3G4 



GLEANINGS Ix\ BEE CULTURE. 



May 1. 



a plate or in a bright tin pan. will be appreciat- 

 ed just as much. Often so kindly a feeling will 

 arise that the neighbor will ask for broken or 

 bulged pieces when buying, to help us make 

 sales of it, realizing that it is just as good honey 

 as whole sections. 



In planting an apiary we should place the 

 hives as far from the public higliway as possi- 

 ble, and have them convenient to care for: also 

 protecting them from ihe gaze of the public by 

 planting a thick and quickly growing row of 

 trees, or making a high board fence. I prefer 

 the trees, as they are so much more handsome, 

 and more permanent. We thus throw the bees 

 so high over the road that passersby can not 

 meet them in passing, and hide them away, as 

 it were, from the public gaze. Many people 

 are as afraid of bees as of death, almost: and if 

 they were not where they could constantly be 

 seen, they would pass by and not think of them. 



We used to be so proud of our bees that we 

 thought it nice to have them near the road, 

 and to have peojde look at us while working 

 with them. One Fourth of July a large swarm 

 came off just when an open carriage of people 

 was passing. The man put his whip to the 

 horses, and drove right through the swarm, as 

 it flew low. The people were very much fright- 

 ened, but no harm was done. Another man, 

 who often passed by, we noticed would always 

 pull his .hat low down over his face, and ride 

 quickly by. 



One day one of the commissioners of the 

 highway politely notified us to move our bees 

 into a back yard, and further from the road. 

 We promised to put up a high board fence, or 

 plant a thick row of trees, if that would answer. 

 The trees were immediately planted about two 

 or three feet apart. They quickly made a 

 hedge, as it were, which threw them entirely 

 above the road, most of the bees prefei-ring to 

 leave the apiary in another direction, rather 

 than fly over the hedge of ti'ees. Since then we 

 have had no one And fault in that direction. 

 In following the above suggestions we shall not 

 be apt to need the aid of the Bee-keepers* Un- 

 ion very often, though it is a grand organiza- 

 tion, and every one who has bees would do well 

 to join it. as there ai'e many unreasonable peo- 

 ple in this world, and we can never know when 

 we aie safe or when other people have their 

 rights. We need the Union to decide what is 

 right. 



At one time we were about to lose money by 

 an unjust commission merchant. This was be- 

 fore we joined the Union. We made mention 

 that there was such an organization, and he 

 had better do what was right. The result was, 

 he paid us $30.00. which we probably should 

 have lost. I felt that it was a little deception 

 on our part, but the organization did a good 

 work for us, and is doing a good work, and is a 

 blessing to those who are not members as well 

 as those who are, as they promise to help only 

 those who are members at the time of the trou- 

 ble. It costs so little to be a member, I wonder 

 that -every one who owns bees does not join. 



Rosevilie. 111., Mar. 14. Mrs. L. C. Axtei,i>. 



AN TINPLEASANT EXPERIENCE WITH RUB- 

 BER GLOVES. 



A GOOD SUnSTITUTE. 



colonies of bees, thinking I was making a good 

 begining. I bought them for pure Italians. I 

 could not then tell as to their purity, but they 

 proved themselves good \\orkers and good 

 — stingers. It was amusement for me to look 

 ovei' my bees and look up the queen, especially 

 if I had visitors. They must see my yellow 

 queens. Soon my gloves were rotted by per- 

 spiration. The rents would come, and with 

 them the stings. I would try to patch them, 

 but they were so rotted and soft that the 

 threads would not hold. I would try again and 

 again, not knoN\ing what could lie better than 

 rubber gloves. My hands would be so swollen 

 I could hardly draw off my gloves, wet with 

 perspiration, and covered with numerous new 

 rents and stings. Discouraged and almost sick 

 of my bees (for stings affected me very badly 

 for the first year or two I \\orked with them). 

 I went to Sherburne and bought a pair of boys' 

 sheepskin gloves for 2.5 cents. I soon had them 

 on trial. The bees literally covered them with 

 stings, leaving their stings with the gloves. I 

 thought I should soon lose all my bees in this 

 way. Necessity is the mother of invention. I 

 took honey and beeswax melted together. Then 

 I rubbed my gloves well with this preparation. 

 I had no more trouble, and have used such 

 gloves ever since. I have worked the whole 

 season without a sting on my hands. The 

 Quinby smoker and A B C proved very useful 

 to me. I have read Gleanings ever since, 

 and would not be without it as long as I am in- 

 tei'ested with bees. 1 am pleased with the op- 

 portunity of visiting with my bee-keeping sis- 

 ters through Gleanings. Mrs. Oliver Cole. 

 Sherburne, N. Y., Apr. 14. 



Twelve years ago I became much interested 

 in bees. I subscribed for Gleanings and the 

 A B C, and other publications: I also ordei-ed a 

 Quinby smoker, and a pair of rubber gloves 

 from A. I. Root. I prepared a hat and dress for 

 the work. I had i)reviously purchased three 



covering for the hands. 



The discussion in Gleanings on this subject 

 is very interesting to me, as my greatest objec- 

 tion to bee-keeping is, that I can't keep my fin- 

 gers clean. I like best to have my fingers free, 

 as I can work so much surer, and am not so apt 

 to let the frames slip: but as we run mostly for 

 extracted honey, it is hard work to keep the 

 fingers presentable during bee-time. I have 

 tried cotton and buckskin gloves, but we like 

 woolen mits better than any thing else we have 

 tried. They are made of rather coarse white 

 woolen yarn, with long wrists, coming well 

 down on the fingers, and ribbed all the way. 

 They make a very good protection for the hands. 

 The bees don't sting through them very much, 

 and they ai'e not uncomfortably warm. We 

 lap and pin the bottom of the sleeves, then 

 di-aw on the mits. They are tidy, and no bee 

 can get in. But who can tell us the easiest 

 way of getting the fingers clean? Or could we 

 learn to work quickly and surely with the fin- 

 gers bundled up? Once I had a pair of black 

 mits, but they made the bees so angry we could 

 not wear thein. Mrs. M. A. Shepard. 



Barry, 111., Apr. 19. 



asbestos paint not satisfactory. 



I noticed in Gleanings. Mar. 1.5. A. W. Lind- 

 sey wants to know about asbestos paint. I 

 have used it on hives, but I do not like it. It 

 does not last. The last hives T painted I got 

 lead and oil. etc., and mixed my own paint, and 

 it is much better. 



APRONS. 



As aprons seem to be the topic. I will say that 

 I get brown checked shirting. It is thick 

 enough to pi'otect my dress, but not so heavy and 

 warm as bed -ticking. I have never worn gloves. 

 I never thought I could work with them, but I 

 wish I could, and prevent tan on my hands. 



Benson. Vt.. Apr. 7. Mrs. L. S. Austin. 



