84 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. L 



and then reverse the feeder ; this will make an 

 atmospheric feeder that will feed itself as long 

 as there is any honey in the feeder, and will 

 not be full of bees ; then, too, it will hold a 

 good quantity of honey. 



My honey crop figures up a little over 3000 

 pounds — not bad for a " bad season. " I ship- 

 ped it to San Francisco, and realized 1 yi cts. 

 Beeswax, 53 lbs., sold for 26 cts. Why is it 

 that there is but two cents' difference between 

 the poorest and best wax? One season a bee- 

 keeper brought me his wax and requested me 

 to ship it with mine. I placed it in the solar 

 wax-extractor. When it was all melted there 

 remained a spongy mass of black filih. I then 

 melted the wax, and, to my surprise, found it 

 would not leave the can. Mine always sepa- 

 rates from the sides. I was compelled to cut 

 the can apart to get it out . Now, after this re- 

 cleaning it was still a dingy-looking mess, so 

 I shipped it by itself and stated that it came 

 from another party. My wax was as bright 

 and clean as it is possible to make it ; yet when 

 I received my returns the two lot's brought the 

 same price. I am satisfied that the dirty wax 

 was largely suet. A poor article of wax should 

 not bring over 20 cts., while a No. 1 article 

 should at all times command 30. 



I have been looking for that honey-leaflet 

 for months past. I inclose a recipe for it, pro- 

 vided it passes Mrs. Root's inspection. 



HONEY AND ALMOND CAKE. 



Boil one pound of honey. After it has boil- 

 ed, and while still hot, stir in one pound of 

 flour, % pound of coarsely chopped almonds, 

 browned in % pound of sugar (heat the sugar 

 without water ; when it has melted stir in the 

 nuts ; allow it to cool, and then separate the 

 nuts so they will mix well). Add one tea- 

 spoonful of ground cinnamon, ^ teaspoonful 

 of ground cloves, a handful of chopped citron, 

 and a scant teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a 

 little water. Mix well, spread on a floured tin, 

 and bake. While still warm cut into squares. 



Murphy's, Cal. 



[There would be a difficulty in making the 

 division-board feeder take the place of two 

 frames, for the reason that the bees would be 

 very likely to go inside, build comb, and fill 

 the same with syrup right direct from the feed- 

 er. Indeed, they did do that to a limited ex- 

 tent, even with the feeders that were only 1 % 

 inches wide inside. To increase the width 

 would make the temptation all the greater 



In practice we find it better to use two such 

 feeders, one on each side of the brood nest, 

 when we desire to increase the quantitv fed i^t 

 a time. When, however, we wish to give the 

 bees at least ten or twenty pounds at one feed 

 for winter, then we use the Milltr. 



A division-board feeder made of tin on the 

 plan you describe would no doubt work ; but 

 after considerable feeding, year after year, we 

 have come to the conclusion that f » eders of 

 metal are too cold for the bees. When con- 

 structed of wood, the bees will take the svrup 

 when they would not go near the same feeder 

 if it is made of tin. This idea of "metallic 

 coldness" would have very little weight with 



you in your climate ; but for most localities it 

 would mean much. 



So you do not understand why there should 

 be so little difference in the quotations of the 

 very best and the medium grades of wax. 

 We make a difference of 2 cents, sometime'^ 3, 

 when the wax is of extra quality or of very 

 poor quality. That is to say, the poor quality 

 might bring 24 cts., and the very best would 

 bring 27. If it is pure beeswax, the medium 

 grades are worth to us within 2 cents as much 

 as the very best, because with our processes of 

 refining it does not cost us more than 2 cts. to 

 bring the medium grades, and even the dirty 

 grades, up to the very best, even counting out 

 the very slight amount of dross that is left aft- 

 er refining. But this dross is by no means 

 wasted; for after a second refining, using more 

 acid, more wax stdl can be taken out, and the 

 last remnant consigned to the solar wax-ex- 

 tractor, to be treated to a gentle heat for several 

 days. After that it may have to be subjected 

 to the wax-press. But whatever we can get 

 out of this dross or "slumgum, " as we some- 

 times call it, it i-j just so much clear gain. 



We have no secret process of refining, for 

 our wax-room is open to inspection to any bee- 

 keeper. We simply have a large wooden tank 

 capable of holding about ten barrels. Into 

 this is poured about a barrel and a half of wa- 

 ter, acidulated with about two per cent of raw 

 commercial sulphuric acid. The hogshead — 

 for that in reality is what it is — is then filled 

 with commercial wax of all shades and colors, 

 and the whole is then trea'ed to a jet of steam. 

 After it is thoroughly melted the pipe is with- 

 drawn, the tank is covered, and allowed to 

 stand over night. The next morning the wax 

 is ready to draw off thr<)ugh faucets located at 

 different heights on the tank. Durmg the 

 night the aoid and water, by reason of their 

 greater specific gravity, settle down out of the 

 wax, leaving it on top ; during the same time 

 the dirt now free from the wax settles into the 

 water. The wax is then drawn off into deep 

 cans, and usually has a bright yellow color, so 

 totally unlike the product that went into the 

 hogshead tint one could hardly realize the two 

 are one and the same. 



Of cour-e, it is impracticable for the average 

 bee keeper to use so large a hogshead ; but he 

 can use practically the same methods with an 

 ordinary barrel, reducing the quantity of acid 

 and water, but, of course, keeping the relative 

 amount of acid the same. 



The quan ity of acid in any case will depend 

 largely on the color of the wax before it goes 

 into the refining vat. If the whole batch is al- 

 most black, then we would use about n per cent 

 of acid to water. If some of it is black, some 

 yellow, some brown, then we would use about 

 the per cent first named. — Ed.] 



J. A J , Del. — If you have combs of sealed 

 honey, by all means give these to the bees that 

 are short rather than to feed bees sugar syrup at 

 this time of the year. Indeed, I may say as 

 a rule that, when we have cjmbs of sealed 

 stores, and plenty of them, it would be folly 

 to undertake the expense of feeding. 



