BEE MANUAL. 175 
but with the “direct draught,” the air going through the fire 
must necessarily be hot when it leaves the smoker, and after 
using it steadily for some little time the smoke is apt to be very 
hot ; herein I prefer the “ cold blast.” On the other hand, the 
advantage of the Bingham direct-draught smoker over all others 
in use, with perhaps the exception of King’s (which I have not 
seen), is that it can be set down without the fire going out 
immediately ; in fact, it will burn away for hours, or until the 
fuel is exhausted. Those who have been troubled with their 
smoker going out every now and then as soon as they laid it 
down fora minute will be able to appreciate this advantage. 
I don’t know anything more annoying than while manipulating 
bees, especially if they happen to be hybrids, to find your 
smoker out that you only a minute before laid out of your 
hand. The peculiar feature about the Bingham (patented 
in America) which insures the constant burning of the fire is 
the non-attachment of the small tube directing the blast from 
the bellows to the fire-box itself. There is about a quarter of 
an inch space left between the end of the air tube and the fire- 
box, so that a current of air is always rushing through this 
opening into the fire. 
I have both the above smokers in use at Matamata, and 
although I like the principle of the “cold blast” I prefer the 
Bingham for the reasons given. Could the principles of the 
two be combined in one I think it would make a perfect 
smoker. 
FUEL FOR SMOKERS. 
For the cold-blast smoker I find very dry half-rotten wood 
or dry cow-dung as good as anything I have used ; but for the 
Bingham it is better to use good dry sound wood, cut into lengths 
of about four inches by one-half inch square. To set the smoker 
going, drop in first a few live embers and cover them with 
small fuel, give a few puffs to start the fire, and fill up with the 
larger pieces. A correspondent to the New Zealand and Aus- 
tralian Bee Journal recommended soaking the fuel in a solution 
of saltpetre (an ounce to the pint of water) and drying it care- 
fully before using it ; a match will then be sufficient to light it. 
As it would be difficult to explain clearly how to make a 
smoker without a number of illustrations, and more difficult 
still for an ordinary bee-keeper to make one even were instruc- 
