16 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



mobile would stand idle for many months in 

 the year it could be used to advantage in run- 

 ning not only the saw but the washing-ma- 

 chine, churn, or sewing-machine. Then, Mr. 

 Boss, it will readily occur to you that, when 

 the extracting season arrives, the automobile 

 can be run up to the honey-house, and the 

 power attached to the honej -extractor." 



" Yes," said Mr. Gabfast ; " and you don't 

 want to forget to attach a belt to my uncap- 

 ping-machine, for that will run with a pulley." 



" Glad you spoke <.f it. All these machines 

 help : every thing that enables us to work 

 with rapidity reduces the cost of production. 

 With the automobile for power, a greater 

 amount of honey could be thrown out in a 

 day, and with less help. Then to avoid lifting 

 cases and barrels of honey a crane could be 

 so arranged as to use the power from the au- 

 tomobile. Bee-hives, when moving an apiary, 

 could be handled the same way." 



" Well, I declare!" said the boss; "that 

 vas vone grand schemes," and he enthusias- 

 tically sang : 



" I ish one of dose happy bee mans, 

 I don't got to vork any more ; 

 I loafs all day on der apple-dree shade, 

 And shmokes mine pipe on der door." 



" Hurrah for the automobile ! " 



"Say, boss," said Mr. Gabfast, "I saw the 

 Rambler make a pass at you a few moments 

 ago — guess you are under his influence, hey ? 

 I didn't get so far off my base as to sing 

 Dutch." 



"Now, gentlemen, do not get too enthusi- 

 astic. I have another good feature, better 

 than all the rest. Now listen. When the 

 honey season is over, and we wish to sell our 

 honey for a good price, fit up a real nice orna- 

 mental truck having glass sides ; fill this with 

 a nice lot of honey ; trail it behind the auto- 

 mobile, and circulate with it through the 

 streets of your towns, both large and small, 

 far and near, until you dispose of all of your 

 honey ; then speculate a little and sell honey 

 for those who can not run an automobile. 

 The chief drawing feature about this honey- 

 wagon is the phonograph or gramophone 

 mounted on the top. Let the gramophone do 

 the talking and singing while you hand out 

 the honey for the dimes. A gramophone ar- 

 ranged to sing that Dutch song that you have 

 just been singing, Mr. Boss, would be extreme- 

 ly appropriate ; and, say, wouldn't it draw a 

 crowd? " 



" Ha, ha ! I should say it would," said the 

 boss. ' ' Why, just the automobile itself would 

 draw a crowd ; but then I suppose they will 

 soon become so common that they will attract 

 but little attention. I will vote for the gram- 

 ophone. They are always in order, for they 

 can be made to talk and sing something new 

 and to the point." 



" You fellows can have your gramophone if 

 you want it ; but as for me I have done all of 

 my own talking so far, and feel perfectly well 

 qualified to do it yet," said Mr. Gabfast. 



We both agreed with him on that score, for 

 we believe he could tire out a gramophone any 

 day. 



"But, Rambler," said the boss, "I have 



found one serious objection to the automobile, 

 and that is the expense." 



" I am aware of that ; but you know that, 

 a few years ago, we could not purchase a bicy- 

 cle for less than a hundred dollars, while now 

 we can get a very good wheel for $25. It will 

 be the same with the automobile. It is my 

 opinion that a good machine propelled by gas- 

 oline, suitable for the bee keeping fraternity, 

 will shortly be built for $200." 



" Gentlemen, I am heartily in favor of the 

 beekeepers' automobile," said Mr. Gabfast; 

 ' ' and I move that we petition the A.I. Root Co. 

 to find us such a machine ; and if they fail to 

 find one, manufacture it themselves." 



The boss seconded the motion, and it was 

 unanimously carried, and the A. I. Root Co. 

 are notified to govern themselves accordingly. 



Our meeting broke up with a hurrah for the 

 automobile, and Mr. Gabfast went to his 

 blankets in his wagon, singing, " I ish one of 

 dose happy bee mans " And who wouldn't 

 be a happy bee keeper with such a bright fu- 

 ture ahead ? 



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ANSWERS TO i 



SEASONilBLE 



QUESTIONS 



1, ^ 4^ 1^ ^ I^^N^l Qlff^ ^ ^ ^ j^ ^ J 



SOMETHING ABOUT CEIvLAR WINTERING OE 

 BEES. 



Question. — This being my first experience 

 in wintering bees in the cellar, I am not sure 

 whether they are doing as well as they should 

 or not. Will you please tell me how bees 

 should appear, to be wintering well ? 



Answer. — This used to be a point which 

 bothered me considerably when I first began 

 to winter bees in the cellar ; and had it not 

 been for the instructions on this subject given 

 me by Mr. EHsha Gallup, in the American 

 Bee Journal^ and privately, I might have 

 made many more mistakes than many begin- 

 ners now do. In the first place, when hives 

 are placed in the cellar they should be raised 

 at least two inches from the bottom-board. As 

 the years go by, I am led to believe more and 

 more that this was one great reason I did not 

 succeed better in my first efforts in wintering 

 bees in the cellar ; for at that time I almost 

 invariably left them down on the bottom -board 

 as in summer, and often with the entrances 

 nearly closed, for it was thought then that 

 something must be done so as to keep the bees 

 in the hive during their sojourn in the cellar. 

 But, to the question : " How do I know when 

 the bees are wintering well?" 



To best illustrate I will give something 

 which happened some years ago, as I have it 

 in my diary. A neighbor called to see how 

 the bees were wintering, and to know how I 

 fixed them and the cellar. I told him that my 

 bees in the cellar were wintering well, as I con- 

 sidered it — in fact, I had never had them ap- 

 pear so nice and quiet as they were then ap- 

 pearing that winter in the cellar. After some 

 little more conversation I asked him if he 

 would like to go into the cellar, to which he 



