Oct. 15. 1911 



627 



HOME-MADE FOOT-POWER SAWS FOR MAK- 

 ING BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES. 



BY PERCY ORTON. 



THE ORIGIN OF PROPOLIS. 



Not a By-product of Pollen; Dr. Kuestenmacher's 

 Theory Erroneous, and Why. 



The four engravings show my two foot- 

 power sawing-machines, which, us will be 

 seen, are home-made; nevertheless, I have 

 found them very satisfactory. The frames 

 I made myself, while the mandrels and the 

 ball-bearings (grindstone hangers) on the 

 drive-wheels are from Sears, Roebuck tt Co. 

 The cost of the material in each saw was 

 about $6.00, not counting my own work. 



Figs. 1 and 2 show the cut-off saw, and 3 

 and 4 the rip-saw. In Fig. 3 some of the 

 products from the saw are also shown; that 

 is, the hive-bodies in the fiat, brood-frames, 

 etc. For making the end-bars of frames I 

 use a 1^-inch pine plank, 9ys inches long, 

 wabble-sawed on the ends ysx^s, and then 

 this plank rip-sawed into pieces ^ inch 

 thick, thus making the end-bars of the 

 frames like those nailed up. The bottom- 

 bars of the frames are yk\y&, just fitting in 

 the notch in the lower end of the end-bars. 

 The top-bars are "/& inch square and 19>^ 

 inches long. 



To fasten foundation in my frames, one- 

 fourth of the top-bar is cut out of the lower 

 side, the strip cut out being fg inch square, 

 less the width of the saw-cut. The founda- 

 tion is laid in this cut, and the striji nailed 

 in place with three small wire nails, thus 

 holding the sheet very firmly. 



Northampton, N. Y. 



BY ARTHUR C. MILLER. 



!• ig. 1. — Cut-off saw-table for cutting bee-keepers' supplies; built by Percy Orton. 



])r. M. Kuestenmacher's theory of the ori- 

 gin of propolis is certainly unique, and 

 would be "interesting if true," but it hap- 

 pens to be erroneous — page 568. 



Pollen does have some resinous gum, but 

 not in any such quantity as would be nec- 

 essary to produce the amounts of propolis 

 found about the hives. Furthermore, it is 

 distributed largely, if not entirely, over the 

 husks of the pollen grains, and, being vir- 

 tually insoluble in the stomach juices, it is 

 not freed from the husks, but remains on 

 them and passes from the system with them. 

 Balsam in various forms, when taken into 

 the human stomach, emulsifies and passes 

 on, and is not " tioating on top " of stomach 

 content. This " fioating " idea is very much 

 like the childish idea of food lying in layers 

 in the stomach, and the childish play of 

 "topping off" with griddle cakes to serve 

 as a "cover" for the rest. 



A few simple facts which any one may 

 observe will serve to determine tlie origin of 

 propolis. First, large quantities of propolis 

 are distributed in the hive when no brood is 

 being fed and no pollen being gathered. 

 Second, where the poplars known as balm 

 of Gilead {Populus balsamifera) abound, 

 the bulk of the propolis is gathered from 

 them, and large 

 quantities are 

 gathered in the 

 fall. As the tree 

 blooms in early 

 spring, and the 

 pollen from it is 

 consumed about as 

 fast as gathered, it 

 is difficult to see 

 how it can be the 

 source of the pro- 

 polis. Third, bees 

 can readily be seen 

 gathering gum and 

 packing it in their 

 jioUen -baskets, 

 where it forms lit- 

 tle glossy beads, 

 varying in color 

 according to its 

 source. 



Pollen is packed 

 while the bee is 

 flying; propolis is 

 l^acked while she is 

 standing. In the 

 hive the bee has 

 no trouble in get- 

 ting rid of it, nev- 

 er being bedaubed 

 with it. In its re- 

 moval and distri- 

 bution, mandibles 

 and tongues of oth- 



