1878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



341 



I am one of your ABC class, I suppose. I 

 chopped wood last winter and bought 11 colonies, al- 

 so purchased 15 more this sprins-, makins' in all 26 in 

 box hives. I increased them this season to G4, and 

 had one go to the woods. I practiced artificial 

 swarming- on those that were traiisfen-ed. The sea- 

 son has been very poor in this locality, basswood be- 

 ing- an entire failure, which nearly constitutes our 

 surplus in a good season. I think Wisconsin equal 

 to any State for basswood. Have sold only $45.00 

 worth of bees and honey, which I think looks a little 

 discouraging. 



My bees, up to Aug. loth, did but little, but as buck- 

 wheat and golden rod began to bloom, thcj' marched 

 out, as you say, like a grand caravan, and just tum- 

 bled beifore their hives with their great loads, from 

 early till late. They are now working- on asters and 

 smartweed the most of anj-thing. 



I have Italianized 25 swarms this season, and now 

 have little yellow fellows by thousands. You don't 

 know how much I think of ihcin. I fear I am too 

 much of an enthusiast over my bees; am with them 

 every spare moment, and am often asked, "Why 

 don't you sleep with them?" 



I purchased my queens of Mr. S. I. Freeborn, of 

 Ithaca, Richland Co., Wis., one of Wisconsin's most 

 successful apiarists. He has now 350 swarms. You 

 won't wonder that I think well of him, when I tell 

 you that he sold me 25 fertile queens for 610.00, and 

 several of them tested, at that. 



Can I equalize ray honey this fall, just as well as to 

 feed up the late swarms? My first swarms have 

 some to spare, I think. M. A. Gill. 



Viola, Wis., Sept. 9, 1878. 



It will answer just as well to equalize, as 

 you mention, but be careful you do not rob 

 the old stocks. I think you have made a 

 good season of it. my friend, if you count 

 your stock on hand at what it is worth. 



Last spring, I sent to you for a pattern Simplicity 

 bive, in due time it came, and I have used it for a 

 a model ever since. I have made a good many 

 hives, some of which I sold to my neighbors; they 

 all like them very much. I also sent 12 of them up 

 the river some 25 miles, to be filled with bees at $1.25 

 ))er swarm, all first swarms. They were all filled by 

 the 10th of June, and were left to shift for therri- 

 selves for the next weeks, being put in empty 

 hives, without a single starter of nny kind for a pat- 

 tern. The hives were not opened for C weeks, I be- 

 ing some 25 miles from them, with my hands full at 

 home, and the man that I got them from never 

 looked to see how thej' were building their comb. I 

 must say I Vv-as a little uneasy about it, but it proved 

 to come out all straight: every comb in the 12 hives 

 was built as nice as if they had been supplied with 

 fdn. You say that bees do not stick the enameled 

 cloth, but they do stick the tins that the cloth is 

 hemmed with, to the ends of the frames, and to the 

 tin rabbets, so that it is quite a little trick to get 

 them out of the rabbets, and it seems to me it will 

 be a big job to remove them in cool weather, when 

 the propolis is hard. Adam Helfinch. 



Quincy, Ills., Aug. 15th, 1878. 



It is a "big job," to remove anything from 

 over the frames in cool weather,'but I tliink 

 you will find that the enameled clotli gives 

 the least trouble of anything yet in use. It 

 is some little trouble to get the tins out, but 

 I think this is balanced by their holding the 

 cloth so close, and so nicely in place, at all 

 times. You can use a simple hem, in place 

 of the strip of tin, if you prefer. 



A NOVEL MODE OF MAKING SECTION BOXES. 



I thought I would tell you of a little foot power 

 machine for cutting lathing and dovetailing it for 

 section bo.xes. It is one which I have invented for 

 my own use, and which I think will work well, and 

 can be made for ?10 or less. It is made a good deal 

 like a machine for cutting shingles, with a knife six 

 inches long, and a gate, to one side of which is at- 

 tached a bundle of chisels. I first cut the dovetails 

 in the bolts, then cut the bolts into laths, and they 

 are ready to put up in boxes. To prepare my lum- 

 ber, I take mj' cross-cut, go to the woods, saw' down 

 a linden and saw off a few cuts, bolt them up, and 

 then take them to the shop and square them into 



small bolts, just the length for use; finally, I place 

 them in an old wash-boiler, and steam them, and 

 they are ready to be cut. The steaming is not neces- 

 sary, but it makes the wood cut easiei*. Have the 

 knife sharp and it makes a smooth cut. 



My work is not quite as accurate and smooth as 

 yours, because my machine is not quite as perfect 

 as it can he made. I believe it can be made to do 

 splendid work. 



Those sections made of linden, I think, look very 

 nice and white. A. Cox. 



White Lick, Ind., June 17, 1878. 



The sample looks very fair, and although 

 the wood has something of the roiiglmess 

 and broken texture of a shingle, the clean 

 white linden makes quite a respectable ap- 

 pearance. The fact that they can be made 

 at so small a cost is much in their favor. 

 Trees tliat are growing in llie woods, in the 

 morning, may be in your hives being filled, 

 in the evening. It will require some very 

 careful work to get the dimensions accurate, 

 but I am sure it can be done, by a careful 

 hand. This machine is for home use ; it 

 would hardly do for making sections for the 

 market. 



nOW^ TO IMPORT QUEENS. 



I would like it very much if, in the next month's 

 Gleanings, you would give your readers full direc- 

 tions, advice, and all necessary information, as to 

 how to proceed to fn-der queens direct from Italy. 

 In what part of Italy can we get the best bees, the 

 lightest colored, &c. Jos. M. Brooks. 



Elizffbethtown, Ind., Sept. 11, 1878. 



Go to your banker and get a foreign draft 

 for the number of francs you wish to send 

 for queens, as per Montani's price list in 

 every No. of GLEAiSriKGS. If he fills your 

 order at once, you should get them in about 

 60 days after sending the money ; at least, 

 that is as soon as we have ever received any. 

 Sometimes the orders are delayed much long- 

 er, and I have thought of sending to some 

 other party because Tremontani was so slow 

 this season. He has now, however, filled all 

 our orders, and as no one else advertises in 

 our American journals, I can not tell where 

 else to send. His queens are, I think, as fine 

 as any sent from Italy. As there has always 

 been a difficulty in getting as many as are 

 needed, perhaps it would be well to rig out 

 one of our A B C class with lamp nursery, 

 artificial queen cells, etc., and send Jiim 

 over there. Who will go? Don't all speak 

 at once. 



When the queens arrive in N. Y., they 

 should be forwarded at once; but sometimes 

 things ''fail to connect," and they send on 

 first for duties, charges, etc. We were in- 

 formed with our last lot, that if they were 

 sent only for breeding purposes, and so 

 marked, there woidd be no duty to pay, and 

 we have instructed Tremontani to so mark 

 them. At our prices tliere would be a fair 

 margin, were it not for the various mishaps. 

 Out of 32, 2 were lost in introducing; two 

 that we shipped were reported not in the 

 cages when received; one would not lay 

 after our customer got her; another proved 

 to be a drone layer; several were lost in ship- 

 ping, etc., and as we had to make all the.se 

 good, in order to keep peace in the family. 

 Ave had more fun for pay than money. It is 

 fun to import, especially when we can get 

 the most of them through alive, as in our 

 last lot. I have never seen an imported 

 queen that did not produce 3 banded bees. 



