1876. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



133 



praise tlicm too much to any one who is fond ol' ex- 

 ploring ttie wonders of the libney bee. 



Did you ever ! Last season we tliought if we soUl 

 one extractor a day we were doinf? pretty well, Init 

 yesterday we sent off 12. And as they were rao=;tly 

 from those who have liought of us before, we shall 

 Jxave to conclude the business is not overlone after 

 all. The way our boys— and girls -are learning to 

 make the boxes of tin come into Shane, with the aid 

 of improved machinery, is soothina: to the feelings of 

 one who takes all the responsibility of having the ma- 

 chines despatched quickly, alter the money comes 

 for them. 



We are much pleased to note that at the Maury Co. 

 (Tenn.) Bee-keepers' Association, they not only went 

 on* into the apiary, but opened hives, performed the 

 different operations requsite about the apiary, and 

 finished by transferring a colony from box hive to 

 movable frame. Is not this a move in the right direct- 

 ion? How does it compare with associations where 



they "steady Ed'ard ! '' as Cayitain Cuttle used to 



say; we rather fhink the idea we were trying to get at 

 was that an adjournment to the open air e)i masxe, 

 would many times be a profitable move for bee-keep- 

 ers conventions in general. 



THErhaveas yet no Italian bees in iVustr alia, the 

 third shipment having proved a failure. Our friend 

 Carroll thinks want of ventilation and want of water 

 the trouble, but those who have l)een most successful 

 in inip''trtina: from Italy, think Mr. Carroll wrong in 

 his ideas as to liow they should be prepared. We sin- 

 cerely hope some one will try his hand at it, who will 

 make it a success; and as Mr. C. proposes to pay for 

 the bees all the same, whether they are lost or not, 

 there can be little risk in trying the experiment. For 

 narticulars aildress.J. Carroll. Bee-master, Mohawk 

 Valley, Enoggera, Queensland, Australia. Postage 

 on letter, 12 cents, 



We are pained to learn of the death of another of 

 our number. J. R. Gardner, Christiansbiu-g, Va., who 

 has long been known to most of our readers, has been 

 suddenly taken away. But a few days before his 

 death, he wrote with his usual enthusiasm in regard 

 to bee matters, the new comb machinery, etc. We 

 are busy and careless to-day, but who knows what the 

 morrow may bring forth? Our friend has left onlv 

 ])leasant memories; about 4 years ago, he made comb 

 foundations quite successfully with jilaster casts, and 

 we had considerable correspondence with him in re- 

 gard to the matter. 



Since the matter has been stirred un, it seems that 

 almost as manv have used the tin separators, as have 

 used house apiaries. Dr. A. V. Conklin, Delaware. O., 

 used them more than lo years ago to make the bees 

 build their combs true in the section frames he used 

 on his Diamond liive. Tlie frames were suspended, 

 and to prevent the bees from refusing to a:o into a 

 new set of boxes, as they often do, he wished to re- 

 move the sections one at a time, or as fast as each was 

 full. As the new one was ijut between others liaving 

 bees at work on them, they could not well help being 

 filled speedily. The same idea can be applied to our 

 section boxes, and where no guide combs are at hand 

 we can take a few sections from a liive that has al- 

 ready started them, and give to one that seems averse 

 to commencing. Few colonies will refuse to work in 

 the boxes if they can have one or two that are already 

 started, for a sample. 



The tins the doctor used were as wide as they could 

 be, and allow i-oom for the bees to pass above and be- 

 low them. Says he used them enough to get about 

 !>00 lbs. in these little frames. 



- *^^ - 



Will you please tell mo in whose care you have your 

 extractor at the Centennial and what you have to" pay 

 ti keen it clean ? I sent one and I have received a bill 

 from Drver, Simmons and Co. for ?5.00 for unpacking 

 and puttins in tjosition. and they want S25.00 more to 

 keep the dust cleaned oft' during the Exhibition which 

 I think is spreading it on ' prettv thick". 



R. R. Muupiiv. Garden Plain, 111. May 22nd 1876. 



[Space was secured and our Hive and Ext'r were 

 ready to ship in due season, but we were told to wait 

 until shiiiping labels were sent. They have not been 

 rec'd : by the way as they .are adopting new schemes 

 <lailv in the way of 'terminal charges," "storage for 

 crating," etc., we besin to think people who j'vdVi- for 

 their money might be out of place there. The charges 

 in your case friend M.. seem almost wholesale swind- 

 ling; will the Centennial folks explain. We cannot 

 wonder that vi-itors repoit only one bee-hive, and 

 that a foreign one.] 



