922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



same year. Report of exhibits at the last-named 

 makes mention of this. 



It is in use in various parts of Indiana, and has 

 been ever since its first introduction in 1885. When 

 friend Miller first introduced his feeder, in the April 

 number of Gleanings, 18S7, I was making prepar- 

 ations to J J to California. Ill health and other 

 attending- cares prevented taking notice of it fur- 

 ther. Thus it has been postponed up to the present, 

 when friend Miller's lament over the Warner im- 

 provement inspired me with the belief that now 

 was my time. With much regret for still further 

 invasion on friend Miller's invention, I simply claim 

 the "New Feeder" to be an improvement on my 

 own. The principle used in both is the same; my 

 only claim is priority. My feeder simply permits 

 access to the syrup at one end, with no bee-space 

 underneath. The Miller feeder permits access from 

 both sides, with a bee-space underneath. 



With regard to the Warner improvement, my own 

 feeder has the same advantages (providing they are 

 not made too large), simply by the use of two in- 

 stead of one, or by one alone where entrance to the 

 feeder is over the cluster. Then at times a small 

 feeder is far more desirable than a large one. 



I can not close this communication without refer- 

 ring to this section of country. I have been a 

 resident of this State now for a year. That some 

 who come here are disappointed, can not be ques- 

 tioned; but I find very few who have lived here a 

 year or over but are perfectly delighted with 

 country, climate, and its productions. The latter 

 are yet in their infancy; but now that speculation 

 is a thing of the past, I look forward to the develop- 

 ment of a section that will produce any thing that 

 grows in the semi-tropics. Geo. W. Brodbeck. 



Los Angeles, Cal., Oct. 30, 1888. 



^'es, friend J3., it is very difficult indeed 

 for any one to get hold of an idea that has 

 not been previously anticipated by some one 

 else, either wholly or in part. The great 

 point in favor of the Miller- Warner feeder 

 is that the bees can get at the syrup without 

 moving from the cluster— that is, to one side 

 or the other of the brood-nest. Of course, 

 you can put two of your feeders together, 

 but did that really occur to you at the time 

 you got out your feeder V When desiring to 

 feed only a small amount we frequently used 

 only one compartment of the feeder, and 

 that containing only a small amount. We 

 can thus feed two pounds just as easily as 

 twenty-five. 



SLATTED POTATO-BOXES. 



SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THEIH CONSTRUCTION. 



gDITOR GLEANINGS :-In8tead of using solid 

 ends for your slat potato-boxes, make a 

 frame the size of the end, of stuff IH in. sq., 

 or 1 X 2 (1 in. sq. would answer), halving them 

 at the corners, and nailing with wire nails, 

 clinched. Nail thin strips on one side of these 

 frames, which should be the inside of the box, 

 using nails long enough to go through and clinch. 

 Now nail on your side and bottom strips, using, as 

 before, nails that will go through and clinch. This 

 makes a box that is easy to handle, having a hand- 

 hold all along the upper edge on the ends or sides 

 (both if desired), and is perfection in the way of 

 Jiffljtness, strength, and in the matter of ventila- 



tion. There is, besides, a saving of material. In- 

 deed, the only material needed to make them is the 

 strips you now waste, so they can be made cheaper 

 than those you have been making, besides being 

 better. 



The strips nailed on the frame to form the ends 

 should run perpendicularly. This, I think, makes 

 the box a little stiffer. J. A. Green. 



Dayton, III. 



About the time we received the foregoing 

 from friend Green, another friend, W. 

 Hanford, Etna, N. Y., .sent a potato-box by 

 express, which is very similar to the one 

 friend Green describes. As one will repre- 

 sent the principle of both, we had Hanford's 

 engraved. 



POTATO-BOX WITH SIDES AND ENDS MADE OF 

 SLATS. 



Our artist failed to correctly represent the 

 box. It is a little too shallow, and, besides, 

 does not represent the bottom corner-strips 

 to which the bottom slats are to be nailed. 

 By referring to the description you will see 

 that such a box differs from friend Green's 

 only in that he would nail the slats for the 

 ends on the inside perpendicuJarly. At 

 first sight such a box would be clieaper. 

 lighter, and perhaps better ventilated. We 

 find, upon careful calculation, however, that 

 it costs more. In the box that friend Han- 

 ford sends there are 96 nails ; in ours, only 

 60. As it takes time to drive every nail, of 

 course it will make a difference in the time 

 of nailing the box. In our box can be used 

 2-inch nails or longer, if thought best. In 

 the one illustrated, the length of the nails is 

 limited by the thickness of the corner-posts 

 and the slats, which in the box sent would 

 make them just H inches long. We have a 

 man who nails potato-boxes by the piece. 

 He estimates tliat he could nail the solid- 

 end boxes nearly twice as fast. Again, the 

 stuff for corner posts must be of hard wood : 

 and as we do not have this in refuse, we 

 should have to buy it. As to the difference 

 in weight, we find there is no appreciable 

 difference. Our boxes, as well as the one 

 friend H. sends, weigh about 7 lbs. each. 

 Upon comparing the strength of the boxes 

 by racking them cornerwise. we find that 

 those having a solid end are much stronger. 



We are very glad of the suggestions fur- 

 nished by the friends above named ; for if 

 they do nothing more, they serve to prove 

 that the slatted potato-box with solid ends 

 is about as near perfection as can be, con^ 

 sideling iour waste liimbev wjiich we have 

 from sections. 



