588 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



DEEP ENTRANCES OR HIVES ON FOUR BLOCKS. 



I OMITTED to mention in our last issue, in 

 referring to Mr. Burt's opinion of deep en- 

 trances, that he had tried hives raised up on 

 four blocks, as mentioned by Dr. C. C. Miller. 

 While it reduced swarming and prevented 

 clustering out, j^et when they did swarm it 

 was a big nuisance to find the clipped queen, 

 " because," said he, " there is an entrance on 

 four sides of the hive, and one does not know 

 where to look for her." The thought has 

 since occurred to me that it is impossible to 

 work over such hives without obstructing the 

 flight of the bees to a greater or less extent. 

 Then in going uo and down through the rows 

 between the hives one would be sure to ob- 

 struct the flight of bees, go which way he 

 might. Mr. Burt used an entrance the full 

 width of the hive, and two inches deep. This 

 he thought more practical than raising hives 

 up on four blocks. 



Later. — Since writing the foregoing the 

 following has come to hand, favoring the 

 double entrance : 



A PLEA FOR THE DOUBLE ENTRANCE. 



Our hives are all made with a front and rear en- 

 trance alike, /e x 13 inches. Fourteen years ago I 

 made a lot of wedge strips with the view of enlarging 

 the front entrance to an inch, and doing aw&y with 

 the back entrance ; but it didn't work The enlarg- 

 ing of the front entrance is not equal to a direct draft 

 through the hive, and for that reason I open the back 

 entrance first ; and when that is not sufficient I pry 

 up the front end and put under the wedge strips. 

 That gives a fine head opening; and .sometimes, with 

 a high wind, it might be too much of a good thing. 



When the season is over I close up the back en- 

 trance, when the bees are not flying, to Yi inch, and 

 in the course of ten days I close the back entrance for 

 the season. A few bees may come fussing around 

 the back entrance, but their time isn't worth much, 

 and they will soon find their wav to the front. 



T. R. Sawyer. 



VISIT FROM D. E. MERRILL, OF THE W. T. 

 FALCONER MANUF.\CTURING CO. 



Several of tts were out in front of the fac- 

 tory admiring some honey just brought in by 

 Merton Chase, which his bees had put in 

 plain sections, when along came a rider on a 

 gear-cased Cleveland wheel. Without recog- 

 nizing the man I called out, " Ride a Cleve- 

 land, and keep in front." "Just so," the ri- 

 der responded. At this he dismounted, and 

 introduced himself as Merrill, of the W. T. 

 Falconer Co., Jamestown, N. Y. He had 

 wheeled it some 33 miles from Cleveland — in 

 fact, had wheeled it all the way from his home 

 in Jamestown ; but owing to rainy days he 

 was not able to get here as soon as he expect- 

 ed, and consequently his stop would have to 

 be confined to something like two hours. 

 " Oh my! " said I ; " you ;;///5/ stay longer." 

 He would have been glad to do so, but he 

 had made arrangements to get back to Cleve- 

 land at three o'clock, and so had to be there 

 on time. Without further ceremony I ran 



him over the establishment at a hop-skip-and- 

 jump pace. As it was then nearly time for 

 him to start back I told him he must surely 

 take dinner before going. He was not in the 

 habit of eating much in the middle of the day, 

 and did not think then he required any thing 

 more than a bowl of bread and milk. Well do 

 I remember how such a " dose " " goes to the 

 spot " after a long ride — something nourishing 

 and wet for a parched tongue. We repaired 

 to the house, and I called for bread and milk. 



D. E. MERRILL. 



I laughingly remarked that I should have to 

 " go a piece " with him, as his visit had been 

 so short. A bowl of bread and milk was then 

 brought in for each of us ; and while we were 

 eating, my sister remarked ( my wife was away 

 visiting), " I shouldn't be surprised if you 

 went clear to Cleveland." 



"Hardly," I said. "That game ankle* 

 would not push me to Cleveland." 



Suffice it to say, we started out on our two 

 Clevelands ; and when opposite the basswood 

 apiary we stopped to take a peep at that. 



"Well," said I, "my game ankle is not 

 bothering me so much, and I think I vdll go a 

 piece further." 



My ride and visit with friend M. were so en- 

 joyable that, in spite of the occasional pain ex- 

 perienced in the aforesaid ankle, I found my- 

 self finally in the outskirts of Cleveland, some 

 27 or 28 miles from home, just in time to take 

 a train that I cotild catch near by, back home. 



I found Mr. Merrill to be a most agreeable 

 companion, and, like myself, he is an enthusi- 

 ast over bicycles, and the Cleveland in partic- 

 ular. 



*A few days before, I had been out swimming in the 

 lake, and " got the cramp, " and, as a result, the ankle 

 was still lame. 



