1878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUJ.TURE. 



421 



a piece of copper, you can readily perceive the rea- 

 son why the bees find it so disagreeable; and I pre- 

 sume enoug-h of this oxide of copper is carried from 

 the moist rolls to the wax, to prevent the bees from 

 using- it. When wo used soap on the rolls, we found 

 an excess of it would cause the bees to pass it by un- 

 touched, when placed in the boxes. Even the use 

 of very fine iron wire, both on my plan and Nellis's, 

 is, at present, rather doubtful; for, althoug-h the 

 <(ueen deposits egg's in all the cells, I find, since the 

 brood has been capped over, that niany cells along- 

 the wire are empty. This is the case with both spec- 

 imens, and is, I think, a sufficient reason for hold- 

 ing- on a little. I believe the g-roatcr part of our 

 readers decide that our combs areg-ood enough with- 

 out wires, but for convenience in shipping bees on 

 new combs, I have not yet given it up. If any of 

 you work it out before I do. all right. Remember 

 we cannot afford any great amount of wax in the 

 cells, and that cloth, paper, and the like, will not an- 

 swer, because the bees sometimes set to work to dig 

 it all out. Mr. Lajigstroth has suggested, in a pri- 

 vate letter, that thiii wood be used, and put through 

 a mill that makes flat bottomed cells. This looks 

 to me, now, the most feasible of anything, but I do 

 not like a tfat fiottomcd cell, and if made of wood, 

 they must be so, unless a gn.nit amount of wax is 

 nut in the bottoms, and we should then have some- 

 thing quite similar to the wired combs of Hetheriug- 

 ton. 



In the Oct. No., I m-ide an extract from Mr. Lang- 

 stroth's book, but omitted to say that the item was 

 a part of an article laken from the Bioicn Zcituny. 



Some time ago, in looking over the book, my eye 

 glanced accidentally on the passage, and I remarked 

 in surprise that grape su!>-nr was nothing so very 

 new after all, for Mr. L. had advised it and directed 

 how to feed it years ago. When I was writing the 

 article in which the quotation is made, I picked up 

 the book in a hurry, and turned to the spot at the 

 hottom of the page, where T remembered seeing it, 

 put a pencil mark around the lines I wished copied, 

 and gave it to the proof reader to copy. Now, if 

 those who are inclined to charge me with purposely 

 falsifying will turn to the passage, they will see that 

 both myself and the proof reader wei-e not unusual- 

 ly careless, in overlooking the fact that it was an 

 extract. I now see quotation marks which I over- 

 looked then, and I suppose the proof reader, in mak- 

 ing the copy, did the same. The A. B. J. in printing 

 Dadant's extract, has omitted nearly a page of mat- 

 ter, and changed the wording so as to make it read 

 "The llev. Mr. Kline says:" in the very same line 

 where my extract commenced. Shall I say hard 

 words about these friends because they did this, as 

 it seems to me, to damage my character for truth- 

 fulness? By no means! The best of us, when in 

 the heat of argument, if we allow ourselves to get 

 so far, are very apt to twist things, and state them 

 unfairly. I know my own weakness in this respect, 

 and I have tried every way I knew how, since this 

 matter came up, to avoid being pulled into it. 



I am pretty well acquainted with all there is in 

 Langstroth's book, as well as most of the other bee 

 books. I have a rather Indistinct recollection of 

 having at some time, I cannot recall whether after 

 the matter was in print, or whether just befoi-e, re- 

 called the matter enough to consider whether it was 

 Mr. L. w ho experimented with grape sugar, or some 

 one else, and that it should be looked to at once. I 

 cannot be sure, but I rather think I dismissed the 

 matter by saj-ing to myself, if it was not himself, it 

 was at least some one whom he considered good au- 

 thority, or it would not have been thus left uncon- 

 troverted all these years. This was wrong, for I 

 should have hastened to look the matter up, and 

 correct it as soon as possible, with the same alac- 

 rity that I should have shown had I been in Dadant's 

 place. I am glad that I am cl?>sely watched, for I 

 am sure it will in the end do me good. One of the 

 hardest things I have ever tried to do in all my life, 

 is to learn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and 

 nothing but the truth, under all circumstances, and 

 upon all occasions. 



