102 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



upon the tests made as to the relative 

 value of that made from different 

 "machines — its mechanical condition at 

 the time of insertion. I would call 

 the attention of Mr. Doolittle to this 

 point for his experiments were of 

 great interest. 



Last year I tried, side by side, in 

 several different hives, three different 

 kinds made on as many different ma- 

 chines, by well known makers, and in- 

 variably found that the sheets that 

 were freshest and most pliable were 

 the best. All I suppose were freshly 

 made but some of it was pressed too 

 hard. Especially I found this the 

 case with the thin " flat bottom." 

 There is no doubt but tlie chemical 

 condition is affected by the presence 

 of impurities, and over-heating affects 

 the value greatly. 



Having used foundation since its 

 first introduction and fully realizing 

 early the importance of its perfection, 

 to honey producers, it is a matter of 

 congratulation that invention has 

 been so active in supplying our needs. 

 Let us have all the light possible. In 

 a suitable temperature slieets can be 

 kept, if closely packed, a long time 

 fresh, but the aim should be to give 

 the most perfect work possible with 

 the least pressure of the slieets. Such 

 is my experience. 



Since writing the above, I have a 

 letter from a gentleman, who well de- 

 serves the name of bee master, for he 

 last year produced from one colony 

 more than 700 lbs. of lioney. He goes 

 so far as to say. that if he .had to cut 

 out and melt up starters that liad 

 been in the sections two months and 

 put in new in the busiest season, he 

 would do it. Are not others observ- 

 ing a difference of the kind named ? 



Charlottesville, Va, 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to Detect Glucose. 



W. C. PRESTON. 



Having noticed in your excellent 

 Journal an inquiry for some simple 

 method of detecting glucose, allow me 

 to give your readers tlie test in com- 

 mon use in chemical laboratories. 



The test is sufficiently simple and at 

 the same time very delicate — and may, 

 I think, be stated so plainly tliat the 

 non-professional reader will find no 

 difficulty in its practical application. 

 It is based on the fact that if to a boil- 

 ing alkaline solution of blue vitriol a 

 solution containing glucose be added, 

 a red precipitate of cuprous oxide will 

 be immediately thrown down ; wliile 

 cane sugar will give the red jnecipi- 

 tate only after protracted boiling. It 

 will be necessary to iirepare the fol- 

 lowing solutions, which may be bot- 

 tled up and kept for use as required : 



1. One-half ounce blue vitriol dis- 

 solved in one pint of rain water. 



2. Three ounces caustic potassa dis- 

 solved in one pint of rain water. 



Also procure a test tube about 6 

 inches long, such as may be found at 

 most any drug store. Pour into this 

 tube about a tablespoonful of the blue 

 vitriol solution and add about an equal 

 amount of the solution of potassa— a 



light blue precipitate will be formed— 

 now add a small quantity of the sweet 

 substance to be tested (it is better to 

 be in solution), and heat to boiling. If 

 even a trace of glucose is present it 

 will be revealed by the reddish tint 

 immediately imparted to the liquor, 

 best seen by looking down through the 

 tube lengthwise. If there is much 

 glucose a red precipitate will sink to 

 the bottom of the tube. 



It may be well to add that this test 

 does not enable us to detect the adulte- 

 ration of honey by manufactured glu- 

 cose, inasmuch as all honey contains 

 a large percentage of the same saccha- 

 rine substance — but pure, as formed in 

 Nature's laboratory — the nectaries of 

 flowers. 



State University, Iowa City, Iowa. 



For the American Bee Journa]. 



Bee-Keeping in Australia. 



S. MACDONNELL. 



Dear Editor.— The notice that ap- 

 peared in a late number of your Jour- 

 nal regarding the death "of tlie late 

 President Garfield, was one fitting any 

 publication whatever its general ob- 

 ject, and as, perhaps, I am the only 

 citizen of this country who writes to 

 the Bee Journal. I shall not like 

 the event to pass without an acknowl- 

 edgment of the high esteem and re- 

 spect entertained in all classes here, 

 for one known to us only by liis fame 

 and noble character, and of tlie deep 

 regret which- was universally felt at 

 the tragic end of yourlate President. 



My Italian bees have progressed 

 satisfactorily. At one time I was 

 afraid that one colony had sent a 

 swarm to the woods, whereby I should 

 have lost one of my imported queens, 

 but my fears have proved unfounded. 

