1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



697 



one of his hives. He now, I believe, prefers 

 to rear " cells " on a slick (shown on p. 647), 

 as it saves the mutilation of good comb. The 

 view was taken with a pocket folding Kodak ; 

 and as it has since been enlarged by the en- 

 graver to nearly twice its former size, the 

 result is certainly quite remarkable. The 

 likeness of Mr. Wardell is most excellent, and 

 the factory building in the background can 

 not be other than natural. 



Mr. Wardell showed me two colonies that 

 had already completed 100 cells, and they 

 were still working on another batch; and, what 

 is more, he expects to keep them right at it as 

 long as the weather permits. Both of these 

 colonies have old or defective queens ; and 

 when he was going through the apiary he dis- 

 covered, early in July, that each of them was 

 rearing cells as if about to supersede the old 

 queens. He marked thesfe to rear cells, cut 

 out the cells already in the hive, and gave 

 each a batch of Doolittle cell-cups. After the 

 light honey-flow ceased he kept feeding each 

 slowly while cell-building was going on. 



He has other colonies with old queens that 

 are kept at the same business of rearing cells, 

 and in the same way. Whenever he finds a 

 colony about to supersede its queen he sets it 

 aside for cell-building exclusively. Such col- 

 onies he considers extremely valuable, as, for 

 aught he knows, he can keep them building 

 cells clear through the season. I should not 

 have supposed that this was possible; but facts 

 are stubborn things. 



But not all cells are reared in superseding 

 colonies, as we may call them. He has other 

 stocks that he prepares in this way : A colony 

 is made queenless and broodless. At the same 

 time, he begins gentle feeding for the purpose 

 of stimulating. A batch of Doolittle cell-cups, 

 with grafted larvit, after the lapse of two or 

 three days is then put in, when, presto ! they 

 begin work with a hearty good will; but such 

 colonies can not be used for rearing more than 

 about two batches of cells, says Mr. Wardell ; 

 and, all things considered, he prefers colonies 

 with queens to be superseded. 



DEATH OF MILES MORTON. 



In my last trip to the East I had intended 

 to stop off, either going or coming, at Groton, 

 N. Y., where Miles Morton lived — a man who, 

 probably, has had more experience with 

 fences than any person now living, and from 

 whom, in fact, I had gained nearly all my 

 inspiration and knowledge of fences in gen- 

 eral. After one year's experience with them 

 ourselves, and after having looked over letters 

 from all quarters of the country, some of 

 them suggesting slight improvements, I had 

 hoped that I might have a further talk with 

 our friend, and thus, if possible, bring the 

 fence nearer to perfection than it was during 

 the season of 1S98; but at the very time I ex- 

 pected to make my call at Groton, August 30, 

 I was taken sick, as I have explained in an- 

 other column, and therefore wrote Mr. Mor- 

 ton, stating that I should, perhaps, have to 

 call a month later. A day or so afterward I 

 received the following sad note, which I 

 place before our readers: 



Dear Fiiend- — It is with a sad heart I write, for I 

 have to tell you that our dear friend and brother, 

 Miles Morton, passed over to join the " great majority" 

 on Sept. 1st. He anxiously looked for your coming 

 as you wrote, Aug. 30th arid 31st, and we very much 

 regret your not coming. Relatives, friends, bee-keep- 

 ers, and the whole community have met with an ir- 

 reparable loss. His health had been very poor all 

 the season, but he had been able to direct the general 

 method of caring for our bees, and had many little 

 kinks looked up to show you when you came. I will 

 try to get some of them "on paper for you when a 

 leisure moment comes in; but it's a case of hustle with 

 me just now, getting crates made, polishing sections, 

 getting honey off, etc. Then Dr. Mason wants me to 

 write something for the conven'ion, and I haven't 

 had time nor steady head enough for a month past to 

 try it. S. A. NiVER. 



Groton, N. Y., Sept. 6. 



Mr. NJver, his brother-in-law, had written 

 me that Mr. Morton was quite poorly, but I 

 had no idea he was near the point of death; 

 and I judge that even his immediate friends 

 and relatives did not think the golden chain 

 would be broken quite so soon. 



MII,ES MORTON. 



Mr. Morton was one of the keenest, bright- 

 est bee-keepers in New York. He was a fine 

 mechanic of the Dr. Tinker order; and back 

 of his beautiful home he had a nicely equip- 

 ped little shop where he loved to tinker, and 

 make things for his bee-keeping friends. He 

 was a natural born mechanic, as could be 

 easily seen from the exact workmanship and 

 beautiful finish of all he did; and bee-keepers 

 for miles around used to go to Mr. Morton for 

 their supplies. 



I have traveled pretty well around that 

 section of country, and everywhere Mr. Mor- 

 ton was spoken of in the highest terms, not 

 only as a successful bee-keeper, but as one 

 who made the best supples in the world. 



Well, it was this same Morton who has been 

 using fences for the last twelve years, and in 

 his quiet way has been supplying his friends 

 and neighbors, not only with fences, but with 

 every thing else in the line of bee-keepers* 

 supplies. 



