1878. 



GLEAXIXGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



255 



coys my bees, all right : if they wish to keep 

 thein. I am willing. If I should be so for- 

 tunate as to catch any body's else. I will let 

 them have them most cheerfully. If we can 

 persuade the bees that it is a better place in 

 these hives we liave fixed for them than they 

 can tind in the woods. I shall think we are 

 making great progress. Our next friend 

 thinks it rather doubtful, however. Listen: 



Don't let your ABC class run away with the idea 

 of enticing stray swarms into those honey boxes out 

 in the woods, fields, or any where else. They may 

 now and then get a swarm, but such a thing has 

 never been known here, and most of us have hives, 

 at all seasons, standing ready for bees to move in. 

 In a country where bees are very plenty and timber 

 very scarce, it might succeed; hut those who live 

 near old timber will have their trouble for their 

 pains. Bees are doing well here, with nice showers, 

 warm sun, plenty of white clover. Good com 

 weather is alwavs good honev weather with us. 



Wyoming. Wis., July 10th, 1878. R. L. JoiXEii- 



AVell. I am afraid you are about right, 

 friend J., for we have had a decoy hive up 

 in a peach tree almost all summer.'and "nar^" 

 a bee"" — hold on. there are individual bees 

 buzzing about the hive nearly all the time, 

 but not a swarm has yet gone into it, al- 

 thouffh several swarms' have come very near 

 lighting on the tree. The hive is a painted 

 3 frame nucleus, and that, perhaps, was not 

 sufficiently back woods like. 



COZWB F»N. AT ONE OPERATION. 



A >t:w process for making it. 



^ MADE some fdn. by dipping a plaster of Paris 

 f], cast. It makes exquisite comb on one side, but 

 'r^ the other side is aivfuTlu irregidar. I made a 

 machine with two casts hinged together that makes 

 the impression on both sides; I hinged two frames 

 together, placed fdn. between and a thin board on 

 the outside of each frame; then filled in both sides 

 of fdn. with plaster of Paris. It is to be dipped in 

 the wax while open, then closed and cooled in wa- 

 ter. I enclose a sample. Please tell us ju.sni<(if to 

 make the casts. I have failed to get a perfect sur- 

 face on account of bubbles of air, which leave holes. 

 Mt. Vernon, Iowa, July 1st, 1878. 



Jutj/llth-.—l am getting '"enthusiastic" over those 

 plaster of Paris fdn. dipping plates. I have just 

 been "running off" some full sized sheets, and they 

 are quite perfect. After cooling in water 1 dip one of 

 the plates, which are opened straight, then quickly 

 raise and press it lightly with the upper plate, while 

 in a horizontal position; cool it again and "peel 'er 

 off." I never saw your §100 machine work, but 

 would like to "run you a race." A board should be 

 fastened to the boiler to rest the plates on. As I do 

 not dip quite to the hinge, there is no clogging. 

 Now, if these plates could be made of metal instead 

 of plaster of Paris, they would last a life time and 

 1 think the work would compare favorably as to 

 quality and speed, with the expensive machines. 



Could you make us a pair or tell us how? and 

 what would be the cost for my size. 84x11? It is not 

 nearly as hard, however, on" the plaster of Paris 

 casts as I supposed it would be, only a vei-y light 

 pressure being required while the wax is melted, 

 and, as they are not expensive, I find it u-iU ]xiy. 

 , Mt, Temon, Iowa. Oliver Foster. 



At present writing. I am inclined to think, 

 friend F.. that you have struck on some- 

 thing quite valuable. When Perrine car- 

 ried off my first jniir of rolls, and afterward 

 -RTote that he had patented the idea of rolls, 

 I made some experiments by dipping em- 

 bossed glass, in the way you have mention- 

 ed, and" actually set about having a couple 

 of glass plates made to be used exactly as 

 you have used the plaster. I confess "that 

 the idea never occiu'red to me of tisinsr 

 plaster casts for the purpose, although I had 



already made very beautiful plain sheets 

 with the aid of plaster dipping plates. The 

 sheets you make are not as nice as those 

 rolled between metal rollers, it is true, vet 

 perhaps the bees will use them just as well. 

 As you make the sheets just the size want- 

 ed, it will save rolling and dipping the 

 scraps as we have to do. I am inclined to 

 doubt your being able to make a pair of 

 metal plates work as nicelv as vou do tlie 

 plaster, for unless the metal is kept at just 

 about such a temperature, the wax will stick 

 badly. I have had visions this afternoon of 

 a large pair of metal rollers made hollow so 

 that a stream of cold water might be kept 

 limning through them, to keep them cool : 

 well, these roLers I would have di]) into 

 melted wax so that a sheet of fdn. could be 

 rolled out on the other side, a "mile long,"" 

 as we have so long talked about. I think it 

 veiy likely there will be something done, 

 but it will take a great deal of money for 

 experiments, before all the conditions are 

 successfully worked out. Another thing; 

 it is a great convenience and saving of time 

 and money, to have a machine so that each 

 bee-keeper can make his own fdn.. out of 

 his own wax. during the dull seasons of the 

 year. If the experiments of friend Foster 

 should result in a fdn. machine that would 

 not cost over S-5 or SIO. I shall rejoice with 

 you. even if it does strike something in the 

 same way. as it did when honey Avent from 

 i5c to only 16c per lb. More than that. I 

 will set about some experiments immediate- 

 ly, toward helping it along. For making 

 nice plaster casts of the fdn.. see Feb. 

 Gleaxixgs. for 1876. I do not know how 

 we can make plates for the purpose, imless 

 they are electrotyjied from a sheet of fdn. 



* m * 



a:tiong the bees. 



experience IX QUEEX BmxG. 



f THINK it is time that I tell you how my tested 

 queen is getting along. She beats every thing 

 - - to lay that I ever saw ; she was put in my weak- 

 est swarm because the rest were hybrids, but she 

 was the first to swarm of my four colonies : and 

 they did not dwindle like my black stocks. I have 

 raised 8 or 10 queens from her and I believe they are 

 nicer than their mother, and produce as nice work- 

 ers. I wlU send you one of them soon for your in- 

 spection. 



I received a nice imported queen from Blood, the 

 9th of this month, and on the 15th. found her filling- 

 the combs with e^gs. I have just received my smo- 

 ker and tried it ; don't it make them "git" ? I 

 think, in a few days, all I will have to do will be to 

 go and puff it at them without any smoke, and they 

 will "give in." 



PAIXTIXG HIVES IXSIDE. 



I am putting my bees in chaff hives weU painted, 

 white, inside and out. I think it makes the bees 

 proud to paint their houses inside, by the way they 

 take to them. 



A GOOD DAY'S WORK. 



Our Lamar, Mo., friend, speaks of doing a big day's 

 work. I can head him a little I think. On the Sth 

 inst. I transferred one colony at home, and settled 

 and hived < ne swarm; then got into a wagon, taking 

 a hive with me, went i miles, transferred one mi-re 

 from an old box hive, before n<x>n ; ate my dinner, 

 went 2 miles further and got a load of chaff, and on 

 the road home, found a bee tree. I saw them from 

 the road as I was driving along. Does this beat La- 

 mar or not ? 



Lots of bees have swarmed and run off this sum- 

 mer, but I haven't lost any. My 4 hives have swelled 

 to 11 and two more will sw"arm in a few days. 

 We are getting box honey too. Some hives have 

 tilled six 5 lb. boxes already. 