A PART of the Cotton speculation consists in fol- 

 lowing up their first circular, with a little slip con- 

 taining the following: 



SPECIAL, OFFER. 



For Thirty Days from November First, I will re- 

 ceive orders at the following reduced prices, my ob- 

 ject being to introdiico my t'oritrolUiblo Hive and 



New System of Bee ^lanagement, and drive out the 

 Patent Bee Hive Swindlers. This war must contin- 

 ue until worthless PatentHivcs cease toexist among 

 intelligent Bee Keepers. 



One sample controllable Hive and all fixtures, 

 Feeder, etc., only Four Dollars. 



Swarm of Italian Bees with Controllable Hive, etc., 

 only Twelve Dollars. 



Swarm of Native Bees withControlhible Hive, etc., 

 only Eight Dollars. 



For all further particulars examine large circular 

 connected with this. LIZZIE E. COTTON. 



October, :JOth, 1878. 



NO "DRONES" THERE. 



A gentleman living in the northern suburbs se- 

 cured a hive of bees two or three weeks ago as a nu- 

 cleus for an apiary, and in the course of ten days he 

 had read ten different works on the honey bee, and 

 invented half a dozen patent hives. The" other fore- 

 noon a man called at the house on business and was 

 informed by the wife that her husband was out in- 

 specting the bees. 



"Is he taking up honey?" inquired the man. 



"Oh, no; he's looking toseeif there are any drones 

 in the hive." 



At that instant both were startled by a series of 

 whoops and yells, and the husband came around the 

 corner of the house on the jump, his bat striking the 

 air on all sides of him. He rushed through the cur- 

 rant bushes and back, rolled over on the grass and 

 lit out for the l)arn, and the amazed wife shaded her 

 eyes from the sun as she looked after him, and con- 

 tinued in a disappointed tone: 



"But 1 don't believe he found a single drone by the 

 way they stick to himl"— £):froif Free Press. 



The f.bf \e v.-oiild Ic an excellent item for those 

 who manufacture smokers. Had he used a smoker, 

 he would have saved the time and strength, needed 

 for the above performances. 



CANADA. 



I have taken 1. 000 lbs. extracted honey from 11 

 stands and their increase. 



I received two, dollar queens from you in June. 

 When they arrived, one was smart and active and 

 her bees are nice bright ones. The other seemed 

 very dull, and would hardly move any. The bees 

 received her kindly, but she died in a few days. My 

 honey was taken from white clover, linden, anil 

 buck-wheat. 



I use a two story hive which takes the L. frame. 

 I pack my bees away in chaff, on their summer 

 stands, putting each hive in a box about i;i foot 

 larger than the hive, and leave a small entrance, so 

 they can come out in the spring and work without 

 taking the chaff away until I see fit ; I packed them 

 in this way last fall, and they came through in fine 

 shape. 



The result of my season is as follows: 



Honey sold S124.00. 



Articles bought. 



3 queens, (ai $1.35 $3.50. 



30 bee hives, @ $1.60 $33.00. 



lifdoz. tin pails, (gi 75c $10.50. 



1.000 labels $4.50. 



One faucet .50. 



3 large cans $3.00. 



Total. $53.0J. 



Net gain. $04.00. 



I also have an increase of 40 combs and 4 stands of 

 bees. Number on hand, 15 stands. 



H. E. Christie. 

 Oxford Mills, Ontario, Canada. Nov. 30, 187b. 



The idea of selling honey in cheap tin 

 pails is one I have often thought of, but 

 never put into practice. If run into them as 

 soon as the honey is settled and readv, and 

 then soldered up, tliere could be no chance 

 of leakage or ureakage. Honey put into 

 barrels is very apt to acquire a bad taste, 

 sooner or later ; ifi)ut in tin, and soldereil 

 up, I think it would keep sweet and nice in- 

 dehiiitely, and if candied, it could be easily 

 melted. Friend ('., tell us more about the 

 pails ; what do thev liold, and where did vou 

 get them ? 



