1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



89 



Paraffine is made from the products of the 

 oil refinery, and if properly retined. has nei- 

 ther taste nor smell. That which we offer 

 for sale, was juarchased at ton rates when 

 we contemplated using it for fdn. It is now 

 worth more than we have been selling it for. 

 While I think of it, I paid the money that 

 Avas sent us for parafflne and wax fdn. all 

 back, yet it is well worth 2oc for waxing bar- 

 rels. And while considering the subject, it 

 may be well to remark that Capt. Hether- 

 ington uses this same condemned paraffine 

 and wax for his brood combs, the copper 

 wires eifectually preventing tlie sagging. 

 As the paraffine is much softer than wax 

 when warmed gently, he says the bees work 

 it out much faster than natural wax, which 

 I can readily believe from my experiments. 



I can, now, buy square gums, about 2 feet Ions' by 

 12 Inches square outside, with bees and honey, for 

 $3.00 to :S4.00. State in your Journal the best way to 

 manag-e such jruins, and how to keep the worms out. 

 Sometimes a man will lose 10 to 30 of such g-ums of 

 bees in one season. D. J. Sanders. 



Harmony Grove, Ga., Feb. 4th. 1878. 



Your concluding sentence would indicate 

 pretty strongly the importance of getting 

 your bees oiif of the "gums," as speedily as 

 possible. I should buy them at that low 

 price, and transfer them. Before you can 

 Italianize them, or do anything Mith them 

 to any advantage, they must be transferred 

 into movable comb hives. 



HOW TO MAKE CHAFF HIVES CHEAPLY, ALSO "OATS" 

 FOB BEES. 



I wish you could see some two story chaff hives 

 that I have made, for which I have had "to purchase 

 only the nails. Nearly all the lumber in them is 

 "rived" oak boards, about 60 of which, togt?ther with 

 a few feet of good lumber will make a hive and roof, 

 the value of materials not exceeding 75 ets. For 

 "chaff cushion division boards" I use some of the 

 same made thin, with laths for a frame. I use South- 

 ern or Spanish moss (from an old matress) to stuff 

 the cushion around the sides; I "know" I have some 

 good ones. You said a man could start an apiary 

 with very little besides an axe (not quite your exact 

 words): I have almost done it, and intend making it 

 pay its own way. 



Early in Jan. I had no rye meal, but as my bees 

 were flying pretty freely I put out a pan of cow 

 feed, e^ivial quantities of corn and oats ground. 

 From one hive the bees used it freely. Next mill 

 day I had the rye which I had saved, ground and 

 placed by the corn and oats; they would use it but 

 sparingly. I changed the position of the two pans 

 and the bees followed the corn and oats wherever it 

 was placed. Never ha\-ing seen oats recommended I 

 pounded some alone in an iron mortar, and renewed 

 the experiment with corn, oat and rye meal, and 

 wheat flour in four different pans; the "oat pan had 

 ten bees in it where the others had one. 



A. W. Kaye. 



Pewee Valley, Ky., Feb. 14th, 1878. 



Rye and oats, have long been recommend- 

 ed and used, as you ^viW see by back vol- 

 umes, but it seems you have demonstrated 

 that the bees greatly prefer the oats. 



CHAFF HIVES ; THE $2.5.00 OFFER. 



Novice, do you not put your "foot in it" when you 

 preach to them for offering premiums on the best 

 honey, and then offer a premium yourself for the 

 best chaff hive, instead of asking 'your readers to 

 send in their views of different hives? J. Dreav. 



Bunker Hill, HI., Feb. 1st, 1878. 



I fear you are right my friend, especiallv, 

 since the flood of plans that liave been sent 

 in, showing so much la])or botli in invent- 

 ing, and writing descriptions. I have been 

 astonished at the inventive genius of om- 



people, and many of the plans are beautiful- 

 ly sketched. I only wish, my friends, I had 

 started you at work on some worthier ob- 

 ject. All the plans submitted, so far. have 

 objections that I think worse than the one 

 they have sought to remedy, and I feel sorry 

 to tell you that I think the chaff hive, as we 

 make it, the least trouble of all, because I 

 know some of you think mv judgment at 

 at fault in the matter. One or two have 

 been displeased when I told them the ob- 

 jections to their plans, and one man has 

 wi-itten quite unkindly, because I would not 

 give him the 82-5.00. A great many have not 

 complied with the conditions, and several 

 have sent plans for removable upper stories ; 

 others have introduced loose boards, and 

 still others, a great variety of side openers. 



Bear in mind that j^ou have to take out 3 

 or 4 frames anyway, and after this, it is 

 about as easy to take out the remaining 

 ones, as to fuss \Yith any loose device, or ex- 

 tra piece of furniture. A friend from Cali- 

 fornia, sends us a very pretty little model, 

 filled with native raisins and "figs. His long 

 kind letter is almost worth the monev, even 

 though I can not approve of his chaif hive. 



Many of the plans I had thought of and 

 discarded some time ago. Many had over- 

 looked the matter of propolis, altogether. 

 Several have come so near it, that but a very 

 small thing stands in the way, but this small 

 simple item, I judge to be fatal to the whole. 



Please do not think unkindly, my friends, 

 for I stated plainly, the conditions, that I 

 must think well enough of the plan to adopt 

 it. TVliatever I adopt, vou will all know 

 through GLEAisnxGs, for I have no secrets 

 in the world to be kept, from you. One very 

 desirable feature of the chaff hive as it is, is 

 that we have a shoulder bevond the ends of 

 the lower frames ; that is, the upper story, 

 is longer than the lower ones, and this is 

 quite convenient in handling the lower ones. 

 I am somewhat inclined to think it impossi- 

 ble to have a permanent two-story hive, 

 more convenient than this, all things con- 

 sidered. I regret that I can not pay you aU, 

 for yom- kind efforts in the matter. 



I am glad some one has "gumption" enough to get 

 material in good shape for section boxes, or racks, 

 cut to a fraction and pLnied only on one side. 



J. W. KA.YARD. 



Athens, Ohio, Feb. 4th, 1878. 



I commenced bee-keeping one year ago the 27th of 

 Aug.; I found a swarm on a little cherry tree in my 

 yard, which had hung there all night. "l procured a 

 hive and some comb and bv feeding, kept them 0veT 

 winter. In the fall I bought 2 more and increased 

 the 3 last summer, to 15. I made most of the swarms, 

 although I had never seen it done, but had read of it. 

 I had no trouble whatever. 



Mark Hurd, Chicago, 111. 



KELLEY'S ISL.AND. 



Ha\-e made some inquiries, but can not learn of 

 anj-thing being done, or application being made to 

 raise queen bees here the coming season. If I do, I 

 will post you. Chas. Carpenter. 



KeUey's Island, O., Feb. 14th, 1878. 



Bees have been having a "big time" the past week; 

 carrying flour fi-om around the ventilator on top of 

 the grist mill, some 20 rods away. It is the first time 

 I ever knew them to do so in December. 



James Boion. 



West Lodi, Ohio, Dec. 26th, 1877. 



