80 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Feb. 



middle of the frame. The spring separates the 

 pieces, and all the slack is taken up excepting what 

 is on the thumb. Now there is almost enough slack 

 on the thumb to allow the pieces to separate to these 

 set distances. 



We rub the finger down on the wires, and with the 

 aid of the springs, this slack is soon pulled in, let- 

 ting the last arms strike first, then what is needed is 

 pulled in from the spool, then we pull in enough 

 from the spool, and break it, to run the angle wires. 

 They are run thus, with us, and the end is fastened 

 on the same tack with the other end. 



Hoopeston, 111. D. S. Given. 



[HOW TO PREPARE AND DRV CORN. 



ALSO HOW TO COOK IT AND . 



SSEE by Gleanings that you wished to know 

 something about drying corn. I do not know 

 that I can enlighten you any on the subject, 

 but I have experimented considerably in that line, 

 and have finally adopted the following as the best 

 method: In the first place, pick off all the silks, and 

 have your corn as clean as possible. Now, do not 

 cook or scald it in any way while on the cob. Take 

 a sharp knife, cut the corn so as to cut the kernel 

 about half way down to the cob, or in other words, 

 cut the kernels in the middle, so that one-half the 

 corn is left on the cob; then turn the knife over; 

 with the back of the knife scrape the remaining corn 

 from the cob. Do not hold the knife as though you 

 were trying to cut with the back; but as you scrape 

 the cob with the back of the knife, incline the edge 

 of it from you, and you will readily see that you will 

 scrape all the corn from the cob without getting any 

 of the cob, and only about one-half the hulls will be 

 cut off with the corn. After your corn is cut and 

 scraped off in this way, place it on plates or any 

 clean tin shallow dishes; then place it in a stove, 

 oven, or other dry, hot place until the corn is cooked 

 which will take but a few minutes. You will know 

 when cooked by the watery appearance, instead of 

 the white, milkj' appearance it has when first cut off 

 the cob, as it is only the milk that is necessary to 

 cook. If it is not cooked in this waj' it is apt to sour 

 before it will dry. After it is thus scalded, as I call 

 it, with hot air instead of water, it may be put out in 

 the sun and dried in any way you please; but do not 

 allow it to get wet with rain or dew while drying. 

 Beware of drying by the stove, as a little careless- 

 ness will result in getting the corn burnt, wtiich will 

 in a greal measure destroy its flavor. 



Now, friend Root, it may not be out of place for 

 me to suggest, that all kinds of dried fruit, and corn 

 not excepted, should be put up in tight paper bags, 

 and kept in a dark room or closet, in order to keep 

 it from getting wormy, as the moths love corn and 

 fruit as well as honey or honey-comb. To prepare 

 dried corn for the table, put it to soak in a little wa- 

 ter for a few hours (say over night) before you want 

 to use it; then put on the stove, add a little milk 

 and butter; season to taste, and just bring it to the 

 boiling point, and it is done. Follow the difections, 

 and if you do not like it, sue me for damage. 



I have not written the above for Gleaninqs ; but 



if you think it is any thing new, or worth publishing, 

 I have no objections, as I believe the saying, "His 

 light is none the less who lights his neighbor." 



T. A. R. 



Well, well. Novice, what will you be up to next? 

 You are a funny one, surely, to run a bee journal. 

 First course, honey ; second, dried corn, and relig- 

 ion for dessert. But what if you do? bee-keepers 

 can not live on honey alone, and need love to God 

 and man, and to deal justly and love mercy. We 

 are not one of your feminine friends "who have 

 nothing to do," for we are as busy as a bee in a tar- 

 bucket; but yet we have found time to tell you how 

 we dry com. There is no fruit or vegetable that 

 loses flavor sooner, when pulled from the stalks, 

 than sweet corn and peas. So when we purpose dry- 

 ing corn, we rise early, gather, and boil until the 

 milk is cooked; cut the berries off, and get to drying 

 as quickly as possible. As fast as it is ready, it is 

 put into a pretty hot oven in bread-pans and pie 

 tins piled up zigzag, and stirred frequently. Put in 

 the oven in this way, it will hold all that can be cut 

 off from two bushels of ears. 



As the moisture escapes it shrinks, and can be put 

 into fewer utensils, and much less fire will be neces- 

 sary. If we have attended to our corn faithfully, 

 by night we put thick brown paper in the bottom of 

 the oven, and empty all the pans upon it, except 

 one that remains in the upper part of the oven. 

 We burn coal, and the remaining fire keeps the oven 

 warm all night. In the morning the corn will be 

 ready to put up in brown paper bags, and tied up 

 tightly. Corn dried in this way will be delicious, 

 and not get worm}', as flies have had no opportunity 

 to lay their eggs in it. 



We've not a "capacity," but our partner has, and 

 he says that "bees gather pollen from the sweet- 

 corn tassels, and also work for honey upon the 

 leaves— more especially upon the axils close to the 

 stalks, where the dew runs down." The action of 

 the dew and hot sun combined upon the sweet 

 stalks may cause a sweet substance to exude, which 

 the bees gather. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Peoria, 111., January, 1881. 



"Mrs. Liicinda Harrison, as sure as you 

 are alive,'' said I, as I got to the end of the 

 letter. Well, now, my friend, I am real 

 glad I wrote about corn, for it is the longest 

 letter we have had from you for many a 

 year, and I have written about almost every 

 thing that bears, even remotely, on bee-cul- 

 ture, just on purpose to draw out something 

 good from somebody. Letters from busy 

 lolks are just the very best kind of letters — 

 when we can succeed in getting them to 

 write. 



CORN AS A HONEY-PLANT (?) 



I have just read your article in Gleanings, page 

 11, Jan. No., about corn as a honey-plant, etc., and, 

 although not one of the " feminine friends," I think 

 I can tell you the best method of drying the corn, 

 and would take a contract to furnish s'ou a ton at 

 prices given in circular sent. If you have never 

 used any evaporated fruit, you can not imagine how 

 much better it is than any kind of sun or oven dried. 

 I have used the evaporator described in circular the 

 past season, and believe there is none better; they 

 dry apples, peaches, berries of all kinds, tomatoes, 

 pumpkine, squash, string beans, corn, etc., perfect- 



