228 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



brace combs. Tbo light frames were spaced 

 the same; and when I took the super off the 

 tirst hive, the whole of the brood-chamber 

 came with it. In taking off some of the supers 

 I had to lift them up with one hand, and pry 

 the frames loose from the sui)er with a screw- 

 driver. VV. J. Russell. 



Philmont. Kan.. Feb. 8. 



[You have given one valuable point; viz.. 

 with thick top-bars one inch wide by % inch 

 thick, even with as large a bee-spa(;e as % inch, 

 no burr-combs will result, even after 8 years. 

 We now know that, by reducing the bee space 

 to a scant quarter-inch, and using lixed dis- 

 tances, top-bars as thick as 1.; inch will do, or 

 possibly less. Let those who do not like those 

 extra-thick bars, use a lesser bee-space and 

 note the result.] 



REGULATING SPEKD BY THE SLIPPING OF THE 

 BELT. 



On page 33 you give the experience of one of 

 your boys in changing the speed of machinery. 

 Is not that plan rather hard on the belt, as the 

 change in speed must be caused by the limited 

 amount of belt contact with driver? The 

 driver being constant, the belt speed must be 

 the same, or neaily the same, and the loss in 

 speed must b(; due to the slip and con.sequent 

 greater friction on one edge of the belt, which 

 would mean a shorter life for the same; and 

 while it might answer for a temporary expedi- 

 ent it would look to a man in the woods as 

 though th(; true economy would ri'sult in put- 

 ting in the cones. A. R. Kibbe. 



New Richmond, Wis., Jan. 7. 



[We have regulated the speed on one of our 

 presses — a small one — with a slipping belt, as 

 described in Gleanings, for over 10 yeai's, and 

 the sam(i belt is in use yet. We have adopted 

 the same ai-iangcmrnt on a lai'ger platen press 

 — a half-medium — with entire success. The 

 secret lies in the fact that low speed and small 

 power are required. Cones would cei'tainly 

 have to be usc^d when^ something ovei' one- 

 horse-])Owei- work or high siM'cd is lequired, or 

 on latiiework foi' screw - cutting. For small 

 presses the slii)ping of the belt answei's per- 

 fectly.] ^ 



A LAKY WHO NOT ONLY D0E;S NOT WEAR 



GLOVES, BUT WORKS AMONG THE BEES 



WITH BARE HANDS AND ARMS. 



I see in (Jleanixgs that you wanted to hear 

 from other ladies wlio work among the bi!es. I 

 ' put on a hat and veil, push my sleeves up as far 

 as they will go, so the bees can"t go up inside of 

 theuL They are not so apt to sting my arms 

 with my sleeves up as with them down. A few 

 stings on the hands and arms will get well any- 

 how. I don't wear gloves, for I want my hands 

 fret^ from any thing of the kind. 



I think if .Miss Wilson will get some heavy 

 jeans and maki' an Jipron, the honey will not 

 run tlirongh luid s-oil the dress. It might be 

 '■ bunglesome ■" and warm. I do all kinds of 

 work tiuit are done among the bees, and help 

 put npsnpi)lies: in fact. ev(M-y thing but nailing 

 up the iiives. I do almost all of the painting 

 and all of my houscwuik — washing, and every 

 thing. I have four small childi-en to tend to. 



Mrs. 8. D. Cox. 



Washington. Ind.. Feb. 20. 



[Very good. Mrs. C. I. too. should prefer to 

 have niy hands and arms bare of every thing, 

 providing I could vvork with bees when they are 

 gathering hoiu^y, and every thing is peaceful 

 and quiet. Oiu' who sells bees and queens, how- 

 ever, and is therefore obliged to overhaul hives 

 both in season and out of season, could not well 

 manage in the way you suggest.] 



ANOTHER CLAM-SHELI- IDEA; USING SHELLS 

 INSTEAD OF SLATE TABLETS. 



My plan for keeping record of bees is to use 

 two half clam-shells instead of a slate. I keep 

 one on the front of each hive, in which I write 

 th(^ age of the queen and such other data as I 

 want to go into my book. In the other, on the 

 back end of the hive, I write work done and 

 when, condition, etc. I use a leadpencil. and 

 when a shell is full I pick up another, or rub 

 out with a wet cloth or sponge, and begin 

 again. I live immediately on Lemon Bay, 

 where clams are more plentiful than any thing 

 else (unless it is tish). and clam-siiells are not 

 expensive. They are not flat, like a slate, be- 

 ing rounding, but are just as smooth inside, and 

 as nice to write in. I turn the flat (or open) side 

 down, which lies snug on the hive-cover, so 

 that no water nor any thing else can get under 

 them. They are light, not much in the way. 

 not easily knocked off, and are rather pretty 

 than otherwise. J. H. Hjll. 



Venice, Manatee Co., Fla., Feb. 21. 



\XU.\ JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT IS SUPERIOR TO 

 THE SILVERHULL. 



I find the Japanese buckwheat superior to 

 the silverhull. After a trial of three seasons I 

 have concluded to sow no other kind. One 

 great advantage it has in this country i.s, that 

 we can raise a crop early in the season, and the 

 bees have the benefit of the blossoms when they 

 need them so much. In the fall they do not 

 work so much on it liecause they seem to prefer 

 to gather from heartsease. I raised two crops 

 last season — light crops, of course, on account 

 of dry weather, but it proves that the season is 

 long enough to raise iwo good crops if there is 

 enough rain. The common kind did not fill 

 any earlier in the season. It will also make 

 more flour jier bushel. The miller said it was 

 softer and ground liner. TIku'c^ is. however, one 

 drawback— it is not inclined to grow as tall as 

 the other variety. J. T. Van Petten. 



Linn, Kan. Feb. 10. 



A SMALL YIELD OF .JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT, 



BUT REMARKABI>E UNDER THE 



CIIiCU.MSTANCES. 



My Japanese buckwheat made only ten bush- 

 (;ls to the acre, but I thought that was good, 

 for it never had a drop of rain after being sown 

 until cut. My bees did fairly well, but it was 

 so <lry they kept the dr(mes all killed oft'. Such 

 a thing I never saw, and I almost had a notion 

 to accuse the honest little fellows of killing 

 some of their queens in the teirible dry spell. 1 

 lost ten or twelve for some cause, and had to 

 give them brood and eggs three times. It seem- 

 ed as if they would hatch a queen all right; 

 but they did "not get fertilized. 



Wichita, Kan., Feb. U. Edward Hiatt. 



ALSIKE VERSUS OTHER CLOVER FOR WITH- 

 STANDING FROST. 



My alsike clover came through in good con- 

 dition last spring, while seven acres of June 

 clover, sown in the same field, in another part, 

 mostly heaved out. It was all on the same kind 

 of ground, and sown at the same time, under 

 the sanii' conditions. Alsike grew too rank for 

 seed. It produced two tons per acre. 



A SPORT FROM JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT. 



JJro. Root. I have something new to tell you 

 in regard to iuickwheat. which will surprise you. 

 When I was cutting the acre of buckwheat I 

 grew from tlu' half-bushel of Japanese I bought 

 of you in 1888. I found one enormous plant, dif- 

 ferent from the n^st. tin; straw being a little 

 lighter in color, with more than twice as much 



