622 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



And right here it might be well to state that a 

 good many have a very wrong idea as to how 

 this Coggshall brush is to be used. The combs 

 should not be swept in the same way one 

 would sweep a floor ; but the broom should 

 make a sidt' sweep, so that the edges of the 

 strands may strike the bees, and not the ends, 

 something as shown in the illustration on 

 page 605. Mr. Coggshall has his broom tied 

 to his waist ; and the moment he is through 

 using it he simply lets it drop ; and when he 

 is ready for it again, it is in his hand in an in- 

 stant. 



UNCAPPING. 



Of all the diiTerent uncapping-devices, I do 

 not know of any that is quite so handy and so 

 convenient as the Dadant uncapping-can, see 

 page 610. It has a large capacity for the cap- 

 pings, and also a large capacity for the drain- 

 ings. It is convenient in height, light in 

 weight, and when the uncapping is completed 

 it can be covered, and the cappings allowed to 

 drain for several days if need be. 



THE NATIONAL CONVENTION AT CHICAGO ; 

 SOME OF ITS ATTRACTIONS. 



If there is any one feature that our bee con- 

 ventions have lacked in the last few 3ears, it 

 has been stereopticon work. It was introduc- 

 ed for the first time, if I am correct, in the 

 history of the National, at Philadelphia, by 

 W. E. Flower, and was a marked success. It 

 was also a distinct and prominent feature at 

 the New York State convention, held at Gene- 

 va last winter. 



For a long time I have been wishing for a 

 first-class stereopticon, and have now finally 

 purchased one using a powerful electric light 

 of 3000 candle power — one that the manufac- 

 turers tell me will give the very finest and best 

 results. This will be in evidence at the Chi- 

 cago convention on Wednesday and Thursday 

 evenings. On the first evening there will be 

 thrown on the screen some pictures of some 

 of the prominent bee-keepers of the day ; Dr. 

 Miller will pay tribute to Langstroth, and Dr. 

 Mason will come in for the jokes. The views 

 will also embrace snap-shots from many api- 

 aries of the United States, and even from old 

 mother England. In connection there will be 

 shown briefly the anatomy of the bee, special 

 reference being given to the tongue, about 

 which so much interest is now being manifest- 

 ed. The methods of measuring tongues will 

 be illustrated, together with a view of the va- 

 riations already discovered. Thursday even- 

 ing, the last session, some of the beautiful 

 photos secured by Mr. Hutchinson on his re- 

 cent trip through Minnesota and Wisconsin 

 will be thrown on the screen. These will be 

 some of the finest pictures that were ever 

 projected, and no one who can come should 

 miss this treat. Of course, Mr. Hutchinson 

 will tell us about them. 



On both evenings will be shown views of 

 the various hive-manufacturing plants of the 

 United States. Every establishment, so far 

 as I know, will be represented, or at least an 

 effort will be made to secure photos of each. 

 A glance at the program, p. 630, will show that 



such men as Thomas Wm. Cowan, editor of 

 the British Bee Journal, and perhaps the most 

 distinguished bee-keeper in all Europe, will 

 have a paper. There will be another paper 

 from Dr. W. R. Howard, the scientist who has 

 done more in the study of the diseases of bees 

 than, perhaps, any other man in this country. 

 R. C. Aikin, President of the Colorado State 

 Bee-keepers' Association, and one of the most 

 practical bee-keepers of the world, will be 

 present and discuss a live issue. 



There are other equally good papers, but 

 these are only samples of the good things that 

 will be spread before the bee-keepers who will 

 be fortunate enough to attend that convention 

 in Chicago. The railroad rates will undoubt- 

 edly be very low, so it will be possible for 

 many to make a very pleasant and enjoyable 

 trip. After the convention there will be am- 

 ple opportunity for any who may desire to 

 take in Lincoln Park, the old World's Fair 

 grounds, and a hundred and one interesting 

 things in the most hustling city of the United 

 States — Chicago. Lincoln Park alone is worth 

 the trip. 



I nearly forgot to say that we will endeavor 

 to have pictures taken of the members of the 

 convention, probably during the first session. 

 If our plans work well, this picture will be 

 thrown on the screen Wednesday or Thursday 

 evening; so if you wish to see " yersilf " as 

 itherssee you, come and see "yersilf " project- 

 ed on the screen. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH FOUNDATION BY PROF. 

 C. P. GILLETTE. 



There has recently been issued from the 

 Agricultural experiment Station, Fort Collins, 

 Col., Bulletin No. 54, detailing a very interest- 

 ing series of experiments and observations on 

 foundation, by Prof. Clarence P. Gillette, a gen- 

 tleman whom we have already introduced to 

 our readers, and who seems to be especially 

 interested in bees. 



The object of Prof. Gillett's experiments 

 was to show the economic values of the differ- 

 ent weights and grades of foundation ; how 

 much of the wax is actually utilized by the 

 bees ; whether the base, or septum, is or is not 

 reduced in thickness, and whether or not the 

 cell-walls built from ordinary foundation are 

 as light and delicate as those of the natural 

 article itself. His own conclusions are thus 

 summarized at the close of the pamphlet : 



1. Bees use freely the wax in foundation to extend 

 both the midrib and the cell walls of honey-cotnb. 



2. The heavier the foundation used, the heavier, as a 

 rule, will be the comb built upon it. 



3. If the m drib of a foundation is much lighter than 

 that of natural comb, the bees are likely to strength- 

 en it by adding wax to the bottom of the cells. Pos- 

 sibly this is done only where there are actual perfora- 

 tions of the comb. 



4. If the midrib of the foundation is thicker than 

 the midrib of natural comb, it will result in a comb 

 with a midrib thicker than the natural. Or, to state 

 it differently, the bees will not thin the midrib of a 

 foundation down to the thickness of worker comb 

 built in the natural way. 



5. Midribs of foundation that are not more than .17 

 of a millimeter (007 inch) in thickness, are thinned 

 little or none by the bees. 



(5 Drone comb has a thickermidriband heavier cell- 

 walls than worker comb. 

 7. A foundation with a heavy midrib and very slight 



