back is not a very profitable way of doing, in "WHOPPERS," ETC. I had almost made up my mind not to take your journal. You would say, "Why not?" Well, because some report such-such-such-"whoppers," that I think I am nowhere in the business. But for all that, you will find inclosed one dollar for GLEANINGS. Send it on. I like to read big things. A little about my experience with bees: In the spring of 1879 I bought two swarms. In the fall I had five, wintered in the cellar. In the spring, they were all dead. I then bought three in the spring of 1880; that summer two swarms went to parts unknown. One I lost by transferring, which left me six. Last spring found me with 4-one so weak it gave but little surplus. The three, by artificial and natural swarming, increased to ten. I have now 11 that I call good, and had about 260 lbs. of cap honey. winter them on their summer stands, in dry-goods boxes, packed in chaff. I am waiting for spring. JACOB SNELL. I Frey's Bush, Mont. Co., N. Y., Jan. 9, 1882. Now, friend B., you must keep right on, and presently you yourself will have a "whopper" to report, and then you will feel better, you know. CHAPMAN'S MACHINE FOR PIERCING FRAMES FOR WIRES. Having, the past two seasons, demonstrated the superiority of wired frames over the unwired, I have come to the conclusion to use no other kind. Since the adoption of very fine tinned wire (No. 30 is the best), we have no more of the trouble of brood being killed where the wire passes through the comb. But if the wire is not in the center of the frame, and, consequently, of the comb, then we have trouble; hence the importance of having the holes pierced exactly in the center of the top and bottom bars. With those who, like you, have steam power, it is cheapest and best to pierce the holes before the bars are ripped out; but as the majority After piercing by hand over 2000 bars, each having six holes, I concluded there must be some better way to do it; and remembering the description given above, I asked friend C. to make me one of his piercers, as I confess I was not (without one to work from as a guide) equal to the job. He did so, and I have found it all and even more than he claims for it. It is simple, effective, practical, accurate (which is one of its best features), and easily manipulated. A boy of ten years can work it with ease. I pierced over 600 bars with it in one hour, without fatigue. It can be arranged to fit any frame, to pierce any number of holes desired, at one operation. Frames can be pierced after they are put together, though it is better to pierce the holes first. I could say much more in its favor, but you "don't want long articles." I do, however, advise all who make or use wired frames, to get or make one of Chapman's bar-piercers, and I am sure you will thank me for calling your attention to it. Belleville, Ill., Feb. 1, 1882. E. T. FLANAGAN. DAMPNESS; HOW TO BANISH IT FROM BEE-HIVES, OR I proceed to give my plan for wintering bees. If strictly followed, I would be willing to pay all losses.. In the first place, make bricks of common red clay, two inches thick, and just long and deep enough to fill the hive, and use them instead of divisionboards. Of course, the bricks must be burned like those for building purposes. Now make bricks, of the proper length to cover brood-frames; these bricks must be slightly arched in the center, to allow the bees to pass over the frames; now have your hives so constructed that you can remove the bottom-board. Place your hive on a floor of hard brick; that is, not directly on the ground-say on rocks or wood, and have your bees surrounded with hard brick, and I guarantee that no moisture can ever be in the hive, for each one of these bricks will absorb nearly a quart of water, without showing the least signs of moisture. I learned this idea from putting hard bricks in large bulks of wheat, or damp corn, to save the trouble of sunning. Now, if any of the friends don't believe this, just put a few hard bricks in damp wheat, and see if it don't absorb all the water very quickly. This will never be patented, for it originated with me, and I shall not charge any thing for it. I give it to bee-keepers and wheat-growers, hoping thereby to be of some benefit to my race, and nothing more. Friend S., I feel more sure you have given us something of great value for many general purposes, than I do that it is just the thing for bees. You know we have had several articles of late, strongly favoring the idea that bees need water in winter. I am sure it would effectually do away with the dampness; but I do not know how long it would take the bricks to get saturated, so they would have to be dried out. Take a piece of porous sandstone, during a hot dry spell, and by pouring on water slowly from a pitcher, you will find the stone will take up almost its own weight of water. Bricks slackly burned would be comparatively warm to the bees, and would take up an enormous of bee-keepers have not the facilities you enjoy, and WHAT 36 WEAK COLONIES DID. itself on record on the matter by adopting the following resolution: RESOLVED, After due investigation of well-known and numerous cases, the Convention unanimously asserts, that the honeybee never punctures the skins of perfect grapes or any other fruits; but that the