1574 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15 



wheeling the filled cases of honey away on 

 trucks that will carry a thousand pounds at 

 a ]or\rl, rtf," 

 Kenms, Mich. 



FIG. 6. — STARTING FOR AN OUT-APIARY. 



An ordinary bicycle is used; and when the railroad is reached, a 

 third wheel, which is flanged, is attached. 



[We regard this as a contribution of excep- 

 tional value, and we hope every one of our 

 readers will take pains to read it carefully, 

 because there are several ideas in it that are 

 not only novel but practical as well. Mr. 

 Coveyou is a comparatively new correspond- 

 ent for the bee-papers; but apparently he has 

 been quietly jumping ahead of some of us. 

 The illustrations show something of his gen- 

 ius at getting up devices and short cuts. 



Very often we run across men of an inven- 

 tive turn of mind, but who do not seem to 

 be able to turn their inventiveness into dol- 

 lars and cents. Mr. Coveyou certainly does 

 not belong to this class, for he makes his tal- 

 ent count for something. In the first place, 

 he has worked out a practical and unique 

 system of bottling honey and of rendering 

 wax; and right in this connection his method 

 of melting up old combs is precisely the 

 same as the one we have adopted — melting 

 up the combs in a large hot- water boiler, and 

 dipping the slumgum out in a press and 

 squeezing it. We were surprised that Mr. 

 Townsend as well as Mr. Hatch had each 

 settled upon practically the same method, 

 each without the knowledge of what the oth- 

 er was doing. 



Mr. Coveyou's method of filling his bottles 

 by means of a long hose, or, as Mr. Town- 

 send calls it, a "wild-goose bill," is certain- 

 ly excellent. This latter, as we understand 

 it, is nothing more nor less than the same 

 principle employed in a self-closing molasses- 

 pitcher that chops off all the drip after one 

 is through pouring. The same thing is at- 

 tached to a hose, and it is perfectly conceiv- 

 able that one could fill bottles standing in 

 the crates with far greater rapidity and con- 

 venience than can be done by the old plan of 

 picking up a bottle, adjusting it exactly in 

 poq'Mon under the molasses-gate, and then 

 Uliu.g, abutting off the honey, and putting 



the bottle back and picking up another. 

 Why, one with this simple device could easi- 

 ly put the other fellow clear behind in the 

 race. 



Whether this idea was original 

 with Mr. Coveyou or not we can 

 not say; if so, we should pro- 

 nounce it well worthy of a pat- 

 ent; at all events it would seem 

 that the idea is valuable enough 

 to warrant dealers in offering 

 them for sale on the basis of a 

 royalty. 



Mr. Coveyou emphasizes an- 

 other important thing that is 

 possibly too often overlooked; 

 and that is, the convenience and 

 value of a large oblong tank of 

 hot water. Various feed-cook- 

 ers are on the market, in cost 

 running all the way from $3.00 

 to $3.00 up to $10.00 or $12.00. 

 In looking over the catalogs of 

 Montgomery Ward & Co., and 

 Sears, Roebuck & Co., we find 

 one that we think just right for 

 the use of the bee-keeper, called 

 the "Farmer's Choice," listed 

 at only $8.95. This is the No. 3 size, having 

 an oblong tank 4 feet long, 24 inches wide, 

 and a foot det-p, vviih a cap u-ily of Un giilji-a-i 



FIG. 7.— A QUICK AND EASY METHOD OF GO- 

 ING TO OUTYARDS LOCATED ALONG A 

 RAILROAD TRACK. 



Any one. whettier he be able to ride a wheel or not, 

 can easily make 15 miles an hour on this machine. 



