GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



299 



As Ernest has lately mentioned in Glean- 

 ings, we have a great deal of propolis in parts 

 of New York, and our locality is one of those 

 parts. I can not clean badly daubed boxes 

 without first removing the bulk of the gum 

 with a knife, as three or four sections covered 

 with sticky fresh propolis would clog the 

 sandpaper. When the propolis is perfectly 

 dry and hard it can be sandpapered success- 

 fully, but not when fresh. 



Formerly we considered lUO sections a day's 

 work — that is, they were scraped with a knife, 

 and then all stains were removed by scraping 

 with glass. Some of you may smile at this ; 

 but if you could see our honey before and 

 after cleaning, perhaps you would have some 

 idea of the job. 



With the machine, I can clean from two to 

 three times as many, and do it easier and bet- 

 ter. I have two machines — one for foot power 

 and one for horse power. I would not advise 

 any one to make one for foot power, as it is so 

 hard to maintain the high speed. One sheet 

 of sandpaper will clean about 70 sections; but 

 I have scraped as many as 140 with a single 

 sheet. In localities where there is little pro- 

 polis it would work better than here, as you 

 can easily clean a section a minute. 



The sandpaper is bent over the edge of the 

 disk, and fastened with four or five small 

 tacks, so a fresh sheet can be put on in a mo- 

 ment. 



Reed Corners, N. Y., Feb. 4. 



[There, friend R., you have given us just 

 the information we have been seeking. It 

 seems, then, that the sandpaper will fill up 

 with propolis; but occasional renewing and 

 high speed, secured by power, obviate nearly 

 all the trouble. This will explain 2uhy some 

 have been successful with these machine clean- 

 ers, and some have not. 



Another fact seems to be brought out; viz., 

 that the hand and foot power machines, at 

 least those that afford only a low speed to the 

 surface of the sandpaper, probably can not be 

 made a success. That means that they must 

 either be speeded up or cast aside. May be 

 we'd better write this down big in our hats 

 before we do any expensive experimenting. — 

 Ed.] 



NOTES OF TRAVEL AMONG BEE-KEEPERS OF 

 YORK STATE. 



At Frank Boombower's; Cutting Glass for Sections; 

 Boomhower's Scraping-table. 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



Along toward the latter part of the month 

 of September I was circling about among the 

 bee-keepers of Schoharie and Albany Counties, 

 New York. As I made my way over some of 

 the country, well did I remember how I had, 

 seven years before, with a 52-pound bicycle, 

 puffed and pushed over those same hills ; but 

 now, partly because the aforesaid hills scared 

 me out, and partly because I wished to save 

 time, my 2-5-pounder had been left in Syra- 

 cuse, and I was speeding my way much easier 

 and faster on the train. 



Along one hot afternoon I found myself in 

 front of the residence of Frank Boomhower, 

 Gallupville, N. Y. As I knocked at the door 

 of the workshop I wondered whether I should 

 find, my friend inside. Sure enough, there 

 was Mr. B. and his twin boys, about 18 or 19 

 years old. The latter were scraping sections 

 while the father himself was cutting glass, for 

 through that section of country, at least, a 

 very large part of the comb honey is glazed. 



After going through the formality of intro- 

 ducing myself, and getting acquainted, Mr. B. 

 began at once to show me the kinks of the 

 trade. When I came in I noticed he was cut- 

 ting glass, or, rather, breaking it up, in a little 

 different way from what I had seen before. 

 With a good diamond he marks the several 

 sheets off into checker-board squares, as it 

 were, the squares being of the same size as is 

 required to cover the face of the section. Sev- 

 eral of the sheets are marked off in this way, 

 after which they are piled one above another, 

 but so as to bring the crease-marks made by 

 the diamond diiectly in alignment. 



Mr. B. now takes up the pile of glass in both 

 /lands ; and, holding one set of crease-marks 

 directly over the edge of a box, he brings the 

 glass down with a smart rap en masse, and, 

 presto ! every sheet is severed in a straight 

 line at a crack. He then moves the bundle of 

 glass along to the next crease, and gives it an- 

 other crack, and away goes another handful. 

 After the glass has been divided up one way 

 he turns the glass round at right angles, and 

 gives it another crack along one of the scratch 

 lines. So on he proceeds until the whole 

 bunch of glass is broken up into squares, and 

 as quickly and nicely as you and I would 

 break up one sh(et at a time. I explained this 

 kink to quite a number of bee-keepers, but 

 they had never learned it, but promised they 

 would try it at the first opportunity. 



Well, after Mr. Boomhower had broken 

 glass to my satisfaction I turned about to see 

 how the boys scraped sections Here is their 

 table. 



boomhower's scraping-Table. 

 The engraving will make its manner of con- 

 struction plain. It is simply a common drj'- 

 goods-box, mounted on four legs. At each 

 end a part of the cover is left on ; and on each 

 side, and flush with the edge of these side- 

 boards, a notch is cut. As I watched the boys 

 scraping, one on either side, I soon saw the 



