Richmond, Texas, Feb. 10, 1881.
=Chloroform.=—About 10 years ago I used chloroform in handling bees,
after the following plan: I provided myself with a tin slide about 5
inches long and 2 wide; punched a few holes in it, and stitched on one
side of it a pad of 3 or 4 thicknesses of cotton cloth. Then after
closing all ventilators and entrances except the lower one, I turned
about one teaspoonful of chloroform on the pad and slipped it through
the entrance, and immediately closed the hive with a wad of cloth, I
then listened carefully until the bees had nearly ceased humming (or
about 1 or 2 minutes) and then opened the hive and withdrew the slide.
They were cross hybrid Italians.