- 

 ing visions of wheels, potato-sacks, balloons, etc. 

 Here is a mental photograph of the sublime scene. 



The RAMBf.ER. 



Now, friend R., that is really too bad. I 

 was prepared to accept the tact that the 

 rest of you have had at different times vari- 

 ous wlieel liobbies; but to put A. I. Root 

 among the crowd touches a tender spot. 

 Never mind ; I believe I would rather be 

 pictured bouncing patents (that is, the in- 

 dividual-right department) than anywhere 

 else. J. II. and VV. Z. H. seem to be pretty 

 near the top of the heap, with tlie pollen 

 theory and new revolutions of hives. The 

 editor of the A. B. J. is represented next as 

 very industriously lighting the " Wiley lie," 

 and we are glad he has hnally got it under 

 foot. C. (". Miller is still enthusiastic on T 

 supers, even if there is not any lioney to fill 

 supers of any kind, during this poor season. 

 Doolittle is taking things very philosophi- 

 cally under the sliade of a tree. Even if 

 there is a swarm hanging on the limb over- 

 head, he does not propose to disturb him- 



