938 



"When the alighting-board is slid right up 

 to the front of the V-shaped groove, there 

 may be an entrance of only a bee-space. As 

 fast as it is slid back the entrance widens, 

 till a slit is uncovered in the well itself; then 

 that slit deepens till there is an entrance of 

 fifteen or sixteen inches by four. It is quite 

 easy to make the draft great by day and 

 less by night by going to the back of the 

 hive and pushing the alighting-board for- 

 ward or pulling it back by means of a suit- 

 able handle nailed to its under side. 



G. G. Desmond. 



Sheepscombe, England. 



Handy for Emptying Cans. 



No doubt every one who handles extract- 

 ed honey has experienced difficulty in pour- 

 ing from the sixty-pound can, or any can, 

 for that matter. I have overcome that dif- 

 ficulty for myself by taking a spare easy- 

 fitting screw-cap, and, after cutting out the 

 top, soldering to the band thus produced a 

 tubular spout about 2 or 2 14 inches long. 

 To cut the top from the cap, file the edge all 

 around until the parts will separate without 

 using force. The greatest care must be used 

 not to bend or spring the band out of shape. 

 The piece for the spout, when cut out and 

 ready to be rolled up, will look something- 

 like the sketch pattern. Bend the tin around 



a piece of wood, but don't use the band, as 

 the spout must fit the band without strain. 

 The ends of the piece should be locked to- 

 gether and soldered before attaching to the 

 band. There is no trouble in locking the 

 ends — just turn the edges as seen in the cut, 

 and drive the seam down close. (The spout 

 might better be fitted to the cap before 

 cutting out the top.) 



When the spout fits easily and nicely the 

 two may be soldered together. The best 

 plan is to cut and fit a stiff paper pattern, 

 by means of which the tin may be marked 

 out just right with least trouble. A tomato- 

 can will furnish the material and an old 

 pair of shears will do the cutting. Any one 

 who can do soldering can thus easily provide 

 himself with this great convenience. 



New Jersey. C. D. C. 



Woolly Buckthorn as a Honey-plant. 



T am ejonilinc;- a honoy-plant. My brother- 

 in-law gave it to me for hogs. Hogs seem 

 to like the haws, but I have not paid any 

 attention to the tree until this week, or, 

 rather, T had not thought much about it. It 

 is in bloom now, and you will see that it is 

 a heavy bloomer, and it bears accordingly. 

 The berries are about the size of a black- 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



gumberry, and have a seed like the black- 

 gum. But the bees around this tree put me 

 to thinking of the probable value of this 

 tree. I never saw so many bees about any- 

 thing except a honey-tub. The tree is about 

 10 feet high, with a heavy top. 



I want you to advise me as to planting a 

 grove of them for bees. I believe they 

 would be good for hogs. They seem to like 

 them any way, but I don 't know that it 

 would pay as a hog feed; but if they are good 

 for honey and hogs, I think it would pay to 

 plant. I brought the tree from Florida. 



Groveland, Ga. T, E. Sullivan. 



[This was sent to our botanist, who re- 

 plies:] 



This shrub or tree is woolly buckthorn, or 

 Bumelia lanuginosa (Michx.) Pers. It is 

 widely distributed in the woods of Florida, 

 Georgia, and other southern states. It be- 

 longs to the sapodilla family, or Sapotaceae, 

 the species of which are largely found in the 

 tropics. Plantations of this tree for honey 

 only would probably not be profitable. The 

 cost of the land,the expense of planting, and 

 the long delay before there would be an 

 abundance of bloom, must be considered, as- 

 suming that the species is suited to the soil 

 and climate. Experiments in planting trees 

 and shrubs as honey-plants might well be 

 made by state governments or wealthy in- 

 dividuals, but experience would seem to 

 show that they are not advisable for those 

 dependent on their farms or ajjiaries for a 

 living. 



Moreover, in Georgia there is, according to 

 J. J. Wilder, a large area covered with gall- 

 berry bushes which is only partially occupied 

 by beekeepers. He says it is difficult to 

 overstock a gallberry region. Would it not 

 be better to locate in such a section of the 

 state, where a crop of honey could be obtain- 

 ed immediately, rather than to plant trees 

 of the woollj'' buckthorn for some indefinite 

 future time? As to the value of the berries 

 as food for hogs I am unable to speak. 



John H. Lovell. 



Waldoboro, Maine, July 24, 1916. 



A Brand-new Idea for a Profitable Ad. 



I caused the following to be printed in 

 local papers, and had a copy of it, with 

 many recipes calling for honej^, to be sent to 

 every school in the county, the county super- 

 intendent helping me by volunteering to 

 send out the circulars with his own mail, to 

 the teachers. 



PRIZE ESSAY. 



To the Crawford County school child under sixteen 

 who sends me the best essay on honey I will send a 

 gallon of Bonney Honey, postage paid, as a free gift. 

 The teacher must certify to the article. Time limit, 

 December 15. The winning essay will be printed in 

 the county papers. 



Dr. Bonney, King-bee. 



The Buck Grove Apiary, Buck Grove, la. 



It has been but two weeks since I com- 

 menced this, and I have already got results. 

 I think it is going to prove a very profitable 

 advertisement. 



Buck Grove, la. A. F. Bonney. 



