590 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



.Iri.v lo. 



somewhat inferior, and had a taste of New Or- 

 leans molasses. Mr. Fish, also, had a stand, 

 and had sold 3000 lbs. of honey. A peculiarity 

 of this market over any other is the custom of 

 cutting out the comb from the section, and 

 placing it in a paper box. If the section was 

 fitted to the edges it was seldom cut out; but if 

 partly tilled, or there were a few empty cells, 

 the customers stood by and saw it cut out and 

 weighed. Mr. Fish also sold pickles and sour- 

 kraut, so we see the extremes meet — the sweet 

 and the sour. Fashionable turnouts were 

 around the market all the morning hours. It 

 is the custom here for the fashionable and 

 wealthy people to do their own marketing, and 

 it is no uncommon thing to see the wives of 

 cabinet officers in the market, selecting their 

 produce for the day. 



I might take much of your time in describing 

 the many interesting things I saw in Washing- 

 ton, but I will forego the temptation at present, 

 with the exception of one incident — the climb- 

 ing of Washington Monument, .500 feet. This 

 was an arduous journey. At the height of about 

 300 feet weariness overtook the Rambler, and 

 he was about to give up when Mr. D. pointed to 

 a bee-hive carved in stone. That gave us a 

 new inspiration, and the journey was tinished 

 with vigor. The stone bee -hive is the coat of 

 arms of " Deseret," and I hope it will inspire 

 many other bee-keepers who travel this road. 



The meeting with President Harrison was 

 very cordial on my part. I expected he would 

 say something about the McKinley bill keeping 

 out queen-bees, but he said not a word — didn't 

 even ask about our postmaster. There was 

 nothing cordial about his shake — just a grab. 

 and a hint to get along so as to give him a 

 chance at the next fellow. My umbrella inter- 

 fered a little with the proceedings, and the big 

 prize-tighter at the right of us began to work 

 his muscles, and I bade Pres. Harrison an af- 

 fectionate good-by. These shakes for a second 

 presidential term do not please the Rambler. 



NUBBINS. 



FROM PI50F. COOK. 



Please ask Dr. Miller to wait a little before 

 he comes to take lessons on the rearing of 

 queens in the Doolittle cups. Our last gives 

 eighteen good capped cells and eight destroyed. 

 In some cases all, or nearly all, were destroyed. 

 Our students are now trying the Doolittle 

 method. They have some succe.ss. 



The Chapman honey-plant is a fraud. Our 

 plants, self-sown two years ago, are weak and 

 of little account. We "have two hne fields of 

 rape and three of sweet clover. Our Rocky 

 Mountain bee-plant has failed again. This 

 plant will never pay to plant, except to throw 

 about in waste places. This should be done in 

 August or Septembei-. to secure the best results. 



I am not a chemist, but have no doubt that 

 beeswax can be distinguished from either cer- 

 esin or parafline. Not only is the composition 

 somewhat different, but the texture and 

 strength are not the same. W^e shall soon have 

 these matters (pin-ity of honey and wax) work- 

 ed out by our Experiment Station. We are 

 only getting a good ready. I wish some Wis- 

 consin bee-keeper or some other would furnish 

 me some basswood honey, say two pounds, 

 where the honey was gathered veiy rapidly — 

 say 15 or 10 pounds per colony in a day. I have 

 special use for it. 



Our reversible frames are not working well. 

 The bees are filling in on the sides below with 

 honey. They never did this before. ■' One 

 swallow does not make a summer."' 



The honey-dew is coming from several trees. 

 Lice are very common, and the secretion eqtial- 

 ly so. Bee-keepers must look out. 



I should expect no harm from eating poison- 

 ous animals like centipedes. Even the venom 

 of the rattlesnake or copperhead is harmless if 

 taken into the stomach, though deadly if in- 

 jected directly into the blood. 



We. too, are among the fortunate ones, for 

 Rambler is spending the '" Foui-th '' with us. 

 As he comes from so many bee-keepers it is like 

 a visit from the whole fraternity. A. J. Cook. 



Ag'l College, Mich., July 4. 



[There, friend Cook, I am very glad indeed tO' 

 have you come right out and pronounce the 

 Chapman honey-plant a fraud, so far as rais- 

 ing it for honey is concerned. You know I 

 stood almost alone in objecting when it was 

 first lauded so highly; and I don't know but I 

 incurred the displeasure of many of my best 

 'friends in so doing. The same is true with the 

 Rocky Mountain bee-plant; and just think 

 how certain catalogues have boomed iti— Tell 

 me when your rape and sweet clover are yield- 

 ing honey at their best and I will come and see 

 them. — Your caution in regard to honey-dew is 

 well timed, and there is great need of looking 

 out. — I am glad to hear you say that centipedes 

 are not poisonous when eaten by accident; but 

 I infer that you have had no such case come 

 under your observation.] 



KUEBLER'S SECTION-FORMER. 



ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT. 



To-day I send you a model of a section -press- 

 worked by the foot. I made one the same as 

 the model a few weeks ago. I have put up a 

 lot of sections with it since. It worked admir- 

 ably. If you find the press has any advantage 

 over other presses, will you please describe it in 

 Gleanings for the benefit of our brother bee- 

 keepers, as the press is easy to make? I have 

 kept bees over 1.5 years, and "have taken Glean- 

 ings for a number of years. I know how much 



kuebler's section-press. 



trouble it is to put up a lot of sections with the 

 hammer. The press can be bolted to a bench 

 or table. Conrap Ki'ebler. 



Calamus, la.. June 12. 



[We had our engravers make a pictun^ of 



