issi; 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



75 



ticed the granulated honey below, and purchased 3 

 two-pound jars of it, because he liked it hcst! Such 

 never happened a few years ago It shows that the 

 common sense of our people soou learns to discrimi- 

 nate. I venture the prediction, that in the near fu- 

 ture, adulterators will turn their attention to the 

 matter how to best granulate their vile stuff. 

 Cincinnati, O., Jan. 7, 18HJ. Chahles F. Muth. 



THE WIKTERINfi PROB1.EHI, ETC. 



ALSO SO.METHINO ABOUT "THAT WONDER," THREE- 

 BANDED HYBRIDS. 



N article in Oct. No., liy G. M. Doolittlo, on the 

 subject, " Queens whose Daughters all Pro- 

 **=" ducc Three-banded Workers," no matter 

 whether mated with a bhick or an Italian drone, 

 seems to be a stimner to Mr. Jerome Wiltso. On 

 reading Mr. D.'s article on the subject, I found noth- 

 ing to surprise me, as I have often had queens whose 

 daughters would never produce black bees, no mat- 

 ter what kind of a drone they had met. Being 

 about the first to introduce the Italian bee into this 

 State, I had good opportunities for observation. 1 

 have had Italian queens mate with black drones 

 whose progeny, to ninety-nine observers out of a 

 hundred, would appear pure; but I could detect an 

 occasional bee that had a slightly suspicious look 

 when no honey was in their sacks, and also by some 

 suspicious actions on the part of the colony. And, 

 indeed, the fact of part of the progeny of any queen 

 showing ihefourtli band is pretty good evidence, to 

 me, of impure blood. Now, while speaking of Mr. 

 Wiltse I want to say he has written the best article 

 yet produced on that most important subject, — 



UPWARD A'ENTILATION. 



As long as some succeed in wintering their bees 

 where no upward ventilation is provided, just so 

 long will we have advocates pro and con. I have 

 just read an article in the Bcc-Kccpcrs' Gu de, by 

 F. H. Miner, of which the following Is a quotation: 

 "Upward ventilation is condemned by instinct; at 

 variance with facts, and a denial of the wisdom and 

 goi.dness of the Deity." 



Well, let's see if that's all true. A few weeks 

 since, 1 was riding out through the country, buying 

 stock; and as I have made it a point to stop at all 

 the places where 1 saw bee-hives on the premises, 

 and subject the owner to a series of questions as to 

 manner of preparing bees for winter, I got much 

 useful information, and hope to benefit myself and 

 others by it. I need scarcely say, the majority of 

 the hives seen were beeless. One man had 5 last 

 fall, and all lived, coming in strong in spring, and 

 here is just the shape they vrere in all last winter, 

 and are still in: hives all box, of ordinary size; lialf- 

 inch hloclig under each corner ; four and six inch holes 

 open into surplus chamber, some chambers having 

 empty boxes in them, and some no boxes; one with 

 door to surplus chamber gone entirely. Here was 

 upward ventilation with a vengeance. 



Another man had one colony which swarmed on 

 the 28th of May— remarkably early for such a sea- 

 son. Hive, Langstroth, ten frames, 8 inches deep; 

 honey-board having si.x I'^-inch holes, three front 

 holes covered with an empty honey-box having cor- 

 responding b les, and three holes open into cap, 

 which was not very tight. Entrance about full 

 wi(l'l) n( ] ivf, '; inch wide, left open all the time. 



Wintered outdoors without care, and no feeding at 

 that. 



Now, if these facts do not prove friend Miner's 

 theory "bad medicine," I could cite plenty of simi- 

 lar cases to prove that upper ventilation is not con- 

 trary to reason, instinct, etc. Wo bee-keepers who 

 have prepared our bees for winter with such care, 

 packing them with quilts and cushions, closing off 

 all upward ventilation, and losing nearly all our 

 bees, and starting again by purchasing bees in box 

 hives from "fogy " bee-keepers who have winterod 

 summer stands unprotected, and upward ventilated, 

 will do well to drop theorizing, and take a few prac- 

 tical lessons. I do not wish to be understood as 

 cLiiming that there is no virtue in giving protection 

 for winter; but I do claim, that if bees are packed 

 with a view of saving the consumption of honey, 

 and putting the colony into the best possible shape 

 to withstand the most severe, lorg-protracted, cold 

 winters, there must be means provided for thorough 

 upward ventilation, in order that the material used 

 for such protection will beat all times perfectly free 

 from moisture. 



REPORTS FOR THE SEASOK. 



Some friends have handed in reports of such large 

 yields of honey as to surprise the natives. I have 

 suspected this is brought abou, often, by talking all 

 the hor.cy, and tken resorting to feeding the bees 

 for win'er surplus. Mr. G. M. Doolittle once said, a 

 brood dep rlment two-thirds the size of that of the 

 Quinby hive would give better results in surplus 

 honey, and that he uses a brood department no 

 larger than will be fully occupied by average queens; 

 and since all this brood department will, in the 

 honey season, be filled with brood, the bees must 

 stoe all their honey in the surplus boxes. Now, all 

 of this is true enough, for it is plain, that, with such 

 a small brood-nest, all the honey will be put in boxes, 

 or combs above, to be extracted; and by this system 

 nearly every pound of honey produced may be ar- 

 rayed in a report for the seas n, and paraded be'ore 

 the public forthe p :rpose, often, of making believe 

 I am the. great bee-man in the successful manage- 

 ment of bees. But, the honey season gone and all 

 the honey taken away, what arc the bees to do for 

 winter supplies? Colonies so managed are not self- 

 supporting, and in the end are no more profit to 

 the owner, if as much so, as when they have brood 

 department large enough for storing sulHcient honey 

 for winter supplies besides the space occupied for 

 brooi. 



Were I beginning bee-keeping, and wished to use a 

 hive that would be at all times, in all kinds of sea- 

 sons, self-sustaining, I would use a hive containing 

 ten f;ames, same in every particular as the L. 

 frame, only la depth, which would be two inches 

 deeper. Such a frame would bo perfection, in my 

 opinion; and with ton such frames, not much tink- 

 ering would be needed, as there would always be 

 plenty of stores and bees in such hivei; and what 

 honey they do make in boxes (and which would be 

 as much as would be in any other hive) could be 

 taken with safety, since the brood department 

 would contain ample winter stores. 



John A. Buchanan. 



Holliday's Cove, W. Va., Jan. 9,1882. 



I entirely agree with you about upper 

 ventilation, friend B.,and pretty nearly, too, 

 on your last point; only 1 would suggest, 

 that, if the bee-keeper makes money witnhis 