We have frequently, of late, lamented that there 

 was no text book, or" indeed, book of any kind that 

 gave a concise view ol bee-culture that was at all up 

 to the present date, and when we sent out such text 

 books as were to be had, it was with a feeling that wo 

 were doing our customers an injury, almost, to give 

 them something, a great part of which must bo un- 

 learned almost as soon as learned. Prof. C 'ok, of the 

 Mich. Ag. College, has now given us a text book, luUy 

 up to the present date, and a book, almost the only 

 fault of which, is its brevity. The skill with whicli 

 our friend has touched upon everytiiing of import- 

 ance, and yet avoided being drawninto indorsing too 

 warmly the various new inventions and developments, 



is is just like Prof. Cook; for we very much 



doubt if we have at present another writer who could 

 do it so well. Dear readers and brother novices, we 

 take pleasure in haading you a raanuil that you can 

 refer to in all emergencies, and that will perhaps be a 

 mueh safer guide than anything similar we could fur- 

 nish. We presume some wiU'complain that the ile- 

 tails are not more minute in some respects, but this 

 is unavoidable in so small a work. Price .'50c. postpaid. 

 Send us the money and see how quickly we will put 

 the book into your hands. We are well supplied. 



I'erlaining to 3E5ee Cviltiix'e. 



[We respectfully solicit the aid of our friends in 

 couducting this department, and wottld consider it 

 a favor to have them semi us all circulars that have 

 a ileceptive appearance. Tlie greatest care will be at 

 all times maintained to prevent injustice being done 

 any one.] 



^f^lRIEND NOVICE :— Let me warn your readers 

 Jv against shipping honey to the house of John K. 



McAllister & Co., Chicago, Ills. They won't do the 

 clean thing. In fact, wcn't do anytJiing towards paying 

 for honey sent them ; at k ast such is the manner in which 

 they treated rae. About three months ago, they wrote me, 

 if my honey was pure they would give me 11 cts. for it, 

 delivered in Chicago. I accepted their otter and shipped 

 them a barrel weighing here, net 414! lbs. Upon receipt 

 of it there, they wrote rae that there was but 311 lbs in- 

 stead of 411. as marked on the barrel. Also that they 

 could buy such honey as mine for IC cents per pound. I 

 wrote back to them that I had made no mistake in weigh- 

 ing the honey, but if 100 lbs. had leaked out on the way, 

 of course I did not want them to pay for it, and to send 

 me the money for 314 lbs. at 11 cents. I heard no more 

 frora them for several weeks, I then wrote to a friend of 

 mine in Chicago, to see them for me, and gave him an or- 

 der on tliera for the money. He went to see them, after 

 which they wrote me that >meu to whom they had sold 

 some of the honey, had pronounced it not bees' honey ; 

 that they would have it ar.alyzed in a few days and if it 

 proved to be pure honey would pay me ii cents for it less 

 freight. I siqipose they lia\'en't n-ualyzed it yet ; as i hav3 

 heard notliing more from them, I count it lost. If I ever 

 get anythinic for it I will be sur|)rised. Don't you think 

 this belongs in "Humbug and Swindle'' column? Be- 

 ware of the house and ship them no iK^ney, is iny advice. 

 Before closing would like to ask if you ever heard of a 

 hive called "Gould's Common Sense Beehive." A mjin by 

 the name of G. W. C. Gillespie, purx)orting to be a part- 

 ner ot Gould, has been through our County, black-mailing 

 bee-keepers, saying his hive was the only 2 story hive 

 e^"er patented and demanding royalty from those he found 

 using a 2 story hive ; threatening to prosecute if they did 

 not pay him. ' I am sorry to learn that several did pay 

 him. He came to my house last Monday and demanded 

 the same of rae, which of course I refused, and he threat- 

 ened to hav-i me summoned before the United St-\tes 

 Court at Nashville. He had his letters patent with him, 

 but when asked to show me where they covered two story 

 hives he could not explain. He said he hid been all over 

 the state of Ohio, and collected it fr)m all he saw using 

 two story hives. I asked him if he hn,d ever been to 

 Medina and collected it of you. He said he went to soo 

 you tliree years a^o and you were not using n, two slory 

 hive then.' What do yoii think of him ? And do you know 

 any thiu^ about him ? Tell your readers to beware of him. 

 Po'iilars were iu full bloom but no honey on account of so 

 muih mill. J. F. Moxrao.uERT. 



Lincoln Tenn. May 10th. 1789 



