1136 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



were dead and the sprayed vines were bliji-hting very 

 little. 



At diyginsr-time it was not practicable to dig the 

 sprayed and unsprayed area of each of the plots sep- 

 arately. Instead, a cross-section one rod long was 

 marked off on the sprayed and unsprayed parts of 

 each of nine plots, which were well distributed over 

 the area. The potatoes in these sections were dug by 

 hand, and weighed. The average gain of the sprayed 

 over the unsprayed portion was 36 per cent, or 89 

 bushels per acre. 



The Geneva (New York) Station has been conduct- 

 ing co-operative experiments with farmers in different 

 parts of that State. The following is taken from the 

 summary of Bulletin 264 of that Station: 



"In fourteen farmers' business experiments, in- 

 cluding 180 acres, the average gain due to spraying 

 was 62i4 bushels per acre; the average total cost for 

 each spraying, 93 cents per acre; and the average net 

 profit, based on the market price of potatoes at dig- 

 ging time, $24.86 per acre." 



GRASSHOPPERS 



On p. 874 j\Ir. J. A. Green asks what can 

 he done with grasshoppers. J. C". Pratt, of 

 Glenellyn. 111., says try turkeys. Our friends 

 who have read tlie tomato-book will remem- 

 Ijer Mrs. Cummins" Mock of turkeys for to- 

 mato-worms. Well, a l)ee-keeper in Mis- 

 souri some years ago told me he had a flock 

 of turkeys that would rid a field of grass- 

 hoppers by spreading out a rod or less apart, 

 and marching across the field in a systematic 

 way: and it was my pleasure one afternoon 

 to see them cross tlie field in just that way. 

 Now, where grasshoppers are very plentiful, 

 as I have seen them, it would take a big flock 

 of turkeys to do the work: but turkeys are 

 good property after they have gobljl'ed up 

 the grasshoppers. Can " somebody tell iis 

 more about if.' 



cotton's CONTROLLABLE BEE-HIVE. 



Our older readers will remember all al)out 

 Mrs. Lizzie E. Cotton and her "Controlla- 

 ble" bee-hive, of West Gorham, Me. Well, 

 in the past few months inquiries have come 

 in regard to a bee-hive advertised to give 

 wonderful results in yields of honey. It 

 now comes from C. B." Cotton, of Gorham. 

 yie. The price of drawings, specifications, 

 measurements, etc.. for making this wonder- 

 ful hive is $4.00. I sent the money as soon 

 as I saw the advertisement: and after wait- 

 ing quite a while they came to hand. Now. 

 I do not wish to say any thing against any 

 brother who claims "to be a rival to our es- 

 tablishment in the manufacture of hives: but 

 it seems to me $4.00 is a very high price to 

 charge for what can be printed on tivo small 

 sheets of paper. Of course, a little l)ook 

 comes with the specifications: Init this book 

 has only 43 small pages: and $4.00 ought to 

 purchase quite a liljrary of the best bee- 

 books — yes. and a journal or two included. 

 I judge friend Cotton does not succeed in 

 finding many purchasei's at $4.00 for his 

 meager instri'ictious. for last June he reduced 

 the price to $2.00: and a letter containing 

 various circulars has just l)een sent me. ask- 

 ing if I would advise sending only $1.00 for 

 the whole outfit. A label is pasted on the 

 circular, which reads as follows: 



••Price reduced to §1.00 for 3b days from 

 July 18." 



Now. the price might he reduced to ten 

 cents and still make a profit^ — that is, if one 

 has plenty of customers. Mr. (."otton does 

 not advertise in any of the l>ee-joiirnals. 

 This of itself is a little significant. Another 

 thing, whenever you think of going into a 

 new industry — especially any thing pertain- 

 ing to agriculture — by all means first sul> 

 scrilje to some of the standard journals re- 

 garding the business, or pui'chase some of 

 the standard books that are ofl'ered at a fair 

 price. The books and the journals will cei'- 

 tainly contain every thing that is new and 

 valuable in regard to any industry on the 

 face of the earth. 



Like Mr. Ficklin, Mr. Cotton claims that 

 he has a new invention for preventing 

 swarms from going off into the woods. This 

 invention consists in taking a slali of hem- 

 lock or other wood, with the rough bark re- 

 maining on it. It is supported on two stakes 

 driven into the ground, with the bark side 

 down. He says if several of these slabs are 

 placed 20 or 30 feet in front of the hives, the 

 bees will not cluster on any thing else. 

 Now, if this is true it may compensate me in 

 part for the $4.00 I sent. The drawings and 

 specifications contain nothing that is not 

 well known. The hive is simply a very 

 large bee-hive containing a large number of 

 section boxes above and at the sides of the 

 hive. Even after having paid $4.00 there is 

 not a good picture of a finished bee-hive 

 anywhere in the specifications or pamphlet. 

 One of the secrets of getting great yields of 

 honey is by heavy feeding until just before 

 clover comes in. so that they will be I'eady 

 to put the whole crop into the sections. He 

 says, give a single colony from 5 to 10 lbs. 

 every night for ten or twelve days. No 

 douljt this sort of treatment, just before the 

 yield from clover commences, would give a 

 big yield of honey, but I should lie afraid 

 some of this hundred pounds or more of su- 

 gar might get into the boxes: but even this 

 is no new thing. 



Since the above was in type we find the 

 following in the American Isstic: 



Every family that has a farm or garden can keep 

 honey-bees in Controllable hives, and raise honey for 

 family use or for market. One hundred dollars profit 

 from one Controllable hive of bees in one year. Lots 

 of honey and lots of money keeping bees. No stings. 

 No trouble in swarming time. No loss in winter. 

 Something new in bee management. For particulars, 

 write C. B. Cotton, Gorham, Me. 



Friend Cotton will surely not object to our 

 giving his advertisement free of charge. 



Now read the clipping below, which comes 

 from Mrs. Cotton's circular printed just 27 

 years ago: 



Drawings and illustrations, with printed directions 

 for managing bees on my plan, with recipe for feed, 

 every thing so plain as to be readily understood. All 

 sent by mail to any part of the United .States or Can- 

 ada on receipt of four dollars. 



Mrs. Lizzie E. Cotton. West Gorham, Me. 



Dec. 1. 1879. 



And yet the new advertisement says. 

 "Something new in l)ee management. ' " 

 You will notice that the price then was $4.00, 

 just as it is now. 



