1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1031 



[If our correspondent will try these frames 

 on a large scale, and test them where propo- 

 lis is bad, I think he will see objections to 

 the spacer that do not now appear to him. — 

 Ed. J 



FIBER OR LEATHER WASHERS FOR FRAME- 

 SPACERS. 



In Stray Straws, p. 805, Dr. Miller says, 

 ' ' Use nails with heads J inch thick. ' ' If one 

 can not get them I should think he could cut 

 soft spongy leather J inch thick or slightly 

 more in squares or disks about | inch in dia- 

 meter, and drive nails through the center, 

 sinking the nail-head into the leather slight- 

 ly. This would be a protection to the knife 

 in extracting. I think it might be cheaper 

 to have fiber washers made if a factory were 

 using a quantity. C. R. Dewey. 



Dawson, Neb., Aug. 7. 



[The fiber washer would certainly remove 

 the objection usually urged against ordinary 

 metallic spacers, namely, dulling the uncap- 

 ping-knife. But this is an objection that I 

 suspect exists more in theory than in actual 

 practice.— Ed.] 



CARBOLIC ACID AS A PREVENTIVE OF FOUL 

 BROOD. 



Last year foul brood prevailed here epi- 

 demically and severely. The county bee-in- 

 spector cleaned up, and this year the condi- 

 tion is much improved. 



With new combs and ten-per-cent solution 

 of carbolic acid which was introduced into 

 the hive for evaporation, I kept foul brood 

 out of the apiary. Is there any better pre- 

 ventive known to the bee-keeper? If so, I 

 should like to know. Permanganate of po- 

 tassium I suggested to our inspector, who 

 declares it exterminates the disease germ, 

 but I have never tried it. 



Canon City, Colo. W. Babberger. 



[The carbolic acid is all right to put into 

 the syrup as a preventive of foul brood, but 

 it must be used much stronger than is good 

 for the bees to be at all destructive to the 

 germs of that dread disease. Beta naphthol 

 is not offensive, and, according to those who 

 have tested it, it is more destructive to the 

 microbes. —Ed.] 



FEEDING medicated SYRUP OUTDOORS. 



I see you are using pretty much the same 

 method I have used for ten years in outdoor 

 feeding, also the same medicine (beta naph- 

 thol). It comes very handy to feed a little 

 sometimes when clipping queens; but I think 

 I can beat you all hollow for a cheap system 

 and speed, especially if your neighbor has 

 bees within 20 rods of your bees. I consider 

 this the only way and proper time to get 

 best results by getting the naphthol right in- 

 to the empty brood- cells. 



Molesworth, Ont. Chas. Mitchell. 



[But you do not say how you could " beat 

 us all out hollow" on a cheap system for 

 outdoor feeding. — Ed.] 



A GOOD HONEY-PLANT THAT BLOOMS ALL 

 SUMMER. 



I am sending you some flowers and 

 branches of a little shrub or bush that 

 grows in my yard, and which I have been 

 told is called snowdrop. It began blooming, 

 I think, a little after fruit-bloom, and it is 

 in bloom yet. I am not sure, but I believe 

 it blooms until frost. I have kept a close 

 watch over it this spring and summer from 

 daylight until dark, and I never look at the 

 bush any time of the day without finding 

 bees busy on the flowers. I don't know of 

 any thing that will beat this little bush for 

 keeping bees busy all day long. It will 

 grow on rough rocky ground. 



Velpen, Ind., June 2. W. T. Davison. 



HOW TO MAKE A STEEL MAIL-BOX COOL 

 ENOUGH FOR QUEENS. 



I would advise Mr. Lew. W. Haines, page 

 727, to take some sharp instrument and per- 

 forate from the inside the approved letter- 

 box which he has. By so doing he could se- 

 cure sufficient ventilation for the safety of 

 the queens. By perforating from the inside 

 it would leave the interior of the box smooth, 

 so as not to injure the hands in handling the 

 mail. Substituting a wooden box would not 

 be allowed by the Postoflice Department. 



Chelsea, Mich. E. J. Whipple. 



QUERY. 



Will the readers of Gleanings please in- 

 form me what the honey-producing plants 

 and trees are in Eastern North Carolina, say 

 from the coast to 25 miles inland? What 

 is the usual production per colony? How 

 long does the flow last? Of what quality is 

 it? Any information through Gleanings, or 

 direct to me, will be thankfully received. 



Hillsboro, Ohio. W. R. L. Dwyer. 



[Those who are so situated are requested 

 to answer. —Ed.] 



A record-breaking swarm. 



My first swarm came out the 28th day of 

 April, and I had several others that swarm- 

 ed the next week. On the 18th of June I 

 had a swarm that weighed 17 pounds. I had 

 to put them into the hive three times, then 

 made up my mind they hadn't room enough, 

 so I put on 48 boxes. The other day I was 

 looking at them and they had them nearly 

 ready to cap. I believe this swarm beats 

 the prize swarm that was in Gleanings July 

 1. There is a very large crop of white clo- 

 ver this year, and bees are doing finely. 



Sterling, 111., July 7. J. A. Zigler. 



GRADING HONEY. 



In the issue for August 1 I notice Doolit- 

 tle's conversation oh grading honey. Does 

 he take into consideration the quality of 

 sections or of foundation used ? 



Lake Mills, Wis. Homer C. Stone. 



[The matter is referred to Mr. D. — Ed.] 



