104 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



buugs loose. We, at one time, had the honey | 

 ooze out at the bung of a barrel until it seem- 

 ed as if we were going to get a small pail full 

 each day, all winter long. After a while it 

 seemed "satisfied" and "behaved." Leaving 

 the honey in an open vessel protected from 

 flies and dust, until it becomes ripe, in no way 

 injures its flavor, so far as we have had expe- 

 rience, but cannot the bees do all this cheaper 

 and better than we can ? If we are correct, 

 perfectly ripened honey, neither candies nor 

 oozes out of the jars and barrels. 



My bees come out and fly, and as soon as they dis- 

 charge, J of them seem to die in a minute or two ; the 

 snow is black with them. I use tlie American, Qnin- 

 by, and common box hive with a drawer in the top ; 

 these are elevated J ol' an inch from the stand. The 

 air circulates under the bottom and through a 

 small ventilator in side of the drawer. The bees in 

 these box hives are the strongest I have. One good 

 swarm in October in the Quinby hive is dead. 



H. S. Bowman, Rollin, Mich., Jan. 30th, 1877. 



The complaint mentioned, seems to come es- 

 pecially from your State, and we fear your 

 large crops of "fall honey have something to do 

 with it. Leaving the bottom as you mention, 

 is very apt to make trouble, unless the colony 

 is very strong, and they are in very old, tough 

 brood combs. This latter point makes quite a 

 diflerence, and we imagine those old tumble- 

 down hives, so often mentioned, winter well, 

 mostly on account of their very thick, warm 

 combs. 



I put into winter quarters 18 swarms, all in 8-frame 

 L. hives. Made a box or bin 28 ieet long and 31 in. 

 wide, 2 boards high on one side and 3 on the othej-, 

 cutting slots in the sides to correspond with the en- 

 trances of hive making, 9 or. each side. Put the bees 

 in alter cold weather came ; putting chaflf round and 

 over them two or three weeks later, as the roads were 

 so bad I could not get it hauled. I removed the honey 

 board bciorc putting the chafl' in, putting cloth in its 

 stead, bags, pcices ol" horse blankets, etc. They did 

 not have a chance to fly until Jan. 27th. And that 

 time I found that one swarm was dead, with lots of 

 honey. You can guess the reason— dysentery— the 

 rest to-day are very lively, and are carrying water, 

 and appear to be in good condition. Isn't spring 

 dwindling caused by the bees not rearing brood 

 enough to take the place of the old ones ? 



John Ckowfoot. 



Bloomingdale, VanBuren Co., Mich., Feb. 11, '77. 



No. Weak stocks that raise brood earliest, 

 usually dwindle most. 



FOUNDATION MACHINES. 



The machine turns out fdn. as perfect as any I have 

 ]iurchased. To any one desiring such a machine, I 

 can say, I know of none that will do more perfect 

 work, and I know of none cheaper. It is easily run 

 and with a little practice a person can run ofl' sheets 

 in a few hours, that will furnish a large apiary. Some 

 who understand machinery better than I, think it 

 costly— also think it a defect that you do not put two 

 sets of cog-wheels instead of one- -just like the im- 

 proved washing machines. I simply mention this 

 but do not care now to decide, as use will demonstrate 

 the matter. J. VAN Eaton. 



York, N. Y., March 6th, 1877. 



If there arc mechanics near York, N. Y., or 



anywhere else, who can make a pair of rolls 



that will work together as perfectly as tho^e 



we send out, for $30.00 or less, they should 



come out and let their light shine, by all 

 means. If the machine works perfectly as it 

 is, why add more machinery to it ? We have 

 carefully considered all the points mentioned, 

 and would make no additions, even could they 

 be put on without expense. 



Please state some of the ways bees are put out to 

 be cared for, or let by the year. What is a half interes-t 

 bees? Hakrison Ward. 



Athol Center, Worcester Co., Mass., Feb. 9, 1877. 



To let out bees on shares, you should hand 

 them over, say the first of May, and the person 

 who receives them is to do the best he can 

 with them, returning the original stock an'', 

 half the honey and increase in the fall. If 

 new hives, queens, etc., are to be purchased^ 

 each one of you should bear half the expense. 

 This will do for a general rule but if the stock 

 is all in box hives and has to be transferred, 

 then arrangements will have to be made to 

 suit the case in question. Perhaps we should 

 say that the custom like many other things, 

 is just as the parties can agree, but we would 

 advise you to have it well understood, as di-;- 

 agreemeuts and dissatisfaction sometimes 

 comes up. 



WIDTH OF SECTIONS, SEPARATORS, AND COLLARS 

 FOR WABBLING SAWS. 

 I think the fdn. as nice as it can be; couldn't desiru 

 anything nicer. 1 like the hive very much, but think 

 the sections too wide, unless used with tin separator;^. 

 I have tried sections from !}< to 2 inches wide, and 

 those l}4 ill. wide gave best satisfaction. For conve- 

 nience in handling I would prefer sections loose-Sit- 

 ting, but suppose you prefer them close-fitting, to pro- 

 vent the bees from glueing the edges. Doesn't it in-; 

 jure a saw to screw it up between two wedges, by 

 throwing it out of true, or warping it? The hole in 

 my sav.'-table is just large enough for the saw to run 

 in; should I set the saw wabbling I would have to 

 make;the hole larger ; would doing so render it unlit 

 or inconvenient for ripping ? Isaac L. Parkek. 

 McMinnville. Warren Co., Tenn., Feb. 20, 1877. 

 We are more and more inclined to think that 

 the separators will be .used, for unless they 

 are, there is pretty sure to be a muss witti 

 broken honey now and then. If they arejustd, 

 we can lift oil' a whole upper story at once and 

 send it to market immediately without even 

 so much as looking into it. If there are un- 

 filled sections, the retailer can send them back 

 in the hive, or rather, he need take out only 

 such as he chooses. Those that are left will 

 ; be exactly in the right place to be filled the 

 next season. Or, if you wish to extract the 

 honey from the unfilled ones, you can do it 

 Avith a whole, frame at once, the separators 

 will not hinder. 



It does not spring the saw at all to screw it 

 up between the wood collars, if they are flat 

 and smooth. You must raise up or i'emo\ e 

 the usual table top, for it would injure it very 

 much to cut so large a slot in it. Have extra 

 tops for this work, with permanent gauges ou 

 them for each particular kind of work. 



TEA.CmNGSOK GLEANINGS ONEXTRACTED HONK'* 

 On p. 11, current volume, you mention the superior- 

 ity of honey left in the hive until it is perfectly sealed, 

 and yet on p. 49 you speak of extracting every 3d day, 

 and do not say that this latter practice is in any w:iy 