sucking of juices from fruits is only from that which has been punctured by other insects, birds, or natu ral causes. BY ORDER OF COMMITTEE. I started in the spring with 35 very weak swarms. I had old combs to supply 15 or 20 new swarms. I ended up in the fall with 88 swarms; sold 5, put 83 into winter quarters in fair condition, not overstocked with bees, but, I think, with plenty of honey. I sold 1500 lbs. of comb honey, and from 15 double hives I extracted 1000 lbs., making in all the yield of 2500 lbs. of honey. My extracted honey I put in one and two lb. jars; sold at home market for 16 and 20 gather from it. When cross-examined in cts. per lb. wholesale; retailed at 20 and 25 cts. DR. JOHN MAXSON. Whitewater, Walworth Co., Wis., Feb. 1, 1882. DIARRHEA, OR DYSENTERY WHICH? I notice in several of our bee journals a discussion of the dysentery question. I have looked in vain for a characteristic symptom of dysentery. While it may be true, that a "rose by any other name would smell as sweet," yet dysentery and diarrhea are different diseases. The first is a specific disease, and has a specific cause; and if we may judge by analogy with the human species, must have an atmospheric or bacterian cause. Diarrhea may be caused by over-distention, improper food, poor ventilation, exhaustion from starvation, unnatural food, etc. Would it not simplify this discussion, in attempting to find out the cause and remedy of this disease that is decimating our apiaries, by calling it diarrhea, and then looking for the cause in some improper food or condition of the bee? We can readily understand how over distention, moisture, fermented honey, or bee-bread, or their being compelled to live on bee-bread, might produce diarrhes; but we are not ready to adopt the "de novo bacterian theory," that the above-named causes must generate bacteria, and thus be a cause of dysentery - at least until the microscope demonstrates that the disease is dysentery. I make these remarks in aid of the diagnosis and cause of the disease. Give us the cause, and the remedy will be W. R. S. CLARK, M. D. found. Bluffton, Ind., Feb. 6, 1882. A good point, friend C.; and the idea of it, as I see it, is whether the bees have something like the smallpox that is catching, and might be cured by vaccination (?), or whether it is something like the troubles we have in the summer, when we have been imprudent in eating green stuff and the like. I would suggest, that, as it seems pretty well conceded now that a healthy person is much less liable to take even contagious diseases, our treatment of the bees would be pretty much the same in either case; viz., to keep them in the best health possible by having many bees, much pure food, and pure air. BEES AND GRAPES. We publish the following by request: At the annual meeting of the North-Eastern BeeKeepers' Association, the question of bees puncturing grapes was brought up. This is important among bee-keepers, and it is one over which legal difficulties have often been threatened. It was the unanimous opinion of all present, that honey-bees never, under any circumstances, puncture the skin of a grape. Tests have been repeatedly made, and in no case has any bee ever been known to touch a grape that was not punctured. Black ants are the enemies of the grapes. Two bilis were introduced in the California Legislature to do away with all bees on this account. A careful examination, and an extended debate, proved that there was not a single case of bees puncturing grapes. The society placed The above may be true; yet I am inclined to think bees are of more annoyance to the grape-growers, sometimes, than one would the recent Krock and Klasen case, I was asked to mention substances that bees could bite through. I mentioned cloth, stout manilla paper, etc. And why not the skin_of the grape also? was the next question. Because bees get through cloth and paper by pulling out one minute fiber at a time; whereas the grape-skin is smooth, and presents no fiber at all. A bee's mandibles would slide and slip over the smooth grapeskin in spite of any thing he could do. My impression is, his only chance with a perfectly sound grape would be to make a starting-point right at the stem. If he could get the least taste of the juice there he would probably be able to insert his tongue where the juice came out, and he would then soon make way with the whole berry. WINTERING TWO COLONIES IN ONE HIVE. I put away 42 swarms last fall. I looked through a few of them to-day, and do not find any brood yet; 26 of them are on summer stands, and the rest in cellar. I think those in cellar are doing best. I believe I shall put some more in cellar yet. My bees are in the Mitchell hive - 2 swarms in one hive, with division-board in the middle. I do not like that way of wintering. When they fly out they are apt to crowd one end, and leave the other with not enough. I got a tested queen from J. B. Haines, Bedford, and have Italianized all my stocks from her, so you see I am all ready for queen-raising. As far as pure drones are concerned, those in my own apiary are Italians, as are most of the bees in this neighborhood. I guess my queen is one of Doolittle's kind, for all the queens that I raised early enough to be tested produced all three-banded workers. JAMES