1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



895 



over the Doolittle division board feeder. At 

 first I did not take very much stock in it; but 

 Mr. Wardell persisted that it was the best feed- 

 er for stimulating ever devised, aud since see 

 ing it in use I have come to share his opinion. 



Its manner of construction will be apparent 

 from the engraving below. It consists of an 

 ordinary brood-frame having a thick top-bar, 

 with this difference : That the frame, instead 

 of being made J/$ or a full inch wide, is any- 

 where from \ x /z to \}i. On each side, and 

 reaching up to within }/ z inch of the bottom 

 of the top-bar, are nailed two thin boards, the 

 nails being driven close together to make the 

 feeder syrup-tight. To further stiffen the feed- 

 er, a central partition with a hole in the bol- 

 tom is let down the feeder and nailed. The 

 purpose of this hole is to give the syrup a 

 chance to> seek its level on either side of the 

 partition. Another hole pierces the top-bar, 

 and it is through this that the feed is poured. 



This feeder is set down in the hive like an 

 ordinary brood-frame, and can be used, when 

 empty, as an ordinary division-board or dum- 

 my to fill up the space in the hive, not occu- 

 pied by the combs ; in fact, it is a good plan 

 to have one in every nucleus ; for, while it 

 serves the purpose of a division board, it will 

 be ready at any time for feeding. 



The operation of feeding is very simple. 

 With a large tea-pot filled with syrup, go to 

 the nuclei requiring to be fed. Slide the cov- 

 er or quilt back just far enough to expose the 

 top bar of the feeder. Pour the syrup down 

 into the feeder through the hole until the 

 holder is full. Roll the quilt back, and the 

 hive is then closed up. 



These feeders can thus be filled without ex- 

 posing the cluster of bees ; and as the. feeder 

 is right down in the brood nest, in the warmth 

 of the cluster, the bees will readily take the 

 feed at any time. 



If you are not a good enough carpenter to 

 make water tight joints in wood, you can 

 make your feeders so they will hold by pour- 

 ing in hot paraffine or beeswax, and then 

 quickly pouring it out again. 



feeder. Unlike the Boardman it is fastened 

 on the outside of the hive ; and it is so con- 

 structed that the feeder can be filled at any 

 time without disturbing the cover or the hive 

 itself. But of course there has to be a hole 



We have used a large number of these feed- 

 ers in our yard, for Mr. Wardell seems to pre- 

 fer it to the Boardman, since on cool nights 

 the bees will not take the feed from an outside 

 feeder as they will from one inside next to the 

 cluster. Then Mr. Wardell thinks the Board- 

 man is a little inclined to incite robbing ; and 

 for stimulating nuclei he very much prefers 

 the Doolittle. 



Speaking about feeders, Mr. C. S. Foster, 

 of Meriden, Ct., has devised another outside 



THE FOSTER BEE-FEEDER ; PATENTED. 



through the side of the hive into the feeder, 

 and through this the bees take their feed. I 

 have no doubt this would be a very excellent 

 feeder, and quite free from any tendency to 

 start robbing ; but it has one great objection ; 

 and that is, the average bee-keeper would be 

 much disinclined to bore holes through the 

 sides of his hives. 



BOOMING POOR ARTICLES FOR SELFISH INTER- 

 ESTS. 



On page 338 of the Bee keepers' Review, 

 R. L. Taylor says: 



The editor of Gleanings (pp. 753, 757. et al.) seems 

 to be very sensitive to the innuendoes aud charges 

 frequently made that his company takes up and 

 booms new things, like plain sections, tall sections, 

 fences, etc., with the sole purpose, regardless of the 

 interests of customers, to make money out of them. 

 Indeed, one is led to wonder whether the editor, judg- 

 ing from his anxiety and protestations, does not ig- 

 norantly feel in some degree guilty. But those who 

 are making the insinuations referred to ought to 

 know better than to do it. Such a course would be 

 suicidical on the part of the company. Successful 

 trade depends upon a profit to each party to it. The 

 A. I. Root Company is not without commercial sagac- 

 ity; and it is not going to run counter to that princi- 

 ple knowingly. 



Perhaps I may have been over-sensitive at 

 some charges that have been made against us ; 

 but in any case I did not lose any sleep over 

 the matter, neither did I feel "in some degree 

 guiltv," although it may have looked very 

 much that way from what I have said along 

 these lines of late. The fact of the matter 

 is, we can not tell what we would do or say 

 until we are hit ourselves. It all depends on 

 whose ox is gored. 



But Mr. Taylor has hit the nail on the head 

 when he says that a course of this kind would 

 be suicidal on the part of the company, and 

 that successful trade depends on a profit to 

 each party. Exactly. Outside of the morals 

 or ethics of the thing, one for his own self- 

 preservation should not from motives of self- 

 interest try to make a general catalog out of 

 his paper; for if he does he will do something 

 far worse — he will cheat himself in the end, 



