754 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



first fill all my wide frames (which I use al- 

 most exclusively) with sections, four of them 

 for each frame. In this way I was enabled to 

 handle the sections by fours when providing 

 them with starters, and I thought this to be 

 an advantage ; but I may not think so when I 

 get fully accustomed to the use of the Daisy. 



When we are at work now filling supers we 

 first make up the sections. A large light 

 crate, 2% feet by 4)4, and 2}4. feet high, holds 

 just lOOO" The two slats next to the top of the 

 crate on each end are so arranged that they 

 may be easily removed, and they are removed 

 when the crate is getting empty. We can 

 then reach the last section in the crate conven- 

 iently. We prefer to have the crate contain- 

 ing the sections at our left, the tray with the 

 foundation starters at our right, on a box just 

 high enough to work handily. The one oper- 

 ating the machine occupies a seat nearer the 

 left of the long work-bench : the one filling 

 the supers works nearer the right. We then 

 work together. As fast as the sections are 

 provided with the starters they are taken by 

 the other. The wide frames are filled and put 

 back into the supers, and wedged up. When 

 one alone has to do all the work we place the 

 sections, when ready, on little boards, pieces 

 we happen to have, 8X18 inches; and by 

 placing two of the sections side by side, and 

 two high, each little board holds nearly fifty 

 sections. They may then be piled up quite 

 high, and a good many may be thus stored in 

 comparatively little space till we are ready to 

 fill the supers. 



So far so good. Now something about the 

 demerits. Before I had used the machine at 

 all I noticed that no provision had been made 

 to catch any dripping wax, or keep it from 

 running into the lamp. It is not very much 

 wax that melts off from a little piece of foun- 

 dation ; but when we work right along there 

 will be quite a little drip, and it is annoying 

 to have it run on to the lamp. I therefore 

 took out the screws that hold the iron plate, 

 slipped under a piece of tin 3^4 X 8 in., turned 

 up % inch at the rear, letting it project over 

 and' protect the lamp. Holes were punched 

 through the tin, and the two screws put back 

 in their places. I now thought I had it ; but," 

 far from it. The hot accumulating wax fol- 

 lowed down the screws — enough of it to keep 

 constantly soiling the chimney and lamp. I 

 finally succeeded in stopping this leak, but 

 not without considerable trouble. I had to go 

 to the blacksmith's. There I heated the ears 

 of the plate to a cherry red ; and with a cen- 

 ter-punch-shaped tool driving it lightly into 

 the screw-holes I formed two little cones with 

 the screw-holes in the top, or apex. When 

 the screws were inserted and screwed down 

 they were then sitting on the tops of the cones, 

 and about & inch above the level of the plate. 

 This arrangement prevented the wax from fol- 

 lowing the screw. Somehow some wax would 

 then find its way in between the plate and the 

 tin shield, so I treated the latter in a similar 

 way. Of course, I did not have to heat the 

 tin. Now the machine works satisfactorily. 



It might be well to mention another feature 

 of the Daisy, that was not to my liking. Judg- 



ing from the pictures we see of it, and also 

 from the description and the wording in the 

 price list, we are led to believe that we might 

 easily find a lamp to fit it as the Daisy is sent 

 out ; and so we buy the machine without the 

 lamp, especially if we should have several 

 lamps on hand bought previously with other 

 foundation-fasteners. But when the machine 

 comes to hand we find it requires a lamp but 

 about 7 inches high, which is about the height 

 of the ordinary pearl-top chimney. A lamp 

 of this description I was unable to find, al- 

 though I searched the stores of several towns. 

 I was obliged to lower the lamp-shelf some 

 three or four inches, which would have been 

 a much easier matter had the board the shelf 

 is attached to not been scalloped out at the 

 point where I now had to place the shelf. Had 

 the board been left the same size all the way 

 down it would have given an opportunity to 

 put in the screws for holding the shelf. As it 

 was, I had to get along the best way I could. 



I offer the above suggestions to the bee- 

 keepers as well as to the manufacturers, for 

 the latter are probably as anxious to furnish a 

 perfect machine as the former are to receive it. 



Naples, N. Y., May 22. 



[For some little time we have had in mind 

 making certain changes in the Daisy founda- 

 tion-fastener ; and those changes, when they 

 are made, will eliminate the objections you 

 have made. The plate will be made thicker, 

 and so constructed as to carry away the drip 

 of the wax back into a little can by the side 

 of the lamp, thus protecting the latter from 

 the unsightly daubing of wax. 



We are always glad to get criticisms of this 

 kind, because the combined result of them 

 will be the perfection of each article in the 

 bee-keeping-supply line. The Cowan extract- 

 or, for instance, has been put into the hands 

 of practical extracted -honey producers, with 

 a request that they criticise, which they did ; 

 and where it was practicable from a mechani- 

 cal standpoint certain changes were made, so 

 the Cowan now represents the best hone)-- 

 extractor we know how to build. In the 

 same way we are glad to receive suggestions 

 in regard to smokers, hives, and other articles 

 that we manufacture. Kind criticisms we 

 consider a friendly act, and no one should 

 hesitate to point out defects for fear we will 

 not take it in the spirit in which it is given. — 

 Ed.] 



• > ♦ ♦♦o0»o-»» * » • 



THE CRANE SMOKER. 



How it Might be Improved: How to Produce Pat 



Sections; Value of Slats in Separators 



or Fences. 



BY JOHN S. CAU.BREATH. 



3Ir. E. R. Root: — On page 171 Mr. Crane, 

 in answer to your question about the Crane 

 smoker, says that "the jacket broke away 

 from the rivets." It did the same on the one 

 I had. Allow me to suggest that, if you would 

 put an asbestos washer between the fire-cup 

 and the jacket (shield), and a steel washer on 

 the outside of the shield for each rivet, the de- 



