54 ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. 



through this little implement. If any of my readers have suffered 

 from smokers that spill fire, that become stopped up with soot, that 

 g-o out, or from fuel that will not burn, let them get a Bingham 

 smoker, of the size called the "Doctor," get a barrel of planer shav- 

 ings from dry pine, to use as a fuel, and then take comfort. If you 

 have never used shavings as a fuel, you mav have trouble in getting 

 the fire to going. Don't put in too many shavings at first. Leave 

 off the cover and keep puffing until they have burned down to cinders 

 before putting in more. A little kerosene oil, from an oil can, as has 

 been mentioned, is, a great help in starting the fire. When through 

 using the smoker, don't throw out the fire, but stop up the nozzle 

 with a wad of grass, thus smothering the fire, and the charred re- 

 mains left in the bottom of the smoker will light very readily at the 

 touch of a blaze from a match — much more so than with fresh fuel. 

 Keep matches in a safe place near where the smoker is to be lighted. 

 Never be pestered by having to run off somewhere after a match. 

 Above all, don't keep the smoker fuel and matches in the honey 

 house; the danger from fire is too great. Rig up a box, or a barrel, 

 or an old bee hive, with a rain proof cover, and have it located some 

 distance from the honey house. I kept the fuel in an old wash-boiler, 

 and had it "burn out" once. As it was out of doors, no harm was 

 done. Keep the cap of the "Doctor" filled with green weeds or 

 grass, and there is no danger of blowing sparks into the hives. 



Have a wheel barrow for carrying cases, hives of honey, and 

 other heavy articles. In making a wheel barrow, some bee-keepers 

 have used a wheel from some old, discarded bicycle, the pneumatic 

 tire doing away with the jolts in carrying honey or hives of bees. 



With such hives as I use, the cover can be turned up on edge 

 and used as a seat; where such is not the case, a seat of some kind 

 ought to be provided. A light box 17 x 12 x 9, gives a chance for hav- 

 ing a seat with any one of these heights. It should be strong enough 

 not to rack, and have hand holes in the side for carrying it. 



A hammock in the shade of a tree, or in the work shop, is a great 

 comfort. Ten minutes rest in a reclining position are of nearly 

 twice the value of that taken in a standing or sitting posture. 



For brushing bees off the combs I know of nothing more effect- 

 ual or comfortable to both the operator and the bees, than the so- 

 called Coggshall brush, which is a sort of a whisk broom, with the 

 strands thinned out, and longer than the ordinary whisk broom, 

 so as to enable the operator to give a soft, pliable, easy sweep of the 

 combs. In using this brush it is not intended that the combs be 

 brushed with the ends of the strands, as one would sweep a floor; in- 