FORBES. Macedonia, Summit Co., O, Fab. 6, 1882. I believe yours has been pretty nearly the general experience, sooner or later, in regard to wintering two colonies in one hive, friend F. One hive for each colony or nucleus seems to be the final decision. PLUCK AND TACT. I have 34 colonies, all on summer stands in mova ble-frame hives (Langstroth). Some of my neighbors Pellsville, Verm. Co., 111., Jan. 28, 1882. Why, what a fellow you are, friend T.! Fdn. a delusion and a snare"? The above illustrates how differently we look at things, if nothing more, and should, I think, help us to have more charity for each other. I would just like to come to your house in "honey time," and show you what I could do with either the Given, flat-bottomed, or, in fact, any other fdn. on the market, that I know of. We consider it worth about 25 cts. per hundred frames to drill the holes, with the gang of drills we have for the purpose. QUEENS REARED OUT OF SEASON, ETC. I must say, that I feel very much encouraged. My bees, 26 colonies, to-day, Feb. 8, are flying briskly, and are bringing in great loads of pollen. I have just finished examining them, and find they are in fine condition. I have brood in every colony; 7 had spread their brood on 5 frames; 9 on 4; 5 on 3, and 5 nuclei that were packed on two frames, each had a good-sized batch of capped brood on each frame. Some of the queens that are in the nuclei were reared in September, and saved on account of their fine points. Now, friend Root, what are such queens worth? I see that some queen-breeders claim that queens reared out of season are not as good as when reared in the swarming-time. Why are they not? I have one in my apiary that was reared between the 2d and 25th of September, 1877, and she is as good, or superior, to any I have that were reared in April or May, the swarming months in this latitude. Now, if queens reared in September produce worker bees that live as long, and gather as much honey as queens reared in April or May, why not rear our queens later in the season, so as not to disturb our bees at a time when they should be storing large quantities of honey? W. S. CAUTHEN. Pleasant Hill, Lan. Co., S. C., Feb. 8, 1882. I do not know what such queens are worth, friend C.; but I will give you $2.00 apiece for a dozen such that produce pure Italians. Or I will give $1.25 for all dollar queens any of the friends in Florida or elsewhere can deliver to me alive this month. We have been sending out queens already, and a good many of our colonies are queenless. A KIND WORD FOR GEORGE GRIMм. As per promise, I will now report my last year's success with bees. But first I will say, that J. & I. Crowfoot lost all of their bees except thirty swarms in the years 1880 and 1881, of which I took three, and bought of George Grimm 22 and increased the 25 to over 200, of which nearly all are now alive and strong, with plenty of honey to carry them through. I am wintering on summer stands, and shall never, hereafter, winter otherwise. If it were not looking too much like advertising for Mr. Grimm, I would say that he has got his bees bred up for business, and not for looks. I was at his place twice last spring, and I see that he inherits the principles of his father; that is, give every man what he pays for. I got from the 25 swarms about 3000 lbs. of extracted honey. I. S. CROWFOOT. Hartford, Wis., Feb. 14, 1882. THE HONEY-BEES. Of all the insects which God in his wisdom has created, there is none that is so industrious, and useful to man, as the honey-bee. From early morning, until late at night, they are busy bringing sweets from the flowers, with which to enrich their stores; and when night with her sable robes comes on, they do not, like us, cast aside their labors, and lie down idle, to sleep away the hours of darkness, but, rather, they work all the night, and place in order what they have accumulated through the day. What an example they place before us! We never were created to live a life of idleness, and the honey-bee was given us as an example of industry, which we should do well to imitate. Like the honey-bee, our lives are short at best; and if, like them, we strive to improve each shining moment, we shall in the end reap a most liberal harvest. By furnishing them with our improvements in hives, frames, boxes, and the like, we aid them in carrying on their work with more system and expedition; and in the fall, when they are obliged to rest from their labor, and we take from them their store, we are proud of them; and if the little things had ears, they would hear some good words of praise and commendation for their energy and zeal, throughout their season of work. So is it with us. God gives us just such improvements to aid us throughout our lives, by furnishing us with the means whereby we may improve our minds, and duties for us to perform, which, if we suffer to remain undone, will cause us to fall far below the honey-bee in the estimation of our great Master. If misfortune comes, and our bees suffer from it, and we meet with losses which greatly impoverish us, do not let us despair, and place curses upon our little helpers, but assist them to build up their forces and give them a new start, trusting and feeling that it is all for the best, that God gives us all these trials and