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GLEANING-S IN BEE CULTURE 



July: 



part of yellow wax to three of paraffiue is so 

 nearly white that it will probably ueveFbe dis- 

 tinetuished from that made with white wars ; 

 aud the raelfmt; }X)int is so high, that they 

 will stand safely, exposure iu the su» that 

 natural comb-; woi>ld not. If the matter can: 

 be aritinijed so that we can use o^ne article for 

 both brood ami guide combs, it will save con- 

 siderable trouble ; and when we get over the 

 present iiish, we hope to furnish this article 

 for 50 cents in quantities of 10 lbs. or upwards. 



17th — So many have asked for foundatioHas 

 as thin as we could make them, botb on ac- 

 count of the saving of expense per square fixit 

 as well as to have them light for comb honey, 

 that we have, we think, erred iu that respect. 

 As they work in our apiary, we think about 4 

 sq. feet to the lb., about what is wanted ; in 

 that case there is much le^s liability to bulge 

 or bag, and at present there seems to be a cfe- 

 eided advantage in favor of having the sheets 

 till the whole section frames. 



20i7c. — Instead of our own apiary, per- 

 haps we should say our own — xrell, bee-hive. 

 Orders for extractors didn't stop, but came 

 faster; the .section boxes too it seems have 

 proved a success,anc] ever so many of them were 

 wanted, and the worst of it was that our 

 friends only discovered that they wanted them 

 just as the bees were ready to use them, and 

 then the foundations proved' a success too, 

 an.l to cap all, our bees filled their hives at a 

 time when it would have been madness on our 

 part almost to have thought of extracting ; 

 and as onr customers were clamoring for sec- 

 tion cases that vi^e had not, of course our bees 

 could have none. As for the bees, vt^e gave 

 them upper stories and empty combs, and if 

 we don't have enough to keep them from 

 starving, nest spring it will be funny. To be 

 sure we have hired more hands, but as the 

 business is new, and much of it of a nature 

 that makes us green hands as well as the rest, 

 is it any wonder that in spite of us, orders 

 co.uld not be sent as promptly as usual ? We 

 all did our best, the windmill included, but 

 the press was too great, aud a steam engine 

 had to be called in ; if you don't think we 

 are a bee-hive now, just take a look at us. 



It is true we might have written some of 

 you, aad told you what to expect ; but with 

 looking after new hands and the like, we didn't 

 find time to even do that as we should. To 

 make all satisfactory we will tell all such to 

 send bill for damages, bother and all, and we 

 will pay it; even if it include swarms that 

 went to the woods, as far as we were responsi- 

 ble. Why, we haven't even had a look, this 

 season .at our basswood orchard, aud are told 

 that the alsike clover is just alive with bees, 

 but we haven't even seen them once. AVe fear 

 we have not yet grown big enough to deserve 

 the confidence our friends seem to have given 

 lis, but we shall try hard, and we hope by the 

 time this reaches you to be able to give you 

 every thing in our line as soon as y<t)ur money 

 is in our post ofilce. 



The swarm that came out to-day, clustered 

 on the same tree, and on the sam.e limb, as the 

 one that came out several days ago. AVhy do 

 they do this? As we do not keep things pre- 

 ))ared for swarm.s, we fir^t found the queen in 

 front of the hive, found her by the movements 



of straggling bees, caged her and tied the cage 

 to a bu-sh from the tree on which they were- 

 clustered. We tied; the bush, cage and' all to a 

 common rake ;. the rake was stuck in the- 

 ground as near as. it conveniently could be tO' 

 the tree on which tbey clustered, aad a hive- 

 prepared where we wished tiiem- to stand. Of 

 course the bees were all clus-tered arou-nd their 

 queen on- the rake head,, when^ wanted, and it 

 was a very easy matter to carry them where 

 we wished. They were g"entl7 laid in front of 

 the hive, the queen released, and that was all. 

 Is not this course less troub-le- than climbiug- 

 trees and sawing ofl' limb-s V 



DlEABimOS m SEE OULTUHE. 



Published Moiitltly, 



.A., I_ IROOT. 



EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 



MEDINA, OHIO. 



[Inclr^linff JPostaige,'} 

 For Club Rates see Last Pags. 



'■Consider the lilies of the &eM, how they grow . 

 they toil not, n-eitber flo they spin : Anrt yet I sa\- 

 unto you. That e^en Solomon fn all liis gloi-y was ncii" 

 arrayed like one of these."— Matthew, vi, 2S, iX 



Baited ajij^les and bread and miJk are o»t of Meason-, 

 but we g-et al'oii-e very wel? by u.sing strawberries s\7eet- 

 enetl with ne\7 clover honey ni place o5 the apples. Too> 

 bad, isn't i-t ? _ 



At present ■writiiig— June 23d— it Jooka to rts very inuchi 

 fts if it would ),viy to have- the fouvidations fiil our sectiois 

 boxes complete. It then requJre-s ix> cementing at all. 

 and the bees commence workiiig os them beautifully- 

 .^lbout four riieets 12!x5S inches are recjuired ire -a ]:ound. 



Keep a green bush tied to the teeth of a common wood- 

 en rake, and a ctueen cage tKd to the bush. Wlien the 

 bees swarm, catch t!>e quc-3n and put li«r in the case, their 

 hold lier up among the bees, or fasten the rake iieay wher(> 

 they Ri-e clusterins, aud your swarus is m vei-y convenient 

 shape to handle. Yonr wife can, do it all, after a little^ 

 practice. 



T-vro more colonies have actually dwhuJlec? out in the- 

 house apiary, and they have done it too when those out 

 doors were actually sending out rousing svrarms. Now if 

 our house apiai-y is the onlj- unlncky one we should bc- 

 giad to know it. We have before asked for a report of the 

 wintering of others, and especially of the one built by I\Ir. 

 Coe, in our vicinity. Are we not to have honest amt c.tti- 

 did rejMrts of failures as well as suc-cesses ? 



So.ME one complains that the Unircrsal section 

 box does not fit inside the Simplicity hive. They arc 

 made to rest on the top and not inside, the ordinary 

 cover and quilt beinj? raised up and put over them. 

 If they wore put inside, wc should be obliged to make 

 hoops ilifl'crent from those that form the tK)dy of the 

 hive, aud we should not have as great an an70unt ot 

 room for surplus boxes or sections. Our bees have at 

 this date — June 20— filled them clear to the outside 

 sections, and the sight of a whole case of 30, 1'Hcd and 

 ca;iiic-l over, is encouraging- wc as=ure you. 



