48 MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



skillful cook would be disposed to go back from the modern cooking 

 range to the old-fashioned fireplace. 



For hundreds of years smoke has been used to quell and even stupefy 

 bees, and various forms of bee smokers have long been used ; but the 

 modern bellows form, so far superior to the old clumsy implements 

 which oftentimes required both hands of the operator, or to be held 

 between the teeth, is purely an American invention. Mr. M. Quiuby, 

 one of the pioneers in improved methods in apiculture in America, was 

 the inventor of the bellows smoker having the fire box at the side of 



the bellows so arranged as to ena- 

 ,^'^V ble the operator to work it with 

 one hand, and when not in use to 

 stand it upright and secure a draft 

 which would keep the fire going. 



Certain improvements on the original Quinby smoker 

 have been made without changing the general form of 

 the implement, one of the most effective and durable of 

 these improved makes being the Bingham direct-draft 

 smoker. Other modifications are the Crane, with a cut- 

 FiG.32.-TheBing off valve, the Clark, Hill, and Corneil smokers. The 

 ham bee smoker. me di um and larger sized smokers, even for use in small 

 apiaries, are preferable. They light easier, take in all kinds of fuel, and 

 hold fire better, while they are always much more effective since they 

 furnish a large volume of smoke at a given instant, thus nipping in the 

 bud any incipient rebellion. The bee smoker and its use are well shown 

 by figs. 12, 32, and 53. 



VEILS. 



Veils for the protection of the face will be needed at times for vis- 

 itors if not for the manipulator. The beginner, however, should use 

 one under all circumstances until lie has acquired some skill in opening- 

 hives and manipulating frames and has become acquainted with the 

 temper and notes of bees, so that he will have confidence when they 

 are buzzing about him and will know when it is really safe to dispense 

 with the face protector. Veils are made of various materials. In those 

 which offer the least obstruction to the sight, black silk tulle or brus- 

 sels net is used, the meshes of which are hexagonal. Linen brussels 

 net is more durable than silk, as is also cotton, though the latter turns 

 gray in time and obstructs the vision. By making the front only of 

 silk and the sides of some ordinary white cotton netting the cost of the 

 veil is less, but it is not so comfortable to wear in hot weather, being 

 less open. A rubber cord is drawn into the upper edge, which brings 

 the latter snugly in about the hat band. By having the veil long and 

 full and drawing it over a straw hat with a wide, stiff brim, tying the 

 lower edge about the shoulders or buttoning it inside a jacket or coat, 

 the face is securely protected. (Fig. 12.) 



