103 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
Sf.pt. 
Gleanings in Bee Culture, 
Published Monthly, 
.A.-’ I- ROOT OO-/ 
EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS 
ME DINA 0 H I 0 . 
Terms : 75c. Per Annum. 
For Club Rates see Last Page. 
3VEEIDI3ST-A-, SEPT. 1, 1874. 
Friend Nevin’s report of the Catnip Field Is crowd- 
ed out. 
It is just fun to make colonies, rear Queens or build 
combs even during a drouth, if you can afford the sugar. 
Bee World is to-day (Aug. 28th,) at hand. Loss of 
first copy was probably caused by the burning of a 
large amount of mail matter. 
If empty combs are worth 50c each, we really think 
they can be profitably made during warm weather in 
the fall by feeding ; ’t would keep the bees in fine con- 
dition besides. 
G. W. Stinehking, Shreve, Wayne Co., ()., is black- 
mailing the Bee-keepers of his vicinity by threatening 
them with suits at law, unless they pay him $5.00 for 
the right to use the American Hive. Hadn't they bet- 
ter take a Bee Journal ? 
Three different persons it seems, have struck upou 
the idea of making frames of a single strip of wood, 
bent in shape by steaming the corners after having 
cut V shaped grooves, nearly through, where the bends 
come. We have not as yet been able, by this means, 
to make so linn a frame, nor one that will remain as 
perfectly square, hut others may be more successful. 
Axv one who doubts that Italians work on red clo- 
ver should pass a small patch of it as we do now, half 
a dozen times daily. They have been busy on it about 
a week, and the colony belonging to the oldest daugh- 
ter Of otir Imported, is building comb and slowly fill- 
ing it with what appears to be clover honey. We re- 
moved their feeder a week ago as they seemed deter- 
since mined to build combs under it. They have 
grown from 3 frames of bees and brood only, June 
•23d, ’tis now Aug. 29tll. 
A neigh mm left some jars of honey at a grocery 
where they stood all winter side by side with our own. 
While the latter candled and oozed out around the top 
of the jars, so much so In fact that they hail to be car- 
ried away finally ; the former remained on the shelves 
clear and clean, all winter. When we applied to 
them for their valuable secret, the lady of the house 
laughingly said ’twas all because we didn’t know 
how, and finally said theirs was put up precisely as 
canned fruit. The honey was heated nearly to the 
boiling point, by suspending it in a tin pail in a kettle 
of boiling water, then poured in the self-sealing jars 
and the lid screwed down instantly. 
Although we shall pay all postage on Gleanings 
for 1875, the price will still remain 75c. To our friends 
who have so warmly aided in increasing its circula- 
tion. we tender sincere thanks. That the task of 
obtaining a club, for almost any periodical is no light 
one we are well aware, and we have many times 
thought 'twas easier earning our money by ‘regular 
days' works, than by urging people to subscribe for 
something they were not sure they wanted. We are 
always willing and prefer to pay for such services, 
and where your time is limited you can aid us much 
by giving us the addresses of such of your friends as 
you think llkelv to engage in Bee Culture; we will 
send them sample conies with pleasure, and will also 
thank you for your aid in increasing our list. 
STRAW HIVES. 
A. I. Root & Co: -In answer to vour inquiry about 
the straw hives described in my book, allow me to 
say that they are not equal to the old-fashioned, con- 
ical shaped straw hive, and for movable frames, but 
little superioa to boards ; not enqugh better to pay ex- 
pense ot making. A straw hive without frames, so 
that the combs are attached to the outside walls Is 
superior for wintering in the open air, as has been 
proved for centuries. Straw disposes of moisture 
readily. When combs are in frames and there are 
spaces between the edges and sides of hive, the bees 
do not feel the infiuence of outside warmth readily, 
and suffer during protracted cold weather. The thick 
walls ot our hive, nave proved insufilent during pro- 
tracted severe weather, for the same reason, when 
the colony was too small to generate warmth to coun- 
teract outside cold. Yet they are a great advantage 
in ordinary winters. 
M.'Quinhy, St. Johnsville, N. Y. Aug 19, ’74 
We intended also to inquire about straw- 
mats for the top of hives. Will Mr. Q. please 
give us his experience with these? 
ABOI T OI R CLOVER SEED. 
A. I. ROOT & Co.— Sirs, As I have been a regular 
subscriber to Gleanings since its first start, I think it 
due to me to mention in your column on humbugs, 
that last spring a year ago' I sent money to Novice lor 
Alsike Clover to’ sow about one acre, I received the 
seed and sowed it and lo and behold ! it turned out to 
be all the old fashioned red clover, l’lcase explain. 
Samuel Mumma, Highspire, Pa. 
But. we don’t put folks in that department 
friend M. until we have first submitted the 
matter to them to determine whether the 
trouble was only a mistake they may regret 
more than any one else, or an intended fraud. 
The seed you mention was raised by a neigh- 
bor, and was advertised as containing a small 
quantity of Timothy seed, but was offered at 
less than the market price. One other report 
mentions that it was a considerable part red clo- 
ver. Now if you, and others will send in 
your bills for seed, trouble, etc., we will remit 
at once, and thank you for reminding us to use 
more care in buying. We will in future test 
our seed by sowing a sample In-doors. 
— - — m ^ — 
OIK INI VERSA L FEEDER. 
f j|hat a daily accession to the stores of a col- 
, ony is absolutely necessary to its fullest 
prosperity, we are so abundantly satisfied 
since the experiments of this season that we 
take a real pleasure in recommending the fol- 
lowing simple device : 
Make as many bags of stout coarse cotton 
cloth (such as is required for quilts) as you 
have hives; these bags should be about Id 
inches long and 5 deep, and the upper edges 
around the mouth are to be tacked to the un- 
der side of a strip of half inch board, 1?4 wide 
and as long as the top bar of the frames, or so 
long as not to allow bees to come up at the 
ends of the feeder. 
To use it, remove one frame from the hive 
next the side where the lid opens, and push 
the edge of the quilt down to make room for 
the feeder as in the accompanying diagram: 
c c 
D D 
A ^ ( ) A 
The figure is supposed to represent the top 