disappointments for our especial good. Let us ever be as diligent and persevering in all our efforts as these little workers. Bees are wintering well here, and prospects are good, for strong colonies at least. To commence the season with, we shall start with about 150 or 200 colonies, and shall try the real merits of the Italians pretty thoroughly, as we shall have a fine lot of early queens to breed from. Last winter we lost 85 out of 89 colonies, and the 4 that were left were very weak; but last night we saw some hives with eight spaces crowded with bees. We have just received a letter from a man from whom we bought a large amount, saying that his 135 swarms are all living, and in fine condition. G. W. STANLEY & BRO. Wyoming, N. Y., Feb. 17, 1882. BEES IN A GREENHOUSE. Bees commenced bringing in pollen, Jan. 3, and are now bringing in some honey, which is enabling them to build rapidly up. About Jan. 15th I put a very fair colony of bees on foundation only, inside our greenhouse, and so arranged them that they who is not satisfied," I think it would just fit me. Although I do not know of one of my customers who is not satisfied, I do know that money will not satisfy some when there has been a delay, or goods not just as expected; and then if that clause were out, friend Root might have his name in the list. BEES ON THE MAPLES IN FEBRUARY. An hour ago I visited some soft-maple trees in this neighborhood, and the bees were working on the open blossoms, making a noise as if on a basswoodtree in time of the honey-flow. How is that for winter? Bees flying from every hive that had bees in last fall when they were fixed for winter. JAMES A. NELSON. Wyandott, Kansas, Feb. 13, 1882. Notes and Queries. Why, I supposed every one's bees were alive this spring, for I think this is the first bad report we have had, unless, indeed, it is Neighbor H., who has lost about half a dozen that gathered enough without any feeding. All the sugar-fed bees are all right. He fed one, however, on maple sugar, contrary to my advice, and that one died. It will do very well to feed maple sugar after the bees can fly freely. A very nice grade of BOX-HIVE NEIGHBORS IN THE REAR. HAVE 18 swarms of bees in the cellar in good condition at this date-12 of them in your 11⁄2story hives, and the rest will be next May if we maple sugar would do to feed them, I pre- live until that time. I took 250 lbs. surplus honey sume, even in winter. My bees in the yard had a fly Feb. 14 and 15. They came out very strong. The snow, the fences, and the clothes that hung in the yard were spotted with yellow spots. I looked at them, and the frames looked all clean, except in one hive, and that was besmeared a little on one frame. Do you call this dysentery? and is it usual for this time of year? Do you think I shall be troubled very much with this? Do you think I shall winter them through in this condition? B. E. ANDREWS. Brooklyn, N. Y., Feb. 17, 1882. It is dysentery; but you will probably have no trouble with those having clean frames. If the one that daubed the frames does not get better, I would give them some lumps of pure granulated-sugar candy. TELEPHONES FOR BEES SWARMING. Our telephone is sort of three cornered; has three ends, one at the house, one at the shop, and one at the barn. At either point I can hear the bees when they strike the wire; can hear a call to dinner while sitting at my desk in the office, and, in fact, have heard the hens cackle in the barn from the shop; so you see we know when to go after the eggs. It is a triangle, with a single wire running from each point, making 55 ft. from house to shop; 60 ft. from house to barn, and 80 feet from shop to barn. The house is brick, and I could not well cut a hole through, so I just raised the window about five inches and put a board in the opening; where the wire passes through the board is a one-inch hole, covered with soft sheep leather; the wire through the leather is in the center of the hole, so the cold air and the bees are kept out. I think friend Gallup is needlessly alarmed about the bees killing themselves on the wire. I have watched them, and all I have seen strike have been rising from the hives, and it merely turns them from their course a little. I have not seen one fall to the ground. SQUARE MEN. As to that list of "square men," if you will drop the word "square" and put prompt in its place, and also leave out "we do not know of a single customer last year; my neighbors kep bees in box hives, and did not get any. AMASA HOLCOMB. Southwick, Hampden Co., Mass., Feb. 8, 1882. Our last season's success encourages us to push forward next season, and the idea is, to be in time. It is as warm as spring here; grass is green, and I notice our great honey-plant, horsemint, is already coming in abundance, 2 or 3 inches high. We are going to do our part, by the help of God. Hallettsville, Tex., Dec. 13, 1881. DR. J. E. LAY. Send GLEANINGS as usual to Olmsted, as my wife lives there and tends to the bees. I go home every Saturday and Sunday. I sold my extracted honey, 450 lbs., at 17% cts. Cairo, III., Feb. 3, 1882. M. R. KUEHNE. [Friend K., give my respects to your wife, and tell her we should be glad to hear from her in the Ladies' Department.] SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. I united