74 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Another Bee - Smoker im- 

 provement was patented on June 28, 

 1892, by Mr. Alanson G. Hill, of In- 

 diana. It is patent No. 478,006, en- 

 titled "Bee-Smoking Apparatus." From 

 the specifications received, we extract 

 the following paragraphs : 



The objects of my improvement are, 

 first, to provide a bee-smoker having a 

 fire-box or cylinder so constructed that 

 the draft-funnel from the bellows enters 

 the cylinder at the top above the flame, 

 and in a direct line with the smoke- 

 funnel, instead of at right angles there- 

 to, as heretofore constructed; second, to 

 provide a bee-smoker having a cylinder 

 with a raised or false bottom, proper 

 vents, and an adjustable hinged funnel- 

 top, and so constructed that the fire- 

 cylinder will require no hand-shields, 

 and will at all times be in a perpendicu- 

 lar position, whether the smoker is at 

 rest or in use, thereby avoiding the 

 usual derangement of its contents. 



The manner of using my improved 

 smoker is as follows : 



After starting a fire in the cylinder 

 with proper fuel, the operator works 

 the bellows by the thumb and finger. 

 As my bee-smoker when in use is car- 

 ried in an upright position, and the 

 draft-funnel enters the fire-cylinder in 

 direct line with the smoke-funnel in- 

 stead of at right angles thereto, the 

 draft from the bellows will drive the 

 smoke to its work with more directness, 

 increased force, and greater efficiency, 

 while at the same time, the draft-funnel 

 being above the flames, the fuel and 

 ashes will remain undisturbed by the 

 most vigorous operation of the bellows. 



Honey Out of the Rock is 



the name of a new religious song-book 

 which we understand is " greatly ad- 

 mired." It very likely would be much 

 appreciated by bee-keepers, but perhaps 

 one called "Honey Out of the Hive" 

 would be more welcome just now, in 

 view of the unfavorable honey season in 

 some localities. But should there be a 

 good fall crop of honey, bee-keepers 

 may then be permitted to use " Honey 

 Out of the Rock " for their spiritual 

 benefit, and " honey out of the hive " to 

 delight and recuperate their physical 

 natures. 



Instinct or Reason in Bees. 



— On this subject the Phrenological Jour- 

 nal takes the position that the acts of 

 bees are governed by intelligent thought. 

 To prove this, it cites the fact that bees 

 gather honey only in climates subject to 

 wintry weather. If our bees are taken 

 to Australia, where the summers are 

 perennial, they learn in a few years to 

 store no honey, gathering it only as they 

 need it for sustaining life. The only 

 way the Australian can get honey is to 

 import queens from old countries every 

 few years, they not having learned that 

 the storing up of honey is unnecessary. 

 — Exchange. 



Electricity.— Prof. Elihu Thom- 

 son, the inventor and brains of the 

 Thomson-Houston Electric Company, 

 contributes an entertaining, scientific 

 and thoughtful paper on "Future Elec- 

 trical Development," to the July 'Neiv 

 England Magazine. He explains the 

 possibilities of electricity, in all the 

 public and private conveniences of life, 

 and gives practical examples of its 

 application to manufactures, rapid tran- 

 sit, and domestic offices, such as cook- 

 ing, ironing, heating, gardening, raising 

 fruit and vegetables, etc. 



Honey-Bees haui>t the flowers 

 and blossoming trees of New York, es- 

 pecially the horse-chestnuts. The blos- 

 soms of this tree have a peculiar fasci- 

 nation for bees of all sorts, and in 

 regions where bees are plentiful, there 

 is a noise as of a swarm about each 

 horse-chestnut. It is an old tradition 

 that the horse-chestnut blossom contains 

 an intoxicant which makes the honey 

 seekers drunk, and causes them to drop 

 senseless to the ground, where they be- 

 come the prey of ants. — Exchange. 



The Season is late, being several 

 weeks behind the usual time; but it is 

 quite likely that it will continue as much 

 longer, and thus average up all right. 



