468 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 7, 1904. 



SuperintendeDt not later than noon on Tuesday 



of the Fair 5 00 3 00 



COUNTY COLLECTIVE EXHIBITS. 



The county in Nebraska showing the best collection 

 of honey of all kinds, any or all ages, shapes and 



conditions 20 00 10 00 5 00 



The exhibits must have been produced in the county exhibiting, 



and the product of not less than five apiaries. Individuals composing 



this collective exhibit may compete for any or all minor premiums 



offered. 



HONEY PEODnCING PLANTS. 



Best collection of honey-producing plants,giving time 



of blossoming, with common and proper names. 7 00 4 00 3 00 



DISCRETIONARY. 



In this lot make entries, when desired, of what is not provided for 

 in the foregoing lots in this class. 



Hon. E. Whitcomb, of Friend, Nebr., is the superintendent of the 

 apiarian department of this Fair. He will be pleased to furnish any 

 further information that may be desired, if so requested. 



Beginners' Bi? Honey-Yields— Why ? 



Now and again some beginner reports an unusual yield per colony, 

 and the question is raised, "Why should one new to the business 

 succeed better than one of more experience^" The answer has been 

 given that it is because of the greater enthusiasm of the beginner. But 

 some of the veterans tell us that they have no less enthusiasm now 

 than during their first years in the business. Besides, it is hardly 

 reasonable that enthusiasm shall outweigh skill and experience. Is it 

 so in other callings? 



A probably better answer is that the beginner has a smaller num- 

 ber of colonies. But why should that make so much difference? For 

 the simple reason that with a larger number it is easier for the locality 

 to be overstocked. The amount of honey consumed in a year by a 

 colony has been variously estimated at from 60 to ^00 pounds annually 

 the larger amount probably being nearer the truth, the greatest con- 

 sumption occurring during the time of greatest activity, or when the 

 bees are at work in the field. 



In most localities one, two, or three principal sources of nectar 

 furnish all the surplus, although there may be numerous honey- plants 

 yielding a small quantity of nectar from spring to fall. These minor 

 sources, however, are not suffleient for the daily needs of an apiary of 

 50 or 100 colonies, so that during the greater part of the time the bees 

 get only enough for their daily needs, if indeed they do not draw on 

 the reser%'e stores. With only two or three colonies on the ground, 

 there might be enough nectar, not only to supply the daily needs, but 

 to afford a chance for the daily storing of nectar throughout the sea- 

 son. With a whole summer in which to store, instead of a few days 

 or weeks, why should there not be an extraordinary yield per colony .' 



The chief moral in the case is that the beginner who gets a large 

 surplus from one or two colonies should not base his future expecta- 

 tions thereon, for, should he do so, disappointment will likely be in 

 store for him. 





Miscellaneous Items 





The Apiary of Geo. A. Reed is shown on the first page. He 

 writes as follows concerning it: 



About five years ago a stray swarm of bees came to my place and 

 I hived it. As I had no smoker, and had never heard of a bee-veil, I 

 had a pretty tough time of it. Part of the time my face was swollen 

 up so that my wife did not know me. But that winter I came across 

 " A B C of Bee-Culture," and from that time on the bees and I have 

 gotten along nicely. But the greatest help I have had has been the 

 American Bee .Journal. Whenever I want to learn anything now I 

 find it without much trouble in the " Old Reliable." .Just continue 

 my paper for life, and whenever you need any money send me vour 

 bill. 



Last year the floods washed away many of the bees, but I saved 

 my bees by taking them to high ground. I got "3 pounds from the 

 last crop of alfalfa, which I sold at 10 cents a pound, so you see I had 

 something for my trouble. Bees are swarming, and I think we will 

 have a good year. 



I send a photograph of my apiary and myself, taken by J. A. 

 Ward. My little daughter is standing out in front of the hives. 



Geo. a. Reed. 



Bee-Hive iu His Bedroom.— Thf Lincoln (Nebr.) Daily Star 

 published some time ago an account of arolonyof bees kept in the 

 bedroom of Mr. J. H. Sears, who has had them there for over 18 

 months, and evidently enjoys their happy hum. Last season he is re- 

 ported to have taken UO pounds of honey from them. Continuing the 

 account, the Star reporter has this to say : 



" While visiting in the country in the summer of 1902, a daughter 

 of Mr. Sears found a swarm of bees in a hedge. They seemed to be- 

 long to no one, and when she returned home she informed her father. 