two stocks-astronger whose queen I had removed two or three days before, and a weaker one with a yellow queen. I gave them decisive handling, to take the "fight" out of them; but the stronger killed every bee of the weaker, except the queen, which they saved alive to be their own queen. JOHN FOTHERINGHAM. St. Mary's, Ont., Can., Nov. 25, 1881. HOME-MADE HORSE-POWERS. I have made a horse-power according to directions given by M. H. Hunt (p. 487, Oct., 1881), and it works "bully." My wheel is 15 feet in diameter. I use a chain. Friend Hunt says it is hard on a horse. Well, just put in two, one on each side, and a "small boy" to drive, and things will hum, "you bet." If you want to amuse the children, just remove the chain, set them on the rim, and whirl it. It makes a splendid "fiving Dutchman." F. W. STEVENS. Moore's Hill, Dearborn Co., Ind., Jan. 10, 1882. [We have a man by this name at Berlin, Wisconsin.] AN APOLOGY; SEE P. 33, JAN. NO, AND 83, FEB. NO. No, friend Neuhaus; if I had such a large yield, I should not be ashamed to tell of it. I was perhaps a little hasty; but when I hear of such big yields, it fairly takes my breath away. Now, I have always thought that if I could get 100 lbs. of surplus, and a swarm from one colony, I was doing nicely; indeed, if I could average that, I would be satisfied. At any rate, I offer you my hand in apology, and doubt not JUNO. He did very wisely indeed in telling his wife all about it. I hardly think he would have done this had it not been for a very warm friendship that had recently sprung up between the two. I dare say, some of the friends may smile at the idea of a friendship springing up between man and wife; but, if I mistake not, there may be others who know something what a friendship of this kind is. Young folks often form friendships (if you will excuse the word) before marriage; but they do not then know each other as they do after a few years of acquaintance amid the sometimes monotonous duties of home life. Well, the great friendship between John's father and mother commenced about the time they formed a habit of kneeling in prayer together the last thing at night, and asking God for all they felt they needed. After both voices had been lifted up to God, each felt a new trust and confidence in the other; and it was after such an exercise that he ventured to tell her he feared he was losing trust in God a little, and also felt a longing for his old tobacco. The little Bible soon supplied the text at the head of our chapter, and her bright woman's faith and trust soon made him feel ashamed of any such feelings. They were all regular in attendance at all Sunday services, and no Sabbath passed without something being contributed to the cause of God's work. The utmost economy was practiced in all their expenditures, and so she felt she had a right to plead with her Savior, on the strength of the promises in his holy word. She was but a small, weak, feeble woman; but her faith in God was bright, and she knew their prayers would be heard. She didn't know, however, after all, and I presume never dreamed, of the way in which God would use those prayers, nor of the cares and trials that would come through the answer to them. Sometimes God sees fit to answer our prayers so quickly that we are fairly startled. At other times it may be years before it but that you will take it, owing to the gentlemanly would be best for us to have them answered, manner in which you answered. La Porte, Iowa, Feb. 13, 1882. or even safe for us. This one came very quickly. "Mr. Jones, I want you to help me right MR. MERRYBANKS AND HIS NEIGH- away, this morning." BOR. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.-PSALM 37:25. A FTER Christmas, things seemed rather dull, and Mr. Jones, for the first time in many weeks, found it hard to find some work to do. The roads were bad, and every opening to earn even 25 cents a day seemed to have been closed, for no one got out away from home. All that the surrounding farmers had to do, they did themselves; and there were so many offering to work at the sawmill, at whatever price the owner would give them, during the winter months, there seemed no kind of a chance there. To tell the whole truth, he began to feel a great longing for his pipe during these dull days, and Satan kept whispering there could not be any thing so very wrong in a simple matter like this, until he was in very great danger indeed of getting back into his old ways. It was Uncle Billy, and he seemed in a great hurry as he stood in the door on that stinging cold morning. The husband and wife exchanged glances. "All right, sir; what tools shall I bring?" "Bring all the tools you used in cutting that under-drain in the rock." "But, isn't it pretty" Here he stopped abruptly, because of a look of pain in his wife's face, as she shook her head at him. "What is it, my man? out with it!" "I beg pardon, Uncle Billy; I was just going to ask if it wasn't pretty cold for such work; but I want to take it back, and to say that I will gladly go anywhere, and do any thing you bid me, to earn an honest living." "Spoken like a man, Mr. Jones. Here is my hand on it, and you just stick to that and we will be friends." Do you see how nearly he came to rejecting the answer to their prayers, when it was |