1170 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15 



cost $15 to $18 each. One of them had run 

 less than a year, yet the manufacturer said 

 it was good only for scrap. What do you 

 suppose the shrinkage in value is between 

 the first cost and "scrap" value in less than 

 a year? Well, all they wanted to allow me 

 for the scrap was 36 cents. Accordingly, I 

 was in just the right mood to write to Mr. 

 Fellwock. Here is his answer: 



Mr. A. I. Root.— Regarding my method of repairing 

 auto tires, I am pleased to say that, after exhaustive 

 tests, much trouble and expense, I have at last found a 

 quick and sure way to make even a very badly worn 

 tire last a great while longer. The method applies to 

 either single, double, or clincher tires, but it is more 

 and exceptionally satisfactoi-y on the single-tube type. 

 It is best adapted to 2' j-incli or 3-inch tires. It is sim- 

 ple but effective, having all the advantages of solid rub- 

 ber tires, devoid of punctures, as it requires neither air 

 nor pump. 



To be brief, it is a filling that is placed within the 

 tire. It requires no tools, and can be done by any one 

 in an hour's time. Big holes, blow-outs, or long cuts 

 anywhere about the tire are no barrier to this method. 

 It can be done with a cheap or a better material. The 

 cost of the former on a 2VL'x28-inch tire will be less than 

 $2,00, and the cost of the better will not exceed $3.50 per 

 tire. I strongly recommend the latter, as it can be tak- 

 en out after the tire is completely worn, and be placed 

 in another one. The material for this purpose can be 

 bought in any city of any size. 



I have owned an automobile for over two years, and 

 my tire troubles have been many: but I now consider 

 them overcome, and feel much relieved at the thought. 

 Furthermore, rubber tires are sky-high, and the end of 

 advances is not yet in sight; so it pays thus to use up 

 those old cast-off and considerably worn-out tires, and 

 give the tire-manufacturers a chance to catch up with 

 the demand and again price their product within the 

 reach of all. This is made possible by my method of 

 prolonging the life of your tires. 



The price of recipe, with complete instructions, is 

 $3.00. Detailed directions accompany each recipe, 

 which will be promptly mailed upon receipt of $3.00 in 

 cash, check, or money order. 



I am not compelled to make any side money, as my in- 

 come is ample: but I am an auto enthusiast, and feel 

 that, by spreading my method, I do a good turn to many, 

 and many more good turns to your tires. But as this 

 takes time and money I feel justified in calling for the 

 above fee. Remember, the better grade of material can 

 be used in a number of tires, which is a decided saving 

 in time and money. P. B. Fellwock. 



Evansville, Ind. 



The above letter made me still more anx- 

 ious to have his valuable secret, especially 

 as there is not a word said about giving the 

 recipe to others; so I made haste to send the 

 $3.00 so I might give the discovery to the 

 readers of Gleanings. Below is what I got 

 for the money : 



THE "$3.00 SECRET." 



Buy of some rubber concern 2-inch best-quality rubber 

 balls. They cost about $1.00 per dozen, and it takes 44 

 balls for a 2V-x28-inch tire. The Day Rubber Co., of St. 

 Louis, handles a suitable ball. Now, at the tire cut a 

 gash at the inner side of the tire as if you were insert- 

 ing an inner tube: cut similar gash at the opposite inner 

 side, punching holes one inch apart and one-half inch 

 • from the edges— these for the lacing. Ram the balls in 

 the casing with a bent iron bar or crooked stick. Be 

 sure that every ball is driven home— an all-round tight 

 fit is essential. The last ball may have to be trimmed 

 slightly: then lace up the gashes, and your tire is ready 

 for business. 



A cheap 2-inch ball can be bought for about 50 cents 

 per dozen: but they will crush, and are not as resilient 

 as the better quality. For a 3-inch tire it takes a ZVj- 

 inch ball, but it is well to measure carefully the inside 

 of the tire, as some have a heavier stock than others. 

 Big holes about the tread can be covered with patches 

 from other old tires, and will stay in place a long while, 

 as there is no pressure outward. Clincher tires are 

 somewhat harder to handle: and as there are so many 

 different makes it is hard to give directions: but there is 

 some way of fastening the outer casing of every style. 

 In the heavy-base tire it may be necessary to cut a hole 

 in the tread to get in the last few balls; but this hole 



can be patched up as above stated, and give good service. 



If your old casing is pretty well worn, and limber, 

 lace it on to the rim to insure the stay of it. In ramming 

 in the balls, do not hit them with the bar. but use a 

 round block of wood three inches long that fits loosly in 

 the tire. This will absorb the shock and protect the 

 balls while being driven in. Such tires should be used 

 for front wheels only, as the traction duty on rear wheels 

 is too severe. Yours truly, 



Evansville, Ind., Dec. 5. P. B. Fellwock. 



Well, I have spent a good deal of money 

 in purchasing recipes for making artificial 

 honey, how to catch absconding swarms, 

 etc. ; but I believe the above is the most 

 reasonable of any of them. By the way, I 

 forgot to mention in the proper place that 

 there is one other objection to selling se- 

 crets. Almost without exception they are 

 something that is already in print. I paid a 

 man $1.00 for a recipe for making artificial 

 honey, and found, after I got it, it was 

 printed word for word in Dr. Chase's " Re- 

 ceipt-book;" and after reading the above I 

 was reminded that the suggestion of using 

 rubber balls instead of inner tubes has al- 

 ready appeared in print in some of the auto- 

 mobile journals. 



Now, I do not suppose this recipe is worth 

 $3.00 to every reader of Gleanings; but we 

 will say there is one man in a thousand who 

 can use it for automobiles, bicycles, or 

 something of that sort. In that case it 

 would be worth pretty nearly $50.00 to our 

 family. By the way, he admits in the above 

 that it is suitable only for the front wheels, 

 and, if I am correct,, that it is not very 

 practicable for clincher tires— the kind that 

 is mostly used on all automobiles. Never 

 mind. I have had some more experience in 

 purchasing secrets. 



FAKE weather FORECASTS. 

 Under the above heading the Country 

 Gentleman for Nov. 10 gives a very valua- 

 ble paper from the New York State Direc- 

 tor of the United States Weather Bureau. 

 Commenting on the above they add: 



It is many years since the Country Gentleman gave 

 final quietus to the wheat-turning-to-chess nonsense, 

 by the simple expedient of offering a reward, we believe 

 of $500, for a root bearing the stems of both plants, com- 

 petitors being required to deposit some small sum as a 

 forfeit in case the stems should prove to be merely 

 twined together. Needless to say, not a single sample 

 was ever presented. We believe the time has now 

 come for extinguishing the long-range weather-fore- 

 cast nonsense. We therefore beg to say that we 

 will pay $500 dollars for a correct prophecy of the 

 weather at Albany for any month selected by the proph- 

 et six months in advance, under simple and perfectly 

 fair conditions to be formulated in the (extremely im- 

 probable) event of anybody's desiring to try his hand at 

 the undertaking. 



In addition to the above I will give $1000 

 to the weather-almanac prophet if he will 

 even give us any reasonable forecast of what 

 any month will be in any given locahty. 

 There is one particular point where people 

 who have faith in these long-range fore- 

 casters seem to be weak. Almost every 

 month has some marked peculiarity, some 

 very unusual feature in regard to the weath- 

 er. Now, if these forecasters had any knowl- 

 edge at all of the future they would cer- 

 tainly put emphasis on this peculiar thing. 



