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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



young's spring-top oil-can foundation- 

 fastener. 



I have made a little device I use in fast- 

 ening foundation in sections, v^hich I think 

 is a little ahead of any arrangement that I 

 have ever before tried for doing good and 

 neat vpork. I think it might be properly 

 called a hod or bee-keeper section-hod, as 

 it much resembles that tool a plasterer uses 

 to put his mortar on. It is made as follows: 

 Take a %-inch board; saw off a piece the 

 size of your section, then nail it to the end 

 of a round stick through the center of the 

 board for a handle (the top end of an old 

 broomstick makes a good one); then cut a 

 block a trifle less than the inside measure 

 of the section, and a little less than half 

 its depth, allowing for half the thickness 

 of the foundation; then nail it to the other 

 piece. 



I have remodeled a small oil-can that I 

 use for pouring melted wax. 



As to the oil-can, just get a tinner to 

 solder a handle to the side, similar to a 

 small dipper-handle; punch a good-sized 

 hole on top of the side, as shown in the cut, 

 and it is ready. 



I melt wax in a small tin pail, and 

 enough of it so I can sink the oil-can in it, 

 and let it fill up through the hole in the 

 side or top. Use nothing but clean wax 

 free from sediment, then it will run fast 

 enough through the small tube. I fix a 

 small rack in the top of the pail to lay the 

 can on, to let it drip off a moment when 

 first taking it out of the melted wax. This 

 you can do by punching a few holes about 

 an inch below the rim of the pail, and 

 about one-third around, and weave in some 

 fine wire. 



Now for the work, Slip the section on 

 over the block; lay in the piece of founda- 

 tion; press it close to the section, then pour 

 on the melted wax along the edge of foun- 

 dation. If you want to see what a nice 

 little strip of wax you can get in the center 

 of the section acroea the hottoai or up the 



sides, which I think will be quite an in- 

 ducement to the bees to attach their comb 

 to the sides and bottom of the section, keep 

 right on pouring the wax in the corner on 

 the bare block, always commencing at the 

 upper corner; pour on a drop or two, then 

 let it run as far as it will before putting 

 on more. This hod, as I call it, you can 

 hold and turn at any angle that suits you; 

 but you must keep the face of it wet by 

 dipping in water in order to have the wax 

 slip loose, and leave it sticking to the sec- 

 tion; and when pouring the wax on, you 

 must reach up with your fingers and hold 

 the side of the section close to the block to 

 keep the wax from running through. See 

 that your sections are folded square; press 

 them to shape while corners are yet damp; 

 cut foundation in the miter-box, then you 

 will be enabled to fasten the top and one 

 side. I cut mine diagonal, using a half- 

 sheet fastened in one corner. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I should like to have 

 you or some of your help make and test one 

 of them before you publish this. Do not 

 use a wax tube if it works as poorly as 

 mine does, for this work. Keep your work 

 to the right, where j'ou can do the reaching 

 with the right hand, holding the hod in the 

 left. N. Young. 



Robertson, la. 



[Your plan of a little hod that can be 

 twirled in the hand offers a special advan- 

 tage in fastening foundation to the top and 

 one side; but when the wax is so fastened, 

 are you not liable to have trouble when the 

 section goes into the super? If I mistake 

 not, the foundation will be inclined to buckle 

 or warp if the section is crowded in the su- 

 per so as to throw it a little out of square. 

 The scheme of fastening to the end as well 

 as the top has never been practical so far 

 as I know. Our British cousins have used 

 sections grooved on top and sides, slipping 

 the foundation into the grooves; but even 

 then one would have to work very carefully 

 or his foundation would be bulged. If it 

 would be practicable to have the wax fast- 

 ened on three sides we should get plumper 

 and prettier sections. — Ed.] 



RHEUMATISM FROM TOO MANY STINGS. 



I have had a long spell of rheumatism, 

 and haven't been able to do any thing this 

 summer. The doctor says it is from get- 

 ting so many bee-stings. What do you 

 think about it? I have been working in 

 bees steady in the summer for four or five 

 years, from a few stands to 250, besides 

 transferring and working with other peo- 

 ple's bees all over the country, and I never 

 wear any veil, and, of course, I get lots of 

 stings. S. M. Campbell. 



Mountainburg, Ark. 



[I have never heard of a case where bee- 

 stings were alleged as the cause of rheuma- 

 tism; but there have been scores of reports 

 where the poison from the bee has actually 

 cured that disease, and in many cases 



