THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



30,i 



an open shed if the job is well done, 

 and each pile carefull}' covered and 

 weig^hted. These combs are the bank 

 account of the bee-keeper and on them, 

 and />/<f«A' of them, hangs his success. 

 They have more than any other one 

 thing to do with solving the question 

 of swarming. The editor is surel}' on 

 the right track when he advocates an 

 abundance of extracting combs. I 

 make combs and buy some when I 

 have a chance, but never sell any. The 

 objection has been made that it is too 

 hard to protect combs. I think that 

 part is all easy enough if one under- 

 stands them as well as he does bees. 

 Let the bees protect the combs at all 

 times except during cold weather. I 

 think many of us are coming to the be- 



lief that the time to do sprir," feeding 

 is to do it the fall before, bat better 

 late than never will hold g.'od. 



The approach of real winter should 

 find all colonies reduced to the brood 

 chamber, well-covered, entrances con- 

 tracted, and all ready to be carried in 

 at a moment's notice. The cellars also 

 need attention, I always sweep them 

 clean in the spring after the bees have 

 been removed, and leave them so they 

 will get plenty of air during the sum- 

 mer. Before time to put the bees in, 

 benches should be made ready. By 

 having all these things properly done, 

 putting away the bees may be made a 

 real pleasure instead of a dreaded 

 task. 



Bridgport, Wis., Oct. 12th, 1906. 



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T. F. BINGHAM, 



URIEND HUTCHINSON, I read the 

 -L knife-article in the Review yester- 

 day. If 3'ou will correspond with Mr. 

 Manley, also Mr. W. E. Forbes, you 

 will get a report of two long knives, 

 that I made for them. They have had 

 them to use two summers, and can say 

 what they think of them. At their re- 

 quest, three years ago, I made the long 

 knives — 9 inch blade. I had six knives 

 made, and sold them, and have had no 

 complaint. So, I infer they were sat- 

 isfactory. 



But in Townsend's idea would pre- 

 clude the use of such a knife as would 

 serve him, being used pleasantly by 

 ordinary bee-keepers. Nine inches 

 would not be long enough for him. 

 (Probably he knows about Mr. Forbe's 

 knife as they live near each other.) 



Mr. Townsend's figures of 8J4 inches 

 of comb surface with % top bar 

 and % inch bottom bar would make a 

 net width of 95s', add to this the ability 

 to "sea saw," that he notes, and the 

 blade would be not less than 11|^ net, 

 straight edge, on the two sides of the 

 blade. What would answer if designed 

 to use on uneven surfaces (not flat), 

 would occasionally have to have an 

 oval point, and be J4 inch longer — in 

 all a 12 inch blade sharp all the way. 

 One feature could be added to relieve 

 this long blade; the shank could and 

 should be made straight, like any 

 butcher knife used in a meat market. 

 Such a handle would do away with 

 the flat-side handle. No use for bent 

 shanks on long knives, designed to cut 

 only cross-wise of combs. Such a 



