1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUI.TURE. 



401 



fairly boiling over with bees in two-story 

 hives. If brood is pretty well scattered in 

 both chambers there will be but little swarm- 

 ing, and the honey will very soon be put into 

 the comb-honey supers. I'nless you can suc- 

 ceed in getting both brood-chambers crammed 

 full, better remove one of them just as honey 

 is coming in, and put on two comb-honey su- 

 pers instead. This may result in swarming, 

 but you will get some honey. The advantage 

 of the double chamber is that it almost entire- 

 ly does away with swarming, and still comb 

 honey can be secured. Don't forget that you 

 must have a good queen, and both stories 

 crammed with bees and brood in before the 

 honey-flow. 



I don't say that the plan will work for all 

 localities, but it works tiptop here. 



MANAGER SECOR AS AN ARBITRATOR. 



Some time ago I referred a difficulty be- 

 tween a bee-keeper and a commission house 

 to the manager of the U. S. B. K. U. The 

 case was a particularly difficult one, especially 

 one where collection seemed well nigh out of 

 the question. As a last resort, and with a 

 feeling, I must confess, that nobody could do 

 any thing, I referred the matter to the Manag- 

 er of the U. S. B. K. U., Eugene Secor. The 

 commission house in question does a large 

 business in one of our large cities. For cer- 

 tain irregularities we never admitted their 

 quotations. Well, what was my surprise when 

 I found that Mr. Secor had actually compelled 

 them to pay up ! and the bee-keeper who, I 

 think, had also given up his case, was so pleas- 

 ed that he turned in !^2.00 to the Union for 

 payment of membership in advance, saying 

 that, if that was the way the Union was going 

 to champion the rights of members, he was 

 going to support it. 



Manager Secor is a good arbitrator; and if 

 he could bring about a satisfactory settlement 

 in a case that seemed practically hopeless, as 

 was the above, he is a captain. 



For years back we have been acting as third 

 party, or arbitrator, between commission men 

 and bee-keepers ; but on many accounts the 

 Union can and should do far better work, and 

 at the same time bring to bear its moral pres- 

 tige and strength; and I would suggest, there- 

 fore, that in future all cases be turned over to 

 General Manager Secor, of Forest City, Iowa, 

 for I am sure he will handle them with dis- 

 cretion and ability. But there is one thing 

 you must not forget to do, and that is to be- 

 come a member of the Union before you get 

 into trouble. It is hardly fair to expect that 

 the Union would come to your support if you 

 are not already a member. 



Every one of our subscribers ought to be 

 allied at once to this organization that stands 

 for the best interests of the bee-keeper and 

 the championship of his rights. Do not wait 

 till you forget about it, but plank down your 

 dollar at once. Members of the Union can 

 have GivEANiNGS for 75 cts., and, if I am cor- 

 rect, the other journals give special rates like- 

 wise. These and other benefits ought to make 

 membership worth many times its cost. 



FOUNDATION 18 FEET TO THE POUND. 



The first mill for turning out this product, 

 which I mentioned on page 312, was not ex- 

 actly according to Mr. Weed's notion, and he 

 accordingly went to work and made another, 

 incorporating a new feature, and wath rolls six 

 inches in diameter instead of four, and involv- 

 ing entirely new principles of construction. 

 The machine is not yet hitched on to steam 

 power, but from preliminary tests we have 

 made by hand it looks as if we would be able 

 to turn out a product that for lightness ( 18 ft. 

 to the lb.), and thinness of base (from 3 to 4 

 one-thousandths inch thick) that will excel 

 any thing heretofore put on the market. 

 When it is remembered that the bees make the 

 bottoms of their cells only j „'\,y thick, or about 

 that, it will be seen we have approached Na- 

 ture itself. But this mill runs the wax out just 

 the opposite of what is done on ordinary rolls; 

 that is to say, the sheets will have to hang 

 with the parallel sides of the cell-walls paral- 

 lel to the line of support. By a special con- 

 struction of the cell-walls and an arrangement 

 of the die- faces Mr. Weed confidently expects 

 (and preliminary tests have led us to think 

 he is right) that the resultant product, IS feet 

 to the pound, when hung as it should be in 

 the hive, will actually stretch less than the 

 article measuring 1 3 feet to the pound, hereto- 

 fore sold. And this is not all. There will 

 probably be no more fishbone in comb honey 

 built from this new article than from that built 

 wholly by the bees, and worker comb at that. 

 I do not want to go on record as saying that 

 both of these results will be accomplished be- 

 yond a doubt. Tests this summer will have 

 to prove that. 



We hope to be able within a week to supply 

 this new foundation at 75 cts. a pound in lots 

 of one and two pounds, and possibly larger 

 quantities, providing machinery now in pro- 

 cess of construction for driving such large 

 rolls works all right, as we can not very well 

 supply it in quantity and turn the new mill b}^ 

 crank. And the price will be less, probably, 

 after we get through " experimenting." Don't 

 expect prompt shipment if you order this 

 foundation with other goods. 



Mr. Weed, who is now in Cleveland, wishes 

 me to say that his dies for drawn foundation 

 are progressing finely, and he hopes to have 

 the new product, with natural bases, ready to 

 deliver soon. 



FRUIT-BI.OOM. 



FruiT-bi,oom in this locality has been more 

 profuse, and made more of a showing in the 

 hives, than it has done for several years past. 

 Reports over the country seem to indicate the 

 same thing. This means, if it means any 

 thing, lots of brood-rearing, and strong colo- 

 nies ready for the main honey-flow in the lat- 

 ter part of June or fore part of July. All this 

 looks very hopeful ; but I have not forgotten 

 how in former years we have had the same fa- 

 vorable conditions, and yet practically no hon- 

 ey at the time when it usually comes. This 

 was true in some localities last year, and more 

 true in many localities the year before. 



