ISiC 



ULKANINCJS IN HEE CULTURE. 



839 



perfectly than any 1 liavi' heretofore used. 

 Kut to use siu'li old rairs to the best advantage 

 nniuires a smoker wiili a stroiij; l)last; tor, as 

 soon as tOie propolis warms and softens, the 

 rags are ai)t to seMie i()i,'uther and prevent the 

 air from passing throuirh tlie smoker. 



From what I have written, it may seem as 

 though 1 were somewhat eiithusiasiie over the 

 good qualities of nuj smohvr; but 1 have little 

 fear but tliat any other bee-keeper who has many 

 colonies of bees to handle, who may give it a 

 fair trial, will be equally enthusiastic in its 

 praise. J. E. Ckank. 



Middlebury, Vt., Oct. 3-J. 



[When the Crane smoker was first illustrated 

 and described in the Bee-heeijers' Rcvieiv, we 

 were prejudiced against it, because, up to that 

 time, all arrangeiuents in bee-smokers for pre- 

 venting smoke from going into the b(>llows by 

 means of a valve connected lo a continuous 

 Hue to the tire-box, had proved to be complicat- 

 ed, and a failure. But as Mr. Hutchinson spoke 

 highly of it we were op(m to conviction, and 

 soon after wrote to Mr. Crane, asking liiiu to 

 send on one of his smokers, which he did. We 

 were delighted with it at once; and then we 

 saw that it was diflicult to understand tlie real 

 principle without seeing the implement itself. 

 But we trust that the painstaking care we have 

 given to the new eiiun-avlngs will enable our 

 readers to catch the idea. Perhaps we should 

 add that the little valve F G. Fig. 1. just the 

 moment the bellows is compressed, lifts up to 

 the position shown by the dotted lines, making 

 a continuous canal oi- tlue to the smoker-cup; 

 and as long as pressure is exerted upon the bel- 

 lows, the air can shoot on uninterruptedly into 

 the opening N. i-^ig. :.': but just the instant it is 

 released, and long before the suction of air 

 backward can take place, the little valve F 

 drops back, in obedience to a little spring, 

 effectually ])reventing any return of air or 

 smoke into the bellows. It is impossible for 

 smoke to come in contact with the valve, and 

 hence it will remain clean. In the month or so 

 we have used it, the valves have betm perfectly 

 clear of creosote accumulations. The grate is 

 oiuitted. l)ut is fastened into a swedge just 

 before I). Fig. 1. 



Id our opinion, there is no sinoker that has 

 ever been produced that will yield the volume 

 of smoke that this will: and for blast i«t is fully 

 eqiuil to the Clark. The only trouble we see 

 with it is. that the slmt-otT-valvc device must 

 be made mechanically perfect; and while ours 

 have w-orked for us u month very nicely, it is 

 possible that, in a year or so of lime it might 

 give trouble.* 



BASSWOOD AND ITS PROPAGATION. 



WHY IS IT I.Ml'KACTK AHLK TO GROW IT FIJOM 



Why doesn't basswood seed germinate, and 

 produce plants? I am induced by J. A. Green's 

 question, on page 770. lo ask this question, as, in 

 all my ol)scrvation. covering a p(;i'iod of several 

 years. I have never bi-en able to lind a single 

 -needling, (n'en under f)ld trees, where the ground 

 was covered with seed. We are told that stock 

 feed upon the young plants, and it is very likely 

 true, as most of the old trees here are found 

 growing upon steep bluffs and places where 

 stock can not go. Exp(;rinients with seed mixed 

 with sand in boxes, kept over winter, both in 



cellar and exposed to freezing, have resultf'd in 

 failure. Now is the time of year that seed is 

 ripcs if it ev(M' is; and I would ask thos(! who 

 have succeeded in making it grow, to tell us 

 how to keep tlu^ seed over winter, and how to 

 handle it to have it grow. It is one of the 

 greatest drawbacks that w(( have in the plant- 

 ing of this valiuible honey-tree, that the tn^es 

 are hard to get in any quantity of suitable size 

 for rapid planting. I see you have taken them 

 out of your late catalogues. From the disposi- 

 tion of the tree to sprout from the roots, one 

 would su|)pos(! it might \m propagatcnl fi'ora 

 small root-cuttings, like the black bcu'ry ; but, 

 again, we lind all sprouts attached to the main 

 stump, and none growing from buds or eyes 

 upon the snuill roots. L. C. Clakk. 



Granada, Kan., Oct. 22. 



[Friend C, basswood seed does germinate and 

 produce plants, providing you learn how to 

 make it do so. In the first place, the seed must 

 be gathered and sown as soon as it is fully ma- 

 tured — usually in September or October. A 

 coating of wood dirt or forest leaves over the 

 seed seems to l)e beneticial. Sometimes per- 

 haps 75 per cent of the seed will grow, but usually 

 not more than half, and sometimes only 25 and 

 even 10 per cent. If you can find a piece of 

 basswood forest where no stock is pei-niitted to 

 pasture on it at all. you can usually lind plenty 

 of young basswoods. We have taken from our 

 price list only the small-sized bassv.o')ds. The 

 reason is, we sold out and did not .succeed in 

 getting young trees so we could get tliem at 

 our formei- prices. It can be propagated by 

 cuttings; but sowing the seed is usually the 

 cheapest and best way. The subject of raising 

 the cuttings, and also planting and sowing the 

 seed, has been fully written up in some of our 

 back numbers— perhaps a dozen years ago.] 



A. I. R. 



THE INDIAN ORPHANAGE OF INDIAN TER- 

 RITORY. 



WHAT IT IS, AND ITS WORK. 



I<«^«r.— Since the above was written, tlie smoker 

 g-ot a little wet; the wood swelled, and stopped the 

 valve. . Tills part of tlie smoker might be made of 

 metal; taut this would make it quite expensive. 



Friend Root: — Knowing that you and many 

 of your readers are interested in missions as 

 well as in bees, I thought I would write a little 

 in regard to my trip to the Cherokee Nation, 

 Indian Territory. I had two objects in view in 

 coming here. One was, to look up the Teri'ito- 

 ry as to its probable value as a bee country: 

 and the other, to visit and inspect the (Jospel 

 Mission and Indian Orphanage, conducted by 

 my friend .1. E. Wolfe ai^d his good wife, who is 

 an educated Cherokee lady. The orphanage 

 farm and wood-working shop arc situated five 

 miles west of Vinita. I. T.. in a most beautiful 

 plain, surrounded by gently rolling hills and 

 naiTow strips of timber skirting the numerous 

 small streams. I find the orphanage the nucle- 

 us of what may some day result in great good to 

 this whole TeiTi lory. They have a shop 40x60 

 feet in size, devoted mosily to the manufacture 

 of chairs. Since coming here I have made some 

 Langstroth hives, and left them a full set of 

 patterns, so that, in the future, they can keep 

 be<is along with their other branches of farm- 

 ing, which comprises all kinds of crops and gar- 

 dening suitable to this locality of short mild 

 winters and long pleasant summers. 



This is a non-.sectarian mission, and the chil- 

 dren are taught simply Jiible Christianity; and 

 the aim is. lo give them a fair education and 

 fit them for a u.seful life. The children are in- 

 dustrious, liappy, and bright, and live and work 

 together as harmoniously as any family of sis- 

 ters and brothers. 



