372 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CITLTURE. 



May 15. 



known an accident. A 11 m in Boston once 

 wrote me that it was i.nsafe to ship honey 

 without partition, and my experience corrob- 

 orates the statement. I believe the damage 

 here is done by cars bumping together. Care 

 in packing, shipping, and selling is just as im- 

 portant as in producing. We should get the 

 cheapest package possible, to be sure it will 

 entirely accomplish the purpose for which it is 

 intended. 



THIN SECTIONS. 



Nothing should be considered settled until it 

 Is settled right. I have heard the integrity of 

 Gleanings seriously questioned when edited 

 by its founder because of its persistently claim- 

 ing, as an advantage of light-weight sections, 

 that they would be bought by many on account 

 of their cheapness. Gleanings is evidently 

 honest about it, but is certainly mistaken, at 

 least in this country. 



When I see comb honey in a store I generally 

 ask the price. Next I ask the weight of a sec- 

 tion. The salesman calls it a "pound," or 

 "about a pound." If I know it is light I tell 

 him so. If he is honest he weighs some; if he 

 knows it is light he prefers evading the point, 

 or changing the subject. I have never found 

 the light-weight sections selling for less price 

 than full-weight, in a single case. Who has? 

 Ordinary customers see a 4^4 x4J^ section, and 

 consider it "a pound," "about a pound," or 

 "nearly a pound," and far the most take the 

 former position. If we use thin sections, let us 

 change their rim measure. 



J. P. Flory, of Lemoore, Cal., who has prob- 

 ably changed his hives, sections, frames, etc., 

 more than any other man west of New York, 

 has been using a 4!^x5i4Xl>^ section, without 

 separators, for three or four years, and says it 

 weighs a pound. Some call it Flory's big sec- 

 tion, and it does look big. About half a dozen 

 men who run the smaller part of their bees to 

 comb honey use it. You can show one to a cus- 

 tomer, and call it a pound, with a clear con- 

 science; he is pleased with it, and buys sooner 

 than he will with a 4}4'x4)i of the same weight. 

 I use the standard, honest, 16-ounce avoirdu- 

 poise-pound section because it is more con- 

 venient, and shippers would rather buy it. 



Mr. Flory claims that bees will build a comb 

 from a " starter," fill with honey, and seal it, 

 before they will fill and seal combs on each side 

 of it, such combs to be placed IX inches apart. 

 From this he argues in favor of thin sections 

 being built sooner, as well as looking better. 

 The experiment is worth trying. 

 bee-range. 



On page 240 it seems Borodino bees do profit- 

 able work from four to eight miles. I am 

 thoroughly convinced that bees owned by C. 

 M. Davis, of Selma, Cal., gathered considerable 

 camphor-weed honey, which grew within three 

 miles of my bees, while my bees could not 



nearly make a living. The ground intervening 

 was rough, but no great heights or winds for- 

 bade the free passage of bees. If that was an 

 exceptional case we should all know it, as it 

 seems to me a very important question, how 

 far bees can work to best advantage. 

 Caruthers, Cal., Apr. 20. 



CLEATS ON BELLOWS TO BEE-SMOKERS. 



PRACTICAL suggestion FROM A BEE KEEPER 

 OF A THOUSAND COLONIES. 



Bij W. L. Coggshall. 



I sometimes know a good thing when I see it. 

 Here is one of the best little things, that I dis- 

 covered some time ago, and it costs only a little 

 time. 



Take one side of a section (or a honey-box), 

 and with a knife cut it into four equal parts 

 lengthwise, and, with some very small tacks, 

 tack them on the edge of your smokers where 

 you take hold, like this, 

 on both sides, and then 

 see how much easier 

 you can handle the 

 smoker and not drop it. 

 The action of the hand 

 in opening and shutting 

 a heavy smoker renders you liable to drop it. 



The best fuel that I ever used for a smoker is 

 burlap phosphate-sacks, or gum bags. They 

 can be had very cheaply at junk-shops. I roll 

 them up, not too tightly nor too loosely, so they 

 fit the smoker. I light one end, and lay a stick 

 by the side of the burlap, when I put it into the 

 smoker for draft. 



A smoker filled in that way will last three or 

 four hours, with light work at bees. There are 

 no sparks, and no danger of fire. 



Bees wintered well, 2 per cent loss. My hon- 

 ey is nearly all closed out— 78,000 lbs. We shall 

 have about 1000 colonies this season. 



I think it would be to your advantage to call 

 on me next August. I extend you an invitation. 



West Groton, N. Y., March 26. 



[One of our men, a couple of y ars ago, in the 

 apiary, I noticed, was using cleats on his 

 smoker-bellows; and on trying them I noticed 

 that they aflforded a much better " grip " for 

 the hand. I am not sure but it would be a good 

 plan to put them on all the bellows of our 

 higher priced smokers; but instead of using 

 cleats we would groove the boards on each side 

 so as to leave a molded edge that would look 

 better, and feel more comfortable to the fingers. 

 We will have a lot made soon, and later on send 

 a smoker having this feature to Mr. Coggshall, 

 "with our compliments." In the mean time 

 those who already have the plain bellows- 

 board can very easily fix them in the manner 

 suggested. 



It was Mr. Crane, of smoker fame, who first 

 suggested to us a smoker fuel similar to the 

 gum sacks. He uses, or did use, old propolized 

 cloths or quilts that had been used over the 

 frames. We tried some of this, and found it to 

 be an excellent fuel. 



