970 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



Ashby that the shells were giving out. He 

 promptly ordered a detail of soldiers to go to 

 the cave where the shells were kept for safety, 

 and bring out more. ''But,"' said they, "the 

 shells are all boxed up, and the screwdriver can 

 not be found." It seems that the covers to the 

 boxes of shells were screwed down, for it would 

 never do to piy open or knock off the covers 

 with a hammer, because of the liability of the 

 shells to explode. Captain Ashby at once or- 

 dered the lieutenant, with a couple of men, to 

 go and break the boxes open, as the enemy were 

 fast approaching. They flatly refused to go, 

 urging as an excuse that the thing was fool- 

 hardy, and that they would never come out of 

 the cave alive. Quick as thought, Ashby or- 

 dered the lieutenant to take charge of the men, 

 while he himself proceeded to the cave. He 

 ordered a darkey, who stood near, to hold a 

 candle. 



"No, sah, boss: y' doan get dis yeah niggah 

 in dat yer place, if you's gwine ter break open 

 dem boxes wid dat yer pickax." 



Captain Ashby would take no parley. At the 

 muzzle of a revolver he bade the colored man 

 obey. He held the candle; but his white teeth 

 chattered with nervous fear like a pair of 

 castanets. Then with pickax Ashby com- 

 menced breaking open the covers. As ill luck 

 would have it, the pick struck a screw, and a 

 quantity of sparks flew into an open keg of 

 giant powder near by. The grains were so large 

 that the powder did not ignite; but the colored 

 man nearly swooned, and tried to escape. The 

 revolver was again pointed at him, and again 

 he was made to stand. Although the sparks 

 flew right and left, Ashby, trembling and pale 

 as death himself, continued his perilous work, 

 and the shells were taken out and distributed 

 to the artillerymen; and the result was, the 

 enemy at that quarter were driven back. We 

 believe this incident has never been made pub- 

 lic. It was told to the writer on the cars, and 

 he now gladly makes it public. The cool bravery 

 of our departed friend will be applauded on 

 both sides of Mason and Dixon's line. 



HOW TO SEXD QXTEENS SUCCE.SSFUT.LY ACROSS 



THE OCEAN. TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND 



TO DIFFICULT AND INACCESSIBLE 



POINTS IN THE UNITED 



STATES. 



Some time ago we gave some instructions on 

 the subject as above. The wonderful success 

 we have been having during the past year, and 

 the inquiries that are coming in from various 

 sources, show that another article is required, 

 covering more in detail some of the points al- 

 ready given as well as the later developments. 



To save the reader the trouble of turning to 

 our back numbers, we will repeat that our ex- 

 port Benton cage is 4% inches long, li^s deep, 

 and IK wide. In this block are bored three 

 holes. 1^ inches deep, through the shallowest 

 way, and near enough together to leave a 1^- 

 inch opening. One end is lined with paraffine. 

 This is done by dipping a small sash-brush into 

 paraffine, and painting the inside of the hole. 

 The compartment on the opposite end is per- 

 forated on the two sides and end by 13 brad-awl 

 holes. 4 holes being on a side. To prepare the 

 candy we knead together the finest quality of 

 thick extracted honey, mixed at a temperature 

 of about H)0°, with pulverized sugar, till quite a 

 stiff dough is obtained. This should be allowed 

 to stand for two or three days. During hot 

 weather it will become soft and "run." What 

 we mean by candy that will run is, a lump or 

 ball of Good (Scholz) candy, freshly mixed, 

 which, after two or three days, flattens out and 

 becomes soft; i. e., " it runs." We do not find it 

 practicable to mix the dough stiff enough at 



the first mixing so as not to become soft and 

 daub the bees. Well, when the candy has been 

 standing two or three days, and runs, instead 

 of mixing in more imlvcrizcd sugar we knead in 

 what is called "confectioners" sugai'." This is 

 a grade that is pulverized to a much finer state 

 of division; and although we can stiffen up the 

 dough with more pulverized sugar, unless the 

 confectioners' grade is put in at the second 

 mixing, the bees, as they eat out the candy, will 

 leave fine granules to rattle out all over the 

 cage. The admixture of the confectioners' 

 sugar seems to make the dough a homogeneous 

 mass. 



After the second mixing, the candy is allowed 

 to stand for a day or two more, and will then 

 become soft, mealy, and moist, yet sufficiently 

 firm not to run. Before putting the candy into 

 the cages, if the weather is very hot we fre- 

 quently knead in a little more confectioners' 

 sugar, because we do not want the candy toa 

 moist. If it is made just right there is but little 

 difficulty in delivering queens to almost any 

 part of the globe — at least, our expei-ience so 

 far says so. Sometimes, for I'easons we can not 

 conjecture.theCxOod candy, even when made just 

 right, becomes as hard as a brick, and then, of 

 course, the bees will die of starvation. 



Having made the candy just right, we fill the 

 cages. If the cage is to go" to the opposite side 

 of the globe, we fill a hole and a half with 

 candy. If it has to go only to England, Italy, or 

 some othei' of the Eurojjean countries, one hole 

 of candy is sufficient: but when we put in a 

 hole and a half of candy, it will be necessary to 

 put a division in the hole that is half full, so 

 as to prevent the candy from falling down. 

 The division should have a large opening so the \ 

 bees can readily get through. 



The cage- is now ready to receive the bees. It 

 is useless to try to send queens a year old across 

 the water, that have borne the labors of egg- 

 laying through the season. Queens should be 

 selected that are not over two months old, that 

 are perfect in every way. There should be 

 from 30 to 35 attendants, from two to three 

 weeks old: that is. they should be young field 

 bees — bees that are old enough to gather honey, 

 but which have not yet borne the toil of gath- 

 ering nectar. In putting the bees into a cage, 

 select those that have their heads in cells of 

 honey, apparently taking a drink, by the looks 

 of their podded-out abdomens. Thirty-five bees 

 well filled will carry enough supplies to last 

 them quite a little way on the journey. The 

 cover is nailed on with wire nails. This is a 

 strip of section stuff, V thick, large enough to- 

 cover the cage. 



For postage, put on anywhere from 95 cts. to 

 a dollars' worth, in stamps of large denomina- 

 tion, when the cage is to be sent to Australia 

 or New Zealand. In sending queens to the 

 Sandwich Islands, only 3 cts. will be necessary; 

 to Italy, 2 cts.; to any point in the United 

 States, 4 cts. After you have put up your bees, 

 take the cage to your postmaster, and let liim 

 attach the necessary postage. Be sure to put 

 on the full address given by the customer, and 

 print it in ink in plain Roman letters— don't 

 write it. Sandpaper off' the bottom of the cage, 

 and then be careful not to use a fine-pointed 

 pen, and you can make very neat and pretty 

 work. If you are not very good at printing, 

 get some bright boy or girl who is something 

 of an artist in that line. 



Now. there may be some who would rather 

 buy these cages than to make them. We will, 

 furnish them complete, without candy, par- 

 affined and with paraffine paper, for 10 cts. 

 each; or when candy is included, 15 cts. post- 

 paid. We would advise you to make your own. 

 candy, because in that way you get it fresh. 



