1878. 



GLEANIN^GS IN BEE CULTURE. 



87 



became uneasy, and he was forced to return them to 



their stands. 



You should see his bees! He has swarms in box 

 hives 17 inches each way inside, mostly filled with 

 comb and bees, showing- between seven to twelve 

 combs. Jlany hives are heavier than I can lift, and 

 I can lift 200 lbs. He has one of the best locations I 

 know of, but his large hives cause the white honey 

 to be placed in the body of the hive beyond his reach, 

 and the late buckwheat honey in his surplus bo.x:es. 

 Mr. Stewart now proposes, with the aid of Simplicity 

 hives, sections and fdn. and by the help of Glean- 

 ings, to change all this. But alas! a most formida- 

 ble dilficulty presents itself. To prevent swa'-ms 

 lea\-ing new" hives, in place of cross sticks he has 

 placed in each hive, before putting in the swarm, a 

 quantity of oak brush ! This has answered the pur- 

 pose intended, but they can not be transferred, it be- 

 ing impossible to get the combs out in pieces larger 

 than your hand. I think he will solve the dilficulty 

 by drumming out all bees three weeks after the first 

 swarm issues, when there will be the least brood in 

 the hive, and putting the swarm into S. hives on fdn. 

 comb, rendering up the old combs and running them 

 through the ' ■mashe'en." 



Novice, let me congratulate you on the little fdn. 

 machine. It is really a "gem," so simple, and so 

 perfect. As bro. Stewart says, "It's onlj' fun to 

 make fdn." While we were rolling it out nnd im- 

 proving the time discussing problems in bee culture, 

 Stewart declared he would give a ten dollar bill to 

 have you drop in, as I had. 



Grooving sections for fdn., is a waste of work, in 

 my opinion. Set a tin plate over a lamp and put 

 some nice clean white rosin in the plate. When 

 melted, dip the edge of the starter in the rosin and 

 stick it in the section. "Mein vrow" will put them 

 in at the rate of one a second; they cool instantly, 

 and vou may lift a case of sections bv a starter. 



R. L. Joiner, Wyoming, Wis., Dec. 29th, 1877. 



Thanks for your ''report" friend J., but I 

 wish to add just one word of caution, about 

 that white rosin. .Nothing is more disagree- 

 able in food, than a little bit of rosin ; and 

 after a few customers have said your comb 

 Iioney tasted of rosin, you would have a 

 worse trouble on your hands, than did we 

 when we used it for coating the honey bar- 

 rels. Even if the rosin would hold secure 

 enough to have the fdn. bear shipping, I 

 think in the end, it would prove more troub- 

 le, for not every one can handle melted wax 

 and rosin as well as that skillful wife of 

 yours, (begging Mrs. J"s. pardon). Some of 

 the rosin usually gets on our clothes, and per- 

 haps on the floor as well. If we have no 

 groove, how are we to get the fdn. exactly 

 in the middle of the top bar V Bear in mind 

 that this groove only costs 2ic. per hundred 

 boxes. 



CHAFF HIVES. 



HOW NOT TO MAKE THEM. 



^J; NOW 18 inches deep, mercury 16= below zero yes- 

 ^} terday morning, but pleasant to-day. Have just 

 *>^' been out to look at my three stands of bees 

 packed in 7(rt'/ chafl' hives; find bees in center dry 

 and nice, but around the ends and sides where the 

 upper storj' covers the lower, the snow had driven 

 in and the warmth from the bees had melted it. caus- 

 ing it to run down on the inside. As a result of this 

 I found frost wherever these apertures were. 



So friend "Novice" I have concluded that this half 

 chair idea wont do, and I want a saw that will rip 

 those 3 inch strips for the regular chalf hive. Can 

 such a saw be used on the foot power table and be 

 run by one horse hooked to a "Ground Hog Power?" 

 Would it be cheaper to buy mandrel, boxes and saws, 

 and rig a table of my own? Inclosed find diagram; 

 please tell me what you think of it. I dislike the 

 idea of having to remote fourteen frames defore I 

 can take one from the bottom. C. H. Deane. 



Mortonsville, Ky., Jan. 8th, 1878. 



So many have asked questions in regard 

 to this problem of making chaff hives, I 



have thought best to submit the sketch our 

 friend sends us ; not to show you how to 

 make chaff hives, but to show you how not 

 to make them. The hives made with the 

 upper story removable, have turned out just 

 as 1 felt sure they would. The plan given 

 in the sketch, has the objection that the up- 

 per frames are not interchangeable with the 

 lower ones, on account of the long to]i bar. 

 This seems a very simple matter, yet I know 

 of no way of getting over it. I "too, would 

 like some plan by which I could get out one 

 of the lower frames, without taking all the 

 upper ones out first. 



If any one of our readers will study up a 

 plan suiiiciently simple. I will pay $2-5.00 for 

 it. The conditions are that it allow of using 

 frames all precisely alike ; that there be no 

 loose valves or hinges inside the hive, for 

 the bees to cover with propolis ; that the de- 

 vice be cheap, simple and effectual. If I 

 think well enough to use and advise it, I 

 will pay the inventor, the $25.00. I will ex- 

 plain to you some of the difiiculties. The 

 space between the frames and the ends of 

 the hive, must nowhere exceed | of an inch. 

 This makes the projection at the end of the 

 frames, as seen just above A, very short. 

 The strap iron set in the side of the hive for 

 it to hang on, is also much in the way, and 

 if you are not careful, will scrape the ends 

 of the frames and kill bees, when they are 

 handled. Friend D. has siiown the chaff 

 enclosed between thick boards. This, I 

 think is an error, for the stuff should not 

 exceed i inch in thickness, and the width 

 not more than 2 inches, that the chaff may 

 be constantly ventilated, and may dry out 

 quickly should it ever get damp from the 

 breath of the bees. 



As we have explained, this stuff is cheaply 

 and quickly made from cheap pine lumber 

 called culls ; it can be bought at almost any 

 lumber yard, for SIO.OG per ^l. The 3 inch 

 siding cannot well be split by foot power, 

 but one horse would do it very well, if you 

 feed slowly. For this work you will want 

 our SS.OO mandrel, and a §3.00 ten inch saw. 

 You had better make the table at home. I 

 don't know about tlie '"Ground Hog" horse 

 poAver, will you tell us about it ? Our bees 

 at this date— Jan. 1.5tli, — are in beautiful or- 

 der under the chaff cushions ; even the nu- 

 clei, passed the late zero weather, as bright 

 and fresh as could be. If I should succeed 

 once in my life in wintering every colony, 



