1«4 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



are just like ever so many bee-keepers. The 

 Barlow knife is your hohhy, and therefore you 

 have got it into your head that no other knife 

 will even whittle. Never mind: it is not a very 

 bad hobby, after all. In regard to saws, I do 

 not think I ever had one that would not do 

 good work if it were properly filed and set. It 

 may be. however, that hard seasoned wood like 

 oak might turn the teeth of a soft-tempered 

 saw. Carry an automatic pencil, of coui'se, and 

 just slip the sharp point back into the tube 

 when not in use. Your hints on driving nails 

 all comnumd themselves to good common sense. 

 Why, doctor, you have told me a good many 

 things that even I did not know before. Isn't 

 that wonderful? Your suggestion as to the 

 cause of the wood splitting when the nail is 

 driven near the end is also new to me. Noth- 

 ing vexes me much more than to see wood 

 split in nailing; and yet I have sometimes 

 thought that there was no help for it except to 

 get the bradawl, and you coolly inform us that 

 we can have a perfect remedy by soaking the 

 ends well in water. I presume you forget, doc- 

 tor, that our price list pictures a nice assort- 

 ment of hammers, all the way from one small 

 enough to drive a common pin its whole length 

 into a pine board, up to the size of one that will 

 drive a forty-penny wire nail.] 



not project. The shells, or rims, are pushed 

 into sawdust around the bottom -boards. They 

 are working nicely so far, as also are the 28 in 

 the dead-air-space shells.] 



HILTON'S LETTER. 



STILL ANOTHER OUTSIDE CASE. 



now IT IS MADE, AND ITS SUC'CKSS. 



How to convert the Dovetailed hive into a 

 chaff hive quickly and cheaply: Make the bot- 

 tom-board U)x3.5, so it will project 2}u inches on 

 all sides. Now make a box 19x3.5 one foot high, 

 without top or bottom, of half-inch lumber. 

 Take off the summer covei'. but leave on the 

 honey-board. It is better than a Hill device, 

 for it excludes mice. Spread a piece of burlap 

 over the top: set this outside rim around the 

 hive, and there is- a space of just 2 inches be- 

 tween the walls all around for the chaft'. Of 

 course, a bridge should be fixed at the entrance 

 so the bees can come out and fiy. 



Foi' a cover, use the gable cover and you have 

 a hive that is cheap yet handy. 



I do not go into details, becaus(> it is not ne- 

 cessary. Tiie average bee-keeper is intelligent 

 enough to mak(! them to his own fancy. I have 

 packed bees this way for three winters, and 

 have yet to lose a colony; while those I win- 

 tered in the cellar would die in midwinter, or 

 spring dwindle if they happened to pull through. 

 It is less work to \n\.vk them in the fall than it 

 is to carry them into the cellar and o>it again, 

 and then pack them for spring protection. 

 They will eat more honey out of doors than in 

 the cellar, but they are stronger, more energetic, 

 and will gather enough more the following sea- 

 son to more than pay for extra food used in 

 wintering. Sti'ong colonies, ripe honey, chaff 

 packing, and upward ventilation, constitute 

 successful outdoor wintering in my locality. 



UESULT OF THE SEASON. 



I had eleven colonies, spring count: 2:: by 

 natui'al swarming. I obtaiinHl 200 lbs. of comb 

 honey, 400 lbs. extracted. All the bees are in 

 splendid shai)e for winter. Although I had less 

 than half a croj), I feel moir like ri'joiciiic; tium 

 complaining, cunsidi'ring tlie utter failure of 

 othei's. Captured 7 first and s(;cond premiums 

 atourcountv fair— $12.00. H. L. Hin-fniNsoN. 



Mayville. Mich., Jan. 24. 



[Last fall we put about a dozen colonies, 

 ])ack(d almost exactly in llie way ycu do^clite 

 with the exception that the bottom-board does 



WHAT! SAW AND IIEAKD IN OKAND TRAVERSE 

 COUNTY. 



Bro. Root: — I think while we were at Detroit 

 you said you wished I would write up my visit 

 •• up north." Well, after looking over the en- 

 terprising town of Traverse City I wended my 

 way down that historical peninsula now known 

 as Peninsula Township. This wonderful piece 

 of God's footstool is eighteen miles long, and 

 will average perhaps one mile wide. There is 

 but one road, and this runs in a romantic way, 

 now on the ridge overlooking two of the most 

 beautiful bays I ever saw, tlie water being so 

 cleaj' that you can see the bottom at a depth 

 of twenty feet: then we are driving along close 

 to the water's edge, or, if you please, in the 

 water, for the shores are so shallow and pebbly 

 that you can drive almost anywhere. At the 

 extreme point is what is known in history as 

 "Old Mission." It is now one of the finest 

 fruit-farms in the State, and has recently been 

 sold for a fabulous price. The whole peninsula 

 is fast l)('coming one of the finest fruit and hon- 

 ey belts in this grand State of ours. One pecul- 

 iar feature to me was, that, the further down 

 the peninsula you go, the heavier the timber 

 and soil become. 



My first stop was about two and a half miles 

 from the city where lives our genial friend J. 

 P. B(>rg. He has a bright family, consisting of 

 a wife and five children. I found them all as 

 busy as beavers, and I came away convinced 

 that they would never rust out, either in things 

 pertaining to this world or the next. Friend 

 Berg has about forty acres devoted to fruits of 

 every kind adapted to his climate and soil. 

 Space will not permit me to enumerate them 

 here. He also has about 7.') colonies of bees. 

 About half of th(>se are in single-walled hives, 

 in the finest cellar foi' the puipose I ever saw. 

 'The rest are in chaff hives on summer stands: 

 but he informed me he wt)uld (eventually put 

 all into chaff' hives, as they wintered better, 

 and were strong earlier in the spring. With the 

 short seasons they have there it is absolutely 

 necessary to have them strong at the beginning 

 of the honey-Mow. Mr. Berg has a numbei- of 

 your Dovetailed hives, and thinks that, as a 

 single-walled hive, they stand at the head. 



THE IIO.ME OF MK. BEKfi. 



At supper time I was asked to give thanks, 

 and was both pleased and surprised, as soon as 

 I said " amen," to hear the eldest daughter, 

 then the next eldest, down id the little tot that 

 could not talk plain, ask a blessing in their own 

 language, German. I stayed with them two 

 nights, and each morning was asked, after 

 breakfast, to read. I selected from my favorite 

 hook, L\ike, and occasionally stopped and talk- 

 ed of the events ther(>in recorded, after w hich 

 Bro. Berg offcn-ed a fervent and eloquent prayer. 

 This was followed bv the children, as at the 

 table. 



As friend Berg is a subscriber to Gleanings. 

 and, if printed, this will come to his notice, I 

 hope he will not feel that 1 am intruding upon 

 the sanctity of his home. Would to (Joel there 

 wei'e more suchl 



In the morning. '"old (Jrey,'" a noble aninuil, 

 was brought to the door before the fruit-wagon, 

 and I was started on my journey down the pen- 

 insula. My next stop was at Mrs. N. H. John- 



