EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 305 



are better to protect the bees than are the common Langstroth frames. 

 It is easy to see from the above why box hives and hives with close- 

 fitting frames like the Heddon are well arranged to secure success in 

 wintering. 



CELLAR VS. OUTDOOR WINTERING. 



In the more northern latitudes of the United States, bees winter better 

 as a general thing, and consume less honey, in the cellar than on the 

 slimmer stands, even though packed or kept in chaff hives. The last 

 winter was an exception . Our bees in chaff hives wintered out of doors, 

 consumed less honey apparently, and were in better condition in spring 

 than were those wintered in the cellar. If we could be sure of such 

 mild winters as the last two have been, cellars for wintering would cer- 

 tainly go out of use. Hence it is to be feared that many beekeepers will 

 become confident, forgetting the cold and disastrous winters of the past, 

 and soon there may come a return of the severe cold and the mortality 

 among the bees will be as terribly disastrous as in the worst winters of 

 the past. It is well to prepare for war even in times of peace. The wise 

 beekeeper will arrange each autumn for a severe winter, then he will be 

 safe in any event. 



PACKING ABOUT THE HIVES IN SPRING. 



We have proved for the past two or three springs prior to that of 

 1891, that to pack closely about the hives with excelsior or other poor 

 conductor, confining the same by a large, well-covered case set around 

 the hive, has paid exceedingly well for the expense of the case and the 

 labor of adjusting it and the packing. The past spring we could see no 

 such advantage. The unprotected colonies gained as rapidly and were 

 as strong in May as were those in the hives that were protected. The 

 explanation is not far to seek. The last spring was very mild, and bees 

 suffered very little in any kind of hive. Usually we have many very 

 cold, bleak days in April and early May. Then protection pays exceed- 

 ingly well. The principle is a good one, " It pays to protect." Occa- 

 sionally we have a spring like that of 1891, when it is unnecessary, but 

 we should conduct our business for the general, not the exceptional. 



A. J. COOK, 



Assisted by Prof. Zoology and Entomology. 



J. H. Larrabee, 

 Special Agt U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



FRUIT NOTES. 



Bulletin No. 81, March, 1892. 

 I.— STRAWBERRIES AND RASPBERRIES. 



For various reasons this station is, better than any other, perhaps, able 

 to carry on tests of the new varieties of fruits and vegetables. The orig- 

 inators are, each year, more and more appreciating the work of the 

 stations in this line, and we have received from all parts of the country 

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