19 
“ NOVICE’S ” GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
NOTICES or OVR BEE EITEItATCKE 
0 . UK old American Btc Journal hails 
'now from Chicago, and (lie Feb. Xo. 
is fully equal in value to what it bus been 
formerly, and in some respects considera- 
bly improved. 
In our January Xo. wo spoke of queens 
offered to subscribers by the National Bee 
Journal. Our remarks there referred to 
Mr. Mitchell's after some time ago, We 
learn the present proprietors (Mr. Kina 
is only one of them) have shipped a large j 
number of queens and we believe propose 
to send all If such is the case we cer- 
tainly would wish them the success they 
deserve for making not only their prom- 
ises good, but their predecessors. 
Mr. Moon says in his Journal that we 
evidently have had but little experience, 
which is just what might be expected from 
the "Gleanings of a Novice.” II is Jan. 
Xo. contains several good articles from 
some of our best bee keepers. If Mr. 
Moon would tell us why he ' has seen the 
folly of advertising queens as premiums," 
we should perhaps feel more neighborly. 
We can't see any lolly in making good all 
promises to subscribers, whether we are 
out of pocket thereby or not. 
Mr. King has given us two numbers of 
the Bee Keeper's Magazine , without any 
"patent hives;” and in the last. he gives 
us some funny pictures about "hiving bees 
when the ladder broke.” 
Mr. It. Wilkin, of Cadiz, Ohio, sends us 
"Bee Culture," and, although it don't loll 
about the extractor, it is so full of quaint 
truths that must hare been actual exper- 
ience, that we can heartily recommend it. 
It shows plainly that Mr. W. cares more 
to give real aid to his readers than to im- 
press them with the extent of his own 
knowledge or skill. A rare virtue, l’rico 
25 ets. paper; cloth 40 cts., and well 
worth the money to any bee keeper. 
WIND AS A MOTIVE l’OWEK. 
able power, but alas, the beloved 
windmills and our hopes too, were dashed 
to the ground by the first wind storm. 
Some one in the Scientific American a 
few months ago, spoke of making them 
strong and "letting ’em spin” when not 
wanted to use; but we think the folly of 
such a course could be demonstrated by 
about one experiment . 
The American Agriculturist for May, 
1*72, gives a drawing and some very sen- 
sible directions for a home made mill of 
small power ; and we see no particular 
objection to their plan except the trouble 
to go to the top of the tower whenever it 
was to he stopped, for a windmill to be 
effective must be elevated above surround- 
ing objects entirely. To get the neces- 
sary strength and durability, considerable 
iron work must he used, and this can be 
made much cheaper at a special machine 
shop for the purpose than by private in- 
dividuals. 
Our mill is ofthe "Continental Co.," sold 
by A. I’. Brown A- Co., 61 Park Place, X. 
Y. It is 17 feet in diameter, price $400. 
Is elevated ou a tower 35 feet from the 
ground and was rated at 5 horse power, 
which we think is a very fair estimate. 
The U. S. Wind Engine Co., of Batavia, 
yi., also do a large business in making 
windmills and we give below an extract 
from a letter just received from them in 
regard to their mills: — 
"We make a 12 foot power mill, but do 
not consider this size of sufficient power 
to run a circular saw with any degree of 
satisfaction. We think the 16 foot mill 
would give good satisfaction iu every in- 
stance. We cannot recommend the. 16 
foot mill for running much machinery at 
the same time. We understand the sav- 
ing to be done to be of very light stuff, 
and therefore have said that we thought, it 
would satisfy. We would, however, pre- 
fer to sell the 22 foot mill. 
Respectfully, Yours, 
U. S. Wind Engink axii lb jit Co.” 
R driving the circular saw used iu 
aking the hives we have mentioned, 
we decidedly prefer a. Windmill. We 
have no trouble with engineers, fires or 
firemen, and our Windmill has taken al- 
most entire care of itself for the past two 
years we have used it ; spreading its sails 
to catch all the breeze when more power 
is demanded of it, and then again turn- 
ing them out of the wind when it has ac- 
complished the work or when the wind 
rises to a gale, for our hands now work 
right along unconcerned amid our “fieri est 
blows” feeling confidence in the wind- 
mill’s ability to take care of itself and 
spread only just so much sail as is need- 
ed to do the work. 
We regret that it seems next to impos- 
sible for effective windmills to be home 
made, and to be also made so as to with- 
stand the high winds that they are neces- 
sarily subject to. In our boyhood dayswe 
made windmills that furnished consider- 
Prices of the above mentioned mills are 
about 130, 550, and 550 dollars. Both 
companies we believe are prompt and re- 
liable, and prices are probably not much 
different for the same quality of work. 
To sum up, our advice would he if you 
think you are smart enough and care to 
take the risk of having it blown down, 
build a home made windmill ; but we be- 
lieve we should prefer to invest the $150 
and have one that we know was all right, 
even if it were necessary to wait for a 
windy day to do our sawing. With a 111 
or 17 foot mill such as we use you could 
probably saw, on an average, three days 
in every week : more in winter and less in 
summer. With it 22 or 25 foot mill, even 
a gentle breeze would be sufficient to ruu 
buzz saws or almost any kind of ma- 
chinery, and there would be few days in 
the year so still that it would not run. 
Further particulars may he had of the 
manufacturers. 
