1883 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



529 



friend Hasty, and we talked about Virgil, 

 and Mr. L. made this charge against you — 

 if it can be called a charge, lie said you 

 had, iu your translation, greatly helped 

 Virgil, or that you had made him out 

 greater and wiser than he justly deserved. 

 At any rate, I think we all owe you a debt 

 for having shown us how much real intel- 

 ligence there was in Virgil's time, and for 

 having let us see that all wisdom and knowl- 

 edge does not belong entirely to us of the 

 19th century. Now, friend II., I do not take 

 much stock in mythology ; that is, I do not 

 like very much of it at once. But I think 

 we can safely trust you to bring out all the 

 good there is in it. We like fun, don"twe, 

 boys V But we want something substantial 

 pretty close by. 



^ I ^ 



A CART FOR MOVING HIVES. 



ALSO, A PLAN FOR HIVING SWARMS IN CONNECTION 

 AVITH THE CART. 



fN regard to the usefulness of this machine, there 

 is no guess-so worli about it. I have tested it 

 — in my own apiary the past season, and am sat- 

 isfied with it. I never had to call for 

 help to move heavy hives this year. My 

 way of using it has been this: I have all 

 my new hives prepared and set on the _=r:s= 



stands they are to occupy; then at one 

 side of the apiary 1 have some stands 

 pi-epared witJwut hives on them. Now 

 we are ready for swarming. As soon as 

 the swarm comes out, cage the queen, 

 raise the cap, and lay her on the quilt 

 inside; then as soon as the bees are all 

 out, pick the hive up with the cart and ^ 

 wheel it away to one of the vacant ^^ 

 stands; unload it there, and leave it for Jj 

 the present; now step around and pick H? 

 up one of the empty hives, and place it g^ 

 on the stand where the swarm has just ^s 

 issued; and as soon as the bees begin to 

 return, turn the queen in; and while 

 the swarm is settling, the old hive can 

 be opened, and the queen-cells cut out. 

 Now, if the swarm is quiet, take the 

 cart and carefully wheel it to its proper 

 place; then return the old hive like- 

 wise, and the operation is complete. 

 The cart can also be used for carrying 

 the extractor, comb-bucket, tool-box, 

 section-cases, crated honey, etc.; and 

 when not in use in the apiary it makes 

 a splendid plaything for the juveniles. 

 We can furnish a limited number of 

 these carts for $15.00 each, complete. 



Now, Mr. Root, it is against my rules 

 to "brag" on any thing I have for sale. 

 I want it to sell on its merits alone, or not sell at all. 

 I should like to have you and other bee-keepers say 

 what you think of the machine. Your criticisms 

 will be a great help to me. There is one mistake in 

 the picture. It should show the cart approaching a 

 hive resting on four half-bricks, instead of upon a 

 bench, as represented. The picture shown is iiot 

 of your humble servant. Chas. R. Thompson. 



Fort Omaha, Neb., Oct. 1, 1883. 



Eriend T., your cart seems very ingenious, 

 and doubtless might prove quite handy in 



moving hives in the way you indicate. It 

 seems to me, however, that we have easier 

 methods of swarming than to lift large 

 heavy hives about, i' et there are doubtless 

 many who will like the plan you give. If I 

 were going to move hives, I should very 

 much like such a cart. For cellar winter- 

 ing it will doubtless be a fine thing. Have 

 the tloor of your cellar covered with saw- 

 dust, and you could run your hives in and 

 set them in place very quietly and easily. I 

 should judge from the engraving that the 

 cart is not well suited to other kinds of work 

 besides hive-moving ; and as you invite 

 criticism, I will also take the liberty of say- 

 ing that §15.00 seems to be quite a price for 

 such an implement. If they were made by 

 the hundred, at some manufactory, it seems 

 to me they ought to be gotten up so as to be 

 sold for about one-half that price. Never- 

 theless it is quite ingenious, and we thank 

 you for the plan you give in regard to^hand- 

 ling swarms. 



Concerning this plan for natural swarma, 

 it will be noticed that the result of moving 

 the two hives as you mention is to leave the 



THOMPSON'S HIVE-CART. 



old hive finally upon its old stand, and the 

 swarm is put into a new hive on a new 

 stand. Well, friend Brooks' swarm-catcher 

 accomplishes the same result, if I am cor- 

 rect, w ithout moving the hives at all. All 

 that is moved is the light cloth, and sticks 

 that keep it in place. This seems a very 

 simple arrangement; and as friend B. de- 

 scribes the plan, it would seem to be easily 

 managed. But as we have had very few re- 

 ports about the w^orking of the device, I 

 presume a great many who are accustomed 



