1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



805 



so, we have been entering a caution against in- 

 troducing to such stocks. We get the best re- 

 sults from a colony that has been queenless 

 long enough to show initial cells.] E. R. 



A NEW DEVICE. 



A SECTIOX-FOLDEK AXl) FOrNn.\TION-FASTKX- 

 KJ! CX)MBINEI). 



Frienil Root: — Having expressed you one of 

 my combined self-folding section-press and 

 foundation-fastener (patent applied for in U. 

 S. and Canada), with your permission I will 

 endeavor to describe its construction, working, 

 and advantages over other devices. 



As will be seen by cut, it is small, neat, and 

 light, being only 14x1(5 in., with a three-inch 

 rim, and weighs about 8 lbs. It is made of hard 

 wood and metal castings. The section is picked 

 up in the right hand in the center, out of the 

 flat; at the same time a piece of wax with the 

 left hand. When the section is drawn back in 

 the triangle back, stop, when it is half folded, 

 and immrdiately drops down in position even 

 with the table. A slight pressure now of the 

 foot draws the two upi'ightpins together, which 

 folds the two ends; at the same time the heat- 

 er, or wax plate, is raised up in position (being 

 heated by a lamp), when the pressure is stayed 

 long enough to touch the wax to the hot plate, 

 when, on further pressure, it immediately drops 

 out of the way. and the head-block closes the 

 section and draws it up to the wax. which at 

 once adheres. As soon as the foot pressure is 

 relieved it returns to its original place ready 

 for another section, being automatic, and takes 

 longer to describe than perform. 



Its advantages are quite apparent from de- 

 scription of its working. 1. It is small, neat, 

 and convenient. It can be set on a solid table 

 or workbench, with treadle attached to the 

 floor, and can be worked sitting or standing. 



2. Being foot-power, it leaves both hands at 

 liberty to handle the section and wax at the 

 same time, piactically saving time. 



3. Being roiiilnncd. once handling of the sec- 

 tion from the flat prepares it for the super, 

 which is placed at your left to receive it. All 

 know, who have prepared sections the old way, 

 the time and labor saved here of handling the 

 sections all over twice and even three times, 

 besides doing the work of two machines by any 



other method, there being no changing or 

 transferring required, but it can be used either 

 as a folder or a fastener separately. As a fold- 

 er it has no equal for expeditious work by de- 

 taching the wax-plate. Now that all sections 

 are put on with starters it may seldom be re- 

 quired to use it separately. 



4. It is automatic, being always ready for 

 operation. 



.5. It folds the sections even and square, thus 

 avoiding breaking. 



Altogether it is a saver of wax, time, labor, 

 and patience: in fact, it has to be seen working 

 in order to appreciate all its advantages, and I 

 think it could be named Eureka. 



W. (). Lkach. 



Cold water, Out., Can., July 21. 



[We have tried the machine sent, but didn't 

 succeed in making it work satisfactorily. When 

 one feature will work, the other has a fashion 

 of hitching or catching. As it is one of the 

 first machines sent out by Mr. Leach, it is pos- 

 sible that it is not so strong nor well built as 

 those he is manufacturing now. It will be a 

 great time-saver if it can be made to do both 

 operations at once.] 



WHO FIRST SENT QUEENS SUCCESSFULLY BY 

 MAIL1 



A LITTLE EARLY HISTORY OF THE SUBJECT. 



Bee-keepers of the present scarcely appre- 

 ciate the advantages derived from the knowl- 

 edge that queen -bees can be sent from any 

 point of the earth to any part thereof by mail. 

 Not until July. 18(53, had a queen with a few 

 workers ever been caged and shipped per mail. 

 From 1860 to "(53 I was bothered about getting 

 Italian queens by express. It occurred to me 

 that queens might, perhaps, be transported by 

 mail. I wrote to my ideal apiarist. Rev. L. L. 

 Langstroth, suggesting the idea of sending 

 queens by mail, and asked his opinion of the 

 feasibility of mail transit of bees. He answered, 

 saying that, in his opinion, he thought it not 

 practical. I at once determined to test the 

 matter. I took a small paper box, about the 

 length and depth of the Benton cage, but wider, 

 took a piece of sealed comb, very tough by age, 

 and, with needle and thread, fastened the comb 

 in one corner of the box, and with an eyelet- 

 hole punch made holes in the box, by which air 

 could circulate among the bees. Then I put a 

 common queen and some 15 workers into the 

 box: made it secure and addressed it to Mr. 

 Langstroth; paid postage; and the postmaster, 

 who is still my neighbor, duly marked the 

 package, and. to honor me, dropped it into the 

 pouch with the installment of mail matter. A 

 few days later I received a letter from friend 

 Langstroth, informing me of the safe arrival of 

 the bees, and complimenting me highly for sug- 

 gesting and putting in practice so worthy an 

 enterprise. At the time he wrote he sent a fine 

 Italian queen in a very small cage, addressed to 

 me. The workers, five or six, were dead, and 

 the queen died soon after I took her from the 

 postoffice. Later he mailed another fine Ital- 

 ian addressed to me, and all came safely. 



This is the history of the advent of sending 

 queen-bees by mail, which has proved a great 

 boon to the bee-keeping public. Mr. Lang- 

 stroth was the first who shipped queens by mail. 

 The authors of the " New Langstroth " were 

 mistaken in according credit to other parties as 

 being first to cage and mail queens to patrons. 

 At the time of my sending the queen to friend 

 Langstroth he wrote me that, in his contem- 

 plated' new edition, he would give me due 