 The latter used to keep bees on the farm, and at once saw the possi- 

 bilities of the " find " his daughter had made. At the same time he 

 did not take into consideration the fact that he had no adequate place 

 to keep them when he had brought them home. When he had ob- 

 tained the swarm, captured in a cracker-box, he discovered that his 

 back-yard was far too small to accommodate his pets. The only pos- 

 sible place for them was in the bedroom where he slept. 



•' Mr. Sears leaves his window slightly open, to allow the bees en- 

 trance and egress at will. An up-to-date hive is placed for their 

 occupancy, with all the comforts of the out-of-door apartments, with 

 the addition of hard-coal heat in the winter. 



" At almost any hour the sill of the window may be seen partially 

 covered with the dark yellow insects, crawling in or out of the room 

 where is their hive." 



The Apiary of Prank Hinderer appears on the front page 

 this week. When sending the picture (May 38) he wrote as follows: 



I send a photograph of my home and apiary, my wife, boy, and 

 myself. I commenced in the spring of 1003 with 8 colonies, increased 

 to 33 by natural swarming, and having a honey-flow of 53 days, my 

 surplus was 1000 one-pound sections, and 1640 pounds of box-honey. 

 I use boxes holding from 31.2 to 10 pounds each. I had 4 colonies 

 in Langstroth hives, and the rest in box-hives. I had 3 swarms come 

 out on Aug. 4 and unite, and they stored a surplus of 155 pounds in 

 one-pound sections. I received 11 cents per pound for my honey. I 

 bought 19 colonies in the fall in box-hives, making 53 colonies. I lost 

 Ki colonies the past winter and spring, or 3.5 percent of them. 



We are having nice weather now, and bees are getting strong. 

 There is good prospect that there will be lots of white clover, and also 

 sweet clover and basswood bloom. 



I could not get along without the American Bee Journal. 



Frank Hinderer. 



c 



Some Expert Opinion 



■ In the multitude of counsellors there is safety." — Bible. 





Frames Hung Crosswise vs. Lengthwise. 



If for some reason you were to start in anew to keep bees, and 

 were obliged to get an entirely new outfit — 



Ques. 10. — What objections would you find to frames hung 

 crosswise of the hive? 



O. O. PopPLETON (Fla.)— I don't know, as I have never tested 

 them. 



S. T. Pettit (Ont.) — It interferes with free ventilation, and free 

 passage of the bees to all parts of the hive. 



G. M. Doolittle (N. Y.) — Answered by asking. What objections 

 would you find to frames hung lengthwise of the hives? 



.J. M. Hambauqh (Calif.)— I am not sure that there are any ob- 

 jections, but I have not practiced this feature extensively. 



K. L. Taylor (Mich.) — There are more of them, and more motions 

 are required to handle them, with no advantage except to coddle weak 

 colonies. 



Prof. A. .J. Cook (Calif.) — None, except they are not the Lang- 

 stroth, and that hive and frame are most desirable because most used. 

 See answer to (Question No. 1. 



Geo. W. Bkodbeck (Calif.) — Here in California this would indi- 

 cate a narrow frame and more to hancle in comparison with the 

 Langstroth, consequently necessitating more labor. 



Rev. M. Mahin (Ind.)— I began bee-keeping with frames hanging 

 crosswise, but I did not like them. The bees fill the combs more 

 evenly when the entrance is at the end of the frames. 



N. E. France (Wis.) — The hive I like liest for extracting holds 10 

 brood-fraines, with 16 same size (Langstroth size) crosswise the brood- 

 chamber. Easier to handle, and two sets of extracting. 



Mrs. .1. M. Noll (Mo.) — None in winter. In the working season 

 all parts of the brood-nest could not be reached by the workers as 

 readily. In hut weather it would hinder perfect ventilation. 



Dr. .J. P. H. Brown (Ga.) — I have u.«i'd hives with frames both 

 ways, and I could never see any difference lu the work of the bees. In 

 many things relating to the apiary theory ami practice don't always 

 work side by side. 



C. H. DiBBERN (111.) — As I tip my hives forward to shed water, 

 such an arrangement would throw the coi I'ls out of perpendicular, 



