716 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15 



ner on the side next to you, and the four 

 fing'ers on the opposite side of the same cor- 

 ner next to the fire-box. When a few light 

 puffs only are needed, use it in this man- 

 ner; but when you have heav}' work to do, 

 let the ball or inside of the hand take the 

 place of the thumb, and work it for all it is 

 worth. 



Sometimes when I get in a hurrj' to raise 

 steam (smoke) I grasp it in this manner 

 with both hands, and make it snort like a 

 steamboat. Then, again, a good sportsman 

 should be able to use his gun either right 

 handed or left handed. Would not the bee- 

 keeper be able to grab up a smoker in either 

 hand, and grasp it in the quickest possi- 

 ble manner — any old way, so to speak, and 

 make it do good execution? On page 432 

 you say, " Stand in front of the hive with 

 the entrance to the left." Now, what I con- 

 sider the front of a hive is the end or 

 side that the entrance is on. Had you said, 

 stand at the side of the hive with the en- 

 trance to the left, and the smoker in the 

 right hand, you would have described the 

 position exactly, only I sometimes change 

 the smoker to the left hand while I use the 

 chisel or hive- opener with the right. 



Held in the position that I have described, 

 you have full sweep of the entire hive with- 

 out in the least cramping the hand or wrist. 

 When I set it down I usually put it where 

 most convenient; but if the bees are inclined 

 to be cross I place it where the smoke will 

 blow over the top of the frames; otherwise I 

 place it where the smoke will blow away 

 from the hive. 



About that hook, I think the fellow who 

 wants it on his smoker ought to have to 

 mention it when he orders it. I hooked it 

 into my hands several times, and thought 

 bad things about it, and threatened to take 

 it off; but the first time a brother of mine 

 got hold of it and hooked it into his hand a 

 time or two he took the screwdriver and 

 saved me the trouble. I put it on when I 

 first got it, because I thought it belonged 

 there; but I soon found out that it did not. 



This is already longer than I had intend- 

 ed, but I have a few remarks to make about 

 smokers as well as how to use them. When 

 I first read the description of the Jumbo 

 Cornell I decided that I must have one, for 

 the great fault with most of the smokers on 

 the market is that they are not large 

 enough. The Jumbo gives a good strong 

 blast. It does not suck smoke back into the 

 bellows, and get all gummed up with that 

 bane to smokers for which I know no name 

 — an accumulation of semi-liquid soot, or 

 condensed smoke. It is easil}^ started, and 

 no trouble to replenish. After you have it 

 well started, almost anj' kind of fuel can be 

 used. One can cram in a chunk about as 

 big as his fist, or he can break up small 

 limbs or any thing in the shape of wood 

 that he happens to get hold of.. It does not 

 have to be made into such small pieces as 

 are required for the smaller-sized smokers. 



While speaking of fuel I will mention that 

 I have never found any thing better than, 



even if equal to, partially decaj'ed elm 

 wood. This is prepared in suitable-sized 

 pieces, and, thoroughly dried, it burns 

 readily, j-et not too fast, and gives vast 

 quantities of smoke that I consider just 

 right. It is not pungent as is the smoke 

 from most other kinds of wood, yet it is very 

 dense, and sufficiently strong for almost 

 an3' vicious colony. 



To those who have had but little experi- 

 ence with smokers, I will say, do not close 

 the smoker too soon after lighting. Allow 

 it to burn a few minutes, with the top or 

 cover thrown back until it gets a good start. 

 In lighting the smoker I usually whittle a 

 few fine shavings unless I happen to find 

 suitable kindling about the saw-table. Aft- 

 er lighting the shavings I use coarser stuff, 

 and finally put in the pieces of elm three to 

 four inches long, and from three-fourths to 

 two inches square, or about that size. 



I have no doubt that Doolittle's plan of 

 gathering up a few coals where the smoker 

 has been emptied before, applying a few 

 drops of kerosene, and then a match, after 

 which the fuel can be filled in, is the quick- 

 est and best way of lighting a smoker. I 

 have used this method in starting the cook- 

 stove fire for a long time, and it saves time 

 and trouble. But, to return to Jumbo. I 

 have one fault to find with it, and that is a 

 serious one. That hinged nozzle works all 

 right as long as the smoker is not used; but 

 as soon as it gets gummed up, the top re- 

 fuses to go down; and a smoker that will 

 not keep its mouth shut is an aggravation; 

 for, instead of the smoke going out at the 

 nozzle, as it should, it comes puffing out all 

 around. I think you could improve on this 

 by making the top flaring so that it would 

 fit down over the stove, something as a fun- 

 nel would fit over a cup of a little smaller 

 size. I took the top oft" mine, and with a 

 hammer, and a solid piece of iron to lay it 

 on, I flared it about half way around, leav- 

 ing that part where the hinge is attached 

 remaining ns it was, and I find it quite an 

 improvement. Probably in some climates 

 this sooty accumulation is not so bad, as I 

 have noticed that it seems to be worse in 

 damp weather; but there is always enough 

 of it to make trouble. I think that, if the 

 Jumbo could be made a cold as well as hot 

 blast smoker it would be a great improve- 

 ment. This might be done by having anoth- 

 er tube near the top, and a slide so ar- 

 ranged that, when one tube is open, the other 

 would be closed, though it might not work 

 as well in practice as it does in my mind. 

 I only suggest it. 



I think the improvement on the Vesuvius, 

 as suggested by Geo. E. Rozelle, page 594, 

 July 1, will be all right. How would it do 

 to have a hole in the inside cylinder, cor- 

 responding with the one in the outside, and 

 have them make a continuous opening when 

 you wish to use it as a hot blast? Then if 

 you wish to convert it into a cold blast, give 

 the inside cylinder about a quarter or half 

 turn, and allow the blast to pass up be- 

 tween the two cylinders. 



