1881 



GLEA]S"INGS IN BEE CUETUIIE. 



221 



Sketch No. 2, A A A A arc window glass, B B B 

 are the posts; C C C are the ends of the bolts; D is 

 the houey-s'ate. The tank is made of two-inch 

 plank, and is 7 ft. long, 3 ft. wide, and 20 inches high, 

 all inside measure. The ends should set back from 

 the ends of the sides about two inches, and let into 

 the sides and bottom about ■'« of an inch. Thereof 

 should be made tight, so that it will not leak; one 

 side is made of boards; the other side has glass in it, 

 so as to let in the sun, and should face the south. 



HOW TO PUT IN THE LINING. 



Go to the tin-shop and buy some sheets of L C. tin, 

 and have the tinner turn the edges and eads for 

 clinching, as they do fcrronfing. Lay the bottom 

 out on a tloor, hammer down the clinches, and solder 

 all tight. Take the measure of the inside of the tank, 

 and then turn up the edges and ends of yourbottom 

 lining to that size, making it hi inch smaller all 

 around than the inside of your tank. Now put the 

 bottom lining in its place; begin on one side and 

 put in the rest of the lining, one sheet at a time, 

 clinching and soldering as you go. The lining should 

 be bent over the top of the tank, and nailed to the 

 outside with lath-nails. 



The above tank ought not to cost more than $15.00, 

 and will hold about 3000 lbs. of honey. The whole 

 should lie treated to a good coat of paint. 



It would be difficult to tell just how fast it would 

 ripen newly extracted honey; it would depend upon 

 the weather and how thick the honey is when ex- 

 tracted. If the weather is cloudy, cold, and damp, 

 it would not ripen the honey as rapi<Uy as it would if 

 it was clear, hot, and drj^ Here in L. A. Co., an 

 evaporator of that size would ripen (if full) rather 

 thin honey in about i or .5 days; it depends upon 

 how thin the honey is, and how thick you want it. 

 You can extract the honey befoi'e it is capped over, 

 if you have clear weather to ripen it in. 



Los Angeles, Cal., Oct. 28, 1880. W. W. Bliss. 



/>af6r:— I made a little change in the evaporator. 

 I put rods through the legs, below the tank, the 

 same as aliove. Tell them to paint it black, or some 

 o. her dark color, as it will absorb tho heat. 



W. W. B. 



REPORT FROM FRIEND TOWNIiEY, 



THE OKIGINAL CHAFF-HIVE MAN. 



™^.w^.,^ ROOT:— With the hope of inducing 

 fpl others to subscribe for Gleanings, I have 

 given away nearly all of the back numbers. 

 Not having them now to refer to, I am not able to 

 state just when I wrote to you, recommending chaff 

 as a winter protection to bees. Soon after its ap- 

 pearance in Gleanings, some of your correspond- 

 ents claimed "priority of invention." Now, I have 

 no wish to deprive any one of well-deserved "credit;" 

 on the contrary, I shall be most happy to divide tho 



"honor" with all claimants. Present your claims, 

 gentlemen, but don't all speak at once. Previous 

 to the winter just past, I have had tho best of suc- 

 cess wintering bees packed in chaff; but the last 

 winter has been " too big a boo for the colt. " Out 

 of 60 colonies in my home apiary, I have lost 9 up to 

 date, April 18th, and about the same percentage of 

 loss in the one away from home. 



In conclusion, you will confer a favor that will be 

 reciprocated in any way you may suggest, if you 

 will please insert, in the reading department of 

 Gleanings, the following advertisement:— 



FOR SALE, 



But not recommended, 38 chaff-packed, wintering 

 hives, at a price much below their actual cost. 



J. H. TOWNLEV. 



Tompkins, Jackson Co., Mich., Apr. IS, 1881. 



Why, friend T., you do not mean to say n 

 out of ()0 i.s sutlicient grounds for feeling 

 blue, do you? Or is it that you prefer to use 

 the phaft in tlie original plaii we lirst started 

 on, without having any ))ermanently packed 

 chaff hives at all? Please enlighten us. 

 Those who have lost less than 1-3 per cent 

 this year belong in lleports Encouraging 

 department it seems to me. 



GAI.l.i:P>S IDEAS ; 



ON PLENTY OF STORES. 



^[pjDITOROF GLEANINGS :-Our Califoniia bec- 

 J>[jij] | keepers complain of eastern bee journals, and 

 say that they contain too much about winter- 

 ing; that there is no trouble about wintering here, 

 etc. The great trouble here is, al)out cari-ying our 

 bees through a dry summer. My impression is still 

 strong, that they can be carried through every sea- 

 son here with perfect success, but not with the pol- 

 icy that some pur.sue. Boos should not be robbed 

 here of all their stores in the fall, any more than in 

 tho East. Stocks that were left full of stores last 

 July are now full of brood and bees, while stocks 

 that were rolibed of their stores lato in the season 

 are now comparatively doing nothing, while their 

 near neighbors' bees are doing nicely. It requires 

 good management here in California in order to lie 

 successful, as well as it requires skill and manage- 

 ment in the East. True, bees will winter here suc- 

 cessfully on a very small supply of honey; but in 

 order to be successful, they must either bo strongly 

 stimulated, or they must have a large amount of 

 stores to fall back on. They can gather pollen in 

 some localities the entire year. By the way, I know 

 of a splendid locaJity for raising bees and queens, 

 and thoy could be kept perfectly pure; but the qual- 

 ity of honey would not bo good for market, and 1 do 

 not know tho quantity that would bo stored, but 

 they could be bred at all seasons. Some good relia- 

 blo queen-breeder ought to occupy that locality. 

 Well, Mr. Editor, you see I am off tho track, as sure 

 as fate. A good two-story Langstroth or Simplicity, 

 well filled with stores and bees, will be self-support- 

 ing, even in a California dry year, and they will 

 yield their owner from 100 to 300 lbs. of honey in a 

 good season, and ha\-e their hive well stored with 

 honey for the dry season, if it should come; and if 

 it does not come, the surplus honey can easily be 

 taken out in the spring. Do not rob your bees too 

 closely, e^en in California. 