 I have but little time to try the Kab- 

 ler or other process for securing the 

 pure impregnation of queens, but 

 have contented myself with giving 

 Italian cells to queenless black colo- 

 nies, after liaving removed the queen 

 cells from all their own brood. 1 have 

 treated about 1.5 in tliis manner, and 

 an examination this week found about 

 12 with yellow queens, some showing 

 an admixture of black. The number 

 of Italian drones which I shall be able 

 to rear next season, and tlie absence 

 of black drones in my apiary, will, I 

 trust, then give me a. better chance of 

 securing pure impregnation for a fresh 

 batch of queens. 



An enterprising German bee-keeper 

 lately arrived, and was sent to me by 

 the German Consul for advice. lie 

 showed himself to be a thorough mas- 

 ter of the science, and I considered 

 his proposal to run a farm of 400 colo- 

 nies, but. as I was to find all tlie capi- 

 tal, and he to i-eceive one-half profits, 

 in addition to an allowance of £3 ($1.51 

 per week, my estimates showed bur 

 a pittance for myself. The hives 

 which he proposed using were to have 

 dovetailed joints,to contain 10 frames, 

 8 inches wide, 1.3 deep in brood cham- 

 ber, and 10 frames half the size in 

 surplus gear, the surplus separated 

 from the brood by excluder-zinc. The 

 hive was to have a door at back, and 



the frames to hang from a groove into 

 which they slide. The matter, for the 

 reason of cost without adequate re- 

 turns, has been abandoned by me. I 

 was much amused at his ingenious 

 smoker, consisting of a deep- bowled 

 pipe ; the cap fitted with a muzzle, al- 

 lowing the tobacco smoked to be 

 puffed on to the bees, while the hands 

 were free for operation. How would 

 this suit Mr. Root's " tobacco 

 column V" 



I have determined to run a farm of 

 about 100 colonies for a commence- 

 ment, on a friend's orchard in the 

 vicinity of Parramatta, about 15 miles 

 west of Sydney. Oranges and other 

 fruit treesarelargely cultivated there, 

 and in addition, there are many hills 

 and valleys yielding an abundance of 

 our native honey-produciug plants. 

 My present stock, at Ilomebush, 

 where bee fodder is not suflicient to 

 keep more than a small number of 

 colonies, I intend to reserve as a queen 

 breeding station, to supply Italian 

 queens to the farm. Langstroth hives 

 will be adopted througliout. Foresee- 

 ing the possibility of the venture as- 

 suming larger proportions, in course 

 of time, when it would pay to employ 

 an expert, I should much like to know 

 the rate at which a man able to man- 

 age a large bee farm, could be pro- 

 cured from America on a 3 year's en- 

 gagement, passage paidV Ordinary 

 farm laborers get 25 sliillings per 

 week ($6), and find tlieir own board 

 and lodging. Ours is a delightful cli- 

 mate, no winter, and bees thrive 

 amazingly. 



I wish you the compliments of the 

 season, and a prosperous year for the 

 American Bee Journal. 



Sydney, Australia, Dec. 28, 1882. 



[It is very doubtful if a skillful 

 apiarist, such as would prove satisfac- 

 tory and profltable, could be obtained 

 for less than $75 per month, for a three 

 years' engagement, (iood apiarists, 

 seeking employment, are exceedingly 

 few. 



Accompanying tlie above commu- 

 nication was the following list of arti- 

 cles exliibited by jSIr. MacDonnell, at 

 the Balmain Industrial Exhibition of 

 1881. As it will interest our readers 

 to learn the progress of bee-keeping 

 in Australia, we give ita place.— Ed.]: 



1. Diagrams of the Anatomy and 

 Physiology of the Honey Bee — Pub- 

 li^lied by the British Bee-Keepers' 

 Association. 



2. Langstroth Frame Hive, contain- 

 ing 3 stories, the first story having 10 

 frames for brood-rearing, tlie second 

 having 10 frames for storing honey 

 for extracting, and the third having 18 

 section boxes, each to hold 2 lbs. of 

 comb honey. 



3. Langstroth Single Frame Obser- 

 vatory Hive, allowing the whole econ- 

 omy of the liive to be brought under 

 inspection. 



4. Honey Extractor, by the use of 

 whicli honey is extracted by centrifu- 

 gal force from the comb, and the comb 

 is returned to the hive, thus enabling 



