1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



137 



is dry and hard, the ground floor would be as 

 good as or better than one of cement ; but a 

 brick floor would have no advantage, and 

 might be a positive detriment. 



On looking up Gleanings for Feb. 1, 1899, 

 I note that you refer to the method practiced 

 by N. D. West, of running the bees into the 

 cellar by means of a plank shute. Well, now, 

 it strikes me this would be rather rough treat- 

 ment to give a colon}-, just as it is about to be 

 put into its winter quarters for its long sleep. 

 One would imagine it would get such an awak- 

 ening that it would be a long time before it 

 could go to sleep. But Mr. West is an exten- 

 sive bee-keeper, and does things on an exten- 

 sive scale, and if he did not get good results 

 he would not practice the plan. But the aver- 

 age bee-keeper, especially if a beginner, would 

 do better to take the colonies into the cellar as 

 gently as possible. I like the plan of carrying 

 a colony or two of them on a stretcher by two 

 men, as shown in a late Review. 



If the ground in the vicinity of the apiary is 

 nice and level, then a hand-cart with large 

 wheels, without box, but with simply a flat 

 tray, may perhaps be used in lieu ot an extra 

 man ; but the expense of the extra help is very 

 small, because in one afternoon all the colonies 

 of a yard can be taken into the cellar easily, 

 and perhaps another afternoon or forenoon 

 they can be all taken out. The matter of a 

 day's time once in a whole year, or say !ftl.50 

 with 100 or 150 colonies, would cut very little 

 of a figure. — Ed.] 



DOOLITTLE CEIvIv-BUILDING. 

 I take pleasure in sending to Gleanings a 

 photo from a frame of queen-cells which was 

 started on the 18th of September in my yard. 



POPCORN CRISPS ; HOW TO MAKE. 



In February, 1899, you told about popcorn 

 crisps, but did not tell how they are made. 

 My little girl has tried a number of ways, and 

 wants to know how to make them. Please 

 tell, as it will consume lots of honey all over. 



Mayfield, N. Y. G. W. HaineS. 



[The recipe for making popcorn crisps as 

 described in Gleanings for February, 1899, 

 is, I suppose, a secret, and the confectioner who 

 makes them, if I understood Mr. Selser, would 

 on no account give away the method of mak- 

 ing. It is possible he might do so now. If Mr. 

 S. sees this, will he see what can be done ? For 

 a fine toothsome confectionery, popcorn crisps, 

 such as I tasted at Philadelphia, there is noth- 

 ing any nicer ; and, what is more, children 

 could eat them and not get an excess of sweets, 

 as they might from ordinary candy. — Ed.] 



VENTILATING BEE-CELLARS; DR. MILLER'S 

 method CRITICISED. 



I saw in Stray Straws, Jan. 15, that Dr. Mil- 

 ler gets foul air in his bee- cellar, and you say 

 in your footnote that this is a clear case, and, 

 the fact being established in the case, it will be 

 reasonable to assume that in other cases foul 

 air is equally the disturbing cause. 



I should think the doctor ought to know 

 how to keep foul air out of his cellar without 

 building a fire in it. I have wintered about 75 

 colonies in the cellar under our house the last 

 15 years. It is 26 feet square, with a partition 

 through it made of heavy carpet paper. This 

 is put there so that I may darken one half for 

 my bees, and the other half I may have light 

 for storing vegetables, etc., in. There are three 

 windows in the cellar, and two doors — one 





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- ^ * V vi^ - «.V' 



The photo showing this frame of cells was 

 started by the Doolittle method, the bees ac- 

 cepting every cup, there being 17 on the frame. 

 This frame of cells was reared above a queen- 

 excluder, with a good laying queen below. I 

 expect to rear a very large number of queens 

 the coming season for market, all of which 

 will be golden Italians. E. L. Dickinson. 

 Los Banos, Cal., Nov. 8. 



door from the dining-room and the other from 

 my back porch. 



The chimney from the main part of the 

 house is built from my bee-cellar, floor up. 



At the base of this chimney I have a hole for 

 cleaning soot, etc., out, and about four feet 

 from the base I have another hole for a stove- 

 pipe, so that I might put a stove in the cellar 

 should it be necessary. To keep foul air out 



