464 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



ed and materially enlarged in size. From the 

 jocose way in which Mr. M. related the inci- 

 dent, he had nearly enough fun out of it to 

 compensate for removing the apiary. 



In many other apiaries I have found the pro- 

 pensity to sting exceedingly rampant, and I 

 have come to the positive conclusion that Cali- 

 fornia bee-keepers need a new and vindictive 

 smoker — one that will run by clockwork and 

 send a continuous stream of smoke into the 

 hive. In many cases a more careful breeding 

 would overcome this propensity, and a more 

 tliorough warfare upon nightly visitors, such as 

 skunks and other small animals, would have a 

 further toning induence. 



I found in Mr. M. s apiary the gravity strain- 

 er, which is used quite, generally by bee-keepers 

 in Ventura County. This strainer was de- 

 scribed and illustrated on page 248, Vol. XVIIL, 

 of Gleanings, as used and improved by Mr. 

 Mclntyre. Tlie strainer can not clog, and the 

 extractor does not have to be stopped in order 

 to let the honey get out of the way. The in- 

 ventor of it ought to be known and receive the 

 award of a medal. 



Another instrument of general use is a com- 

 bined lever, chisel, and sciaper. The nearest 



CHISEI-, LEVER, AND SCRAPER. 



approach to it I ever saw in the East was a 

 piece of an old wagon-spring. The usual length 

 of this tool is 8 or 10 inches, and Ihi inches 

 wide. Mr. M.'s was longer, and provided with 

 a handle. 



A commodious cabin is located near the 

 apiary, or out of cross bee- range, where Mr. M. 

 and his helpers live during the honey season. 



In Ventura I found another manufacturer of 

 reversible honey-(^xtractors, Mr. W. E. Leach. 

 There are several styles of these extractors, 

 and California inventors are busy at work 

 evolving still more ei'ticient machines. 



I found Mr. Mendelson a very agreeable 

 traveling companion, and he seemed to be the 

 favorite with all the boys and girls. The young 

 ladies beamed on him with wistful glances, but 

 seemingly to no purpose. That his days may 

 be long upon ttie land, and full of continued 

 success, is the wish of the Rambler. 



[Friend Rambler, I am very glad indeed that 

 you took it into your head to introduce to our 

 readers our good friend Mendelson. As it was 

 not the time for hon(>y when I was ther^. I did 

 not see much of him except indoors; and I hope 

 he will excuse me for saying that he seemed to 

 be so mucli of a polished gentleman that I won- 

 dered how he got ■' down to business " enough 

 to manage his large apiaries successfully. If I 

 am not mistaken, somebody told me that he is 

 a Jew by birth. Well, if that is true then I have a 

 warmer feeling toward the whole tribe of Israel- 

 ites than I should have had, had I not met friend 

 M. Yes, I noticed how kindly the young ladies all 

 seemed to feel to* ard him: bntat tlie same time 

 ttey seemed to look up to him as one who was 

 worthy of their highest respect and esteem. 

 The view you give is certainly a good one, and 

 it indicates that he has not hesitated to invest 

 money in commodious appliances, and appli- 

 ances, too, that ai'e adequate to taking care of 

 ton after ton wlien the honey comes. 



GALVANIZED IRON FOR RECEPTACLES FOR 

 FOOD AND DRINK. 



Yes. friend R., I am well aware that Califor- 

 nia people are in the habit of ignoring the dan- 

 gers and poisonous tendency of galvanized iron. 



We need not waste time in argument, however. 

 Just put a little honey, or even water, in a 

 shallow galvanized-iron pan, and ]o.t it stand 

 for two or three days; then take a good dose of 

 the honey or an ordinary drink of the water, 

 and see if it does not make yon Sick. If the 

 honey or water does not stand long in the uten- 

 sil, or if the quantity stored is very large com- 

 pared to the surface exposed to the liquid, the 

 poison will be too much diluted to do hdrm. A 

 teacupful of ordinary hard di'inking-water left 

 in the bottom of a drinking tank made of gal- 

 vanized iron made me so sick that I did not 

 care to try the experiment a second time, and 

 the water stood in the tank only over night. 

 The same experiment was tried after the same 

 tank was lined with tin, and there was no bad 

 taste to the water nor any unpleasant symptom. 

 Galvanized iron, in one sense, .does not rust; 

 therefore people generally feel sure that it is 

 clean, pure, and wholesome. But this property 

 it has of keeping bright and clean is just be- 

 cause of the fact that the surface is being con- 

 stantly and evenly dissolved by liquids or by 

 rain. A cake of ice will keep clean in the same 

 way, because it is constantly melting away. 

 Well, now, this surface that is melting away is 

 being constantly dissolved in the liquid with 

 which it comes in contact. Ordinarily the zinc 

 compound is in too small quantity or too much 

 diluted to do any harm. But the effects of zinc 

 poisoning will always be too vivid in my mind 

 to let me feel easy when I see galvanized iron 

 used so indiscriminately for articles of food and 

 drink. Using a galvanized-iron tank for hold- 

 ing a large quantity of drinking-water may not 

 make the water perceptibly unwholesome; and 

 it is quite likely that different kinds of water 

 — that is. water from different wells or cisterns 

 — might attack the zinc covering with more or 

 less energy, according to the mineral salts 

 found in the water. Prof. Cook can tell you of 

 cases of poisoning from stirring off' maple sugar 

 in a galvani/.ed-iron pan.] A. I. R. 



Heads of Grain 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS 



DISCOURAGED FARMERS AND BEE-KEEPERS IN 



ILLINOIS. 



I am almost discouraged with bee-keeping, 

 and wish, througli Gleanings, to inquire how 

 many others there are to sympathize with, for 

 I find there are many that have suffered in 

 losses as heavily as myself. I have lost fully 

 one-third, and fear I have not got through yet. 

 I find the majority of my lo.sses are confined 

 principally to the black bees, Italians being 

 stronger. The disease was dysentery, and I am 

 inclined to attribute the whole matter to honey- 

 dew, for I never suffered such losses before. 

 All can have all tlie honey -dew they want. I 

 am not in want of any. Weather is very wet, 

 and the season backward— rain, rain, almost ev- 

 ery day. Farmers arc discouraged; much corn 

 to be planted yet. A. Y. Baldwin. 



De Kalb, 111., June 1. 



A BIG REPORT FROM A YOUNG BEE-KEEPER 



IN CUBA; 77,000 LBS. OF HONEY AS ONE 



SEASON'fl CROP. 



I am not quite 21 years old, and have gotten, 

 the past season, 77,(X)0 lbs. of honey, which, if I 

 am correct, is the largest amount ever taken by 

 one apiarist in Cuba. F. O. Somerford. 



San Miguel, Cuba, May 15. 



