242 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April 1. 



such a tool and try it. Upon trying it wp were 

 greatly disappointed— not because it dylti't 

 work, but because it worked so well. It will 

 imbed the wires very rapidly; and one pleasant 

 feature of it is. that the grooved nail does not 

 run off from the wire as some of the spur- 

 wheels do occasionally. It has, however, one 

 objection: and, as your friend Mr. Dadant 

 states, it tears the cells of the foundation a lit- 

 tle too much. But all of this, we presume, will 

 be readily fixed by the bees when honey is com- 

 ing in at a good rate. But sometimes the bees 

 are disposed to gnaw around the wires, and the 

 grooving or creasing of the nail might make 

 them more disposed to gnaw. We therefore be- 

 lieve that the spur-wheel, such as is recom- 

 mended by the Dadants. will generally be i)ref- 

 erable because the win^s are imbedded so nicely 

 that it is almost impossible to detect the track 

 of the wheel: and whiieyour implement has the 

 element of cheapness and simplicity to their fnll- 

 est extent, the spur-wheels cost but little more, 

 and, we believe, would give more satisfactory 

 results.] 



PKILO'S AUTOMATIC SECTION FORMER AND 

 GLTJER COMBINED. 



A XEAV MACHINE BY K. W. PHILO. 



For quite a number of years past, perhaps ten 

 or more. I have felt the need of a machine for 

 doing more rapid work in putting together and 

 gluing sections, during which time I have made 

 several devices for accomplishing this work, 

 but have never been fully satisfied with any of 

 them until I had completed and thoroughly 

 tested the one we place before you in the accom- 

 panying cut. 



Although I have 

 made two other 

 machines in the 

 pas t year that 

 would do the same 

 work, they were 

 much too expen- 

 sive to come into 

 general use with 

 the average bee- 

 keeper. My aim 

 for the past year 

 has been for a ma- 

 chine that would 

 do the whole work 

 without any hand 

 work.- except fill- 

 ing the machine 

 up with section 

 strips and turning 

 the crank. Every 

 man. woman, and 

 child knows how 

 to turn a crank, 

 and that is all *""i-ding and gluing sections 

 that is required to "^ ''"^ wholesale. 



operate the machine: and when that is done, 

 out comes the section, all glued, folded, and 

 pressed together — one eveiy two seconds, or 

 thirty every minute, by turning the crank mod- 

 erately. To give you an idea of the amount of 

 power required, my boy Ernest R.. four years 

 old, can operate the machine nicely. When 

 the crank is raised to the highest point, the 

 slanting board at the back of the machine is 

 pushed in. and there are two little horizontal 

 sticks fastened to the end of the board that 

 pushes the bottom one of thi' section stiips out 

 over the block to be folded. The folding block 

 then comes down folding tli<' first joint, as you 

 will see in the cut. The upper part of tlie little 

 claws comes down on top of the section, caus- 



ing the lower ends to turn in, bringing the ends 

 of the sections together. The whole block and 

 all. which is held up by a spring, goes down 

 until the section is forced together in the V 

 groove at the bottom. The two little blocks in 

 the V groove are to make the ends of the sec- 

 tions come right, so they will go together easily: 

 and while the section is being pressed together 

 the gluer comes up out of the glue and puts some 

 glue right in the V groove, and on the end of the 

 section where it is dovetailed. E. W. Piiilo. 

 Half Moon, N. Y.. Feb. 2U. 



[We have not seen the machine yet. and con- 

 sequently are unable to judge personally of its 

 workings. Mr. I'hilo is quite a genius in "•"mak- 

 ing things,"' and we have no doubt it will do all 

 he says it will. We should like to have re- 

 ports from those who have tried it.] 



"STRAWS" FROM CALIFORNIA, 



COMMENTS ON STItAWS AND OTHEH THINGS IN 



GLEANINGS. 



Say, doctor, don't you think the big New 

 York bee-men alluded to in Stray Straws of 

 Feb. 1 are very practical, sensible fellows in not 

 reporting their crops'? The fact that they are 

 the big bee- men of New York strongly tends to 

 prove they are likely to have good reasons for 

 so acting. Apply your suggestion as to giving 

 legal control of their territory to other busi- 

 nesses, and see where it leads. Can you give 

 any good reasons applicable in case of the bee- 

 men which may not be just as equitably used 

 by others who may wish to keep away compe- 

 tition? 



Conflicting advice.— Another straw in same 

 bundle says. "A. I. Root better come home and 

 see to those boys." and then one of "those 

 boys "is advised in the next lot of Straws to 

 "keep A. I. down in Florida and Cuba till set- 

 tled warm weather.'" Second thoughts are 

 often best, doctoi'. 



So the Hon. II. L. Taylor has no regular med- 

 ical education. Forewarned is forearmed: but 

 if the health of the weather is not what it 

 should be it will probably not wish to be tinker- 

 ed up by a miller, so will save the dollar. 



And now you are "beginning to get mad." 

 Uon't do it. doctor, but try a quart of that 

 drink mentioned on page 8. which J. A. Green 

 does not seem to understand. LetJ. A. make 

 it. then he won"t ask what the yeast is for. 

 It"s splendid for acting on the biain. 



T. V. .lessup deserves sympathy in his ef- 

 forts to obtain subscribers to Gleaninss. Who- 

 ever Uncle A. I. may be, he is awfully behind 

 times if he does not subscribe. Let us iiope this 

 may reach his eye: and next time he is asked 

 to subscribe, let him hand over his dollar like a 

 man. 



Mr. Rambler, the picture of your meeting 

 with the socialists in Chicago is highly inter- 

 esting. How did you manage to get into Riv- 

 eiside? They are very particular about pre- 

 venting the entrance of insect pests there, and 

 have officers appointed to destroy all such. 

 You'd better see them. And. Mr. R., what lazy 

 men they are in Indiana to let the women do 

 the hard work of pitching the hay on the wag- 

 on, while the men ride and gently arrange iti 



Miss Wilson deserves thanks for her explicit 

 instructions for nuiking candy. When she starts 

 in to explain a matter, she manages to ctmvey a 

 clear idea of what she has in her own mind. 

 Many folks can not do so (that includes me). 



What a blessing that that spring Mr. Root 

 depended on to get his toes clean was able to 

 maintain its reputation for detergent qualities! 



