GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1. 



Bees appear, so far, lo have wintered well. 

 Our own are ia excellent condition, and the 

 reports from over the country are good. 



This NUMBER goes to press just too soon to 

 get the result of the vote for officers of the 

 United Slates Bee keepers' Union. It will be 

 given in our next. 



We are and have been printing eight extra 

 pages. The large amount of good advertising 

 matter that we are now having makes this 

 necessary in order to give our readers the usual 

 amount of matter. 



Prospects for the California apiarists are 

 good. They have had good rains, and that 

 usually means honey. Bees died last season 

 for many bee keepers who thought they could 

 not afford lo feed. Those who did feed will 

 now gel their money back with good interest, 

 probably. 



Twenty years ago there were scores of 

 would be inventors who made a specialty of 

 moth-traps. The Patent Office has issued hun- 

 dreds of patents on these worthless things. 

 Strangely enough, there are bee-keepers even 

 to day— I do not believe they take any bee- 

 journal— who are wasting their time and money 

 in the same line. Two such chaps wanted to 

 sell their rights to us at fabulous sums. The 

 old saying is true: " The fools are noi all dead 

 yet." 



TOO MUCH TALK ABOUT "FISHBONE." 



Is there not danger that so much talk on the 

 part of bee-keepers regarding fishbone result- 

 ing from ihe use of foundation in sections, will 

 do harm rather than good ? Consumers are 

 ■now satisfied; but if we as bee-keepers go to 

 lalking now aoout artilicial fishbone we shall 

 begin lo create distrust from our customers. 

 Foundation has been used in sections for 20 

 years or more, and yet the average consumer 

 has never made any fuss about fishbone, be- 

 cause he has not and does not know the differ- 

 ence between foundation comb honey and comb 

 h'lney in which no foundation has ever been 

 used. When we come right down lo it, there 

 is comparatively little fishbone; and as the 

 years go on, I feel confident that manufacturers 

 of foundation will be able to make an article 

 where the fishbone can not be detected by even 

 an expert. I confess I have said a good deal 

 about it in this issue myself, but I hope not in 

 a way that will prejudice the consumer against 

 comb honey, a very large proportion of which 

 is built from full sheets of foundation. 



The editor of the American Bee Journal, in 

 referring to new appliances, gives the advice to 

 prove all things, lesting on a small scale. If 

 the first acquaintance in a small way proves to 

 be satisfactory, buy more next time. We have 

 several times uttered a similar thought in 

 our columns, but it will bear repelitioa. Anew 

 article that has honest value in it, with proper 

 adverti*ing, is bound to earn its way. 



A SHORT time ago friend Bingham expressed 

 himself as believing there were no patents on 

 foundation-mills. Something like a dozen, I 

 believe, have been issued. The most impor- 

 tant were from the following-named parties: 

 W. C. Pelham, Mrs. Frances Dunham, E. B. 

 Weed, and last, but not 1-ast, the lamented 

 Samuel Wagner. The latter obtained the first 

 patent. For two years his assignee, Mr. Per- 

 rine, prevented us from making foundation- 

 mills and foundation, there being two years 

 more life to the patent. 



PATENTS ON EXTRACTORS. 



Something like 100 patents have been taken 

 out on honey-extractors, in the United States— 

 at least, we have on file in our office that num- 

 ber. It seems now as if no patent that might 

 be issued would be worth any thing to the 

 inventor. 



By the way, certain parties are representing 

 that our four and six frame Cowan reversible 

 extractors are an infringement upon a recent 

 patent. The vital features of our Cowan ex- 

 tractors are 15 and 35 years old— at least, we 

 can show printed matter showing where such 

 principles were in use at that time. 



THE "don't pays." 



The editor of the American Bee-keeper, refer- 

 ring to a certain class of people who run in debt 

 and don't pay. says: 



One of the meanest things that anyone can do 

 is t J buy goods of a firm on credit, luid when he has 

 reached that point where he will be trusted no 

 longer, to put off paying his account, and buy goodn 

 for cash elsewhere. This sort of thing is done to a 

 considerable e.vtent even among bee-keepers, and 

 we have in preparation a list of some who have 

 served us in this way. 



It is indeed true that "this sort of thing is 

 done to a considerable extent." If the W. T. 

 Falconer Co. will send us a list of their "don't 

 pays" we will return the compliment by send- 

 ing them a list of ours. By the way, it would 

 do no harm if manufacturers and dealers would 

 exchange lists. 



BEES BUXLDINO NATURAL COMB ON WIRES. 



On page 160 Mr. H. R. Board man gave an 

 item regarding bees building combs on wires 

 without the use of foundation. Since that time 

 quite a nutnber have written that they have 

 tried the plan, and that it works very success- 

 fully. A few days ago Mr. Boardman sent us 

 a frame that had been wired perpendicularly. 



