200 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 28, 1901. 



daug-hters and a son — are in evidence to propag'ate the 

 parental union of German and Scotch-Irish blood. 



It may not be amiss to say for Mrs. G. tha.t she loves 

 bees — in the abstract sense — but bees never learned to love 

 her — not, however, because she is not a lovable woman, 

 but, rather, because her husband's bees never seemed dis- 

 posed to let her get intimately acquainted with their way of 

 doing- things when they were out of humor. It was not 

 owing to any fault in her character; nor could the fault 

 have been owing to her Scotch-Irish descent, that Mrs. 

 Gehring's earnest effort to become her husband's " help- 

 mate " in bee-keeping was a failure from the start. It re- 

 mains a puzzle in Mr. G.'smind to this day why bees — well- 

 trained and usuall)' well-behaved like his were — should be- 

 have so badly toward a sweet, mild-dispositionedand loving 

 little woman as ever blest the life of a bee-keeper. But 

 these bees did treat her badly — on a certain special occa- 

 sion — and the resulting coolness between her and the %vhole 

 apiarian tribe will end only with life. 



Referring to the Falls of the Rhine, in Switzerland, 

 Mr. Gehring writes us as follows : 



The Rhine is one of the most interesting rivers in the world. Its 

 source is amonfr the Alpine glaciers of Switzerland, and its waters 

 enter the sea thru the lowlands of Holland. On its banks is every 

 variety of scenery, towering mountains, wild and picturesque rocks. 



Falls of the Rhine at Schajfhausen, Swil-eiiand. 



dense forests and fertile plains. It flows between flourishing villages 

 and populous cities, castles and ruins with which a thousand legends 

 are connected. Along its course for many centuries great historical 

 events have been taking place; the victories and defeats of the 

 Romans, the heroic deeds of the age of chivalry, the coronation of 

 kings, the meetings of ecclesiastical councils, and the wars of modern 

 times. We can not wonder that such a river is regarded with little 

 less than reverence, and that great numbers of tourists come from all 

 parts of the world to look upon it. 



The upper Rhine is especially remarkable for beautiful scenery. 

 The Falls of the Rhine near SchafEhausen form one of the finest cas- 

 cades in Europe. The breadth of the river above the falls is 126 yards, 

 and the hight of the unbroken fall is about 60 feet. If the rapids 

 above and below are taken into consideration, the total fall is nearly 

 100 feet. Not far above the falls is a bridge known as the " Rhinefall 

 Bruecke'' (Bridge of the Rhinefallj. High above the river on a 

 wooden rock stands the Schloss Laufen (castle of the rapids). From 

 a garden of this picturesquely situated edifice the best view of the falls 

 may be obtained, one gallery projecting over the roaring, seething 

 cataract. 



In the year 1S45, when eight years of age, my Aunt Ann. a sister 

 of my moth-jr. took me on a visit to my grandparents, who resided 

 about nine miles northeast from the falls, and about IS miles from my 

 home on the banks of the Rhine below the falls. On the way we pas't 

 thru Schaffhausen, and stood together, hand-in-hand (I being afraid 

 to stand alone) upon the bank of the river viewing the awe-inspiring 

 scene. The spot where we stood was a little way below the cataract^ 

 not far from the old mill seen upon the left bank in the picture. The 

 railroad bridge above the falls was not there then. There was no 

 railroad in all Switzerland before 1850. .John D. Gehrixg. 



The Chicago Convention Picture is a fine one. It is 

 nearly 8x10 inches in size, mounted on heavy cardboard 

 10x12 inches. It is, we believe, the largest group of bee- 

 keepers ever taken in one picture. It is sent, postpaid, for 

 75 cents; or we can send the American Bee Journal one 

 year and the picture — both for $1.60. It would be a nice 

 picture to frame. We have not counted them, but think 

 here are nearly 200 bee-keepers shown. 



I Questions and Answers. | 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. C. O. mrLLBR. Marengo, 111. 



(The Qnestions may be mailed to tlie Bee Journal ofl&ce, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail. — Editor. 1 



Drones and Swa rming. 



1. If I destroy all the drones from a colony that wants 

 to swarm, will this prevent swarming ? 



2. When a swarm leaves a hive, and I have the Alley 

 queen and drone trap on, are you sure the swarm will return 

 to the hive ? Subscriber. 



Answers. — 1. No ; but it is thought there is less likli- 

 hood of swarming if drones and drone-brood are kept down. 

 But it can by no means be counted on as a sure prevention 

 of swarming. 



2. If you have only one colony, you may count to a 

 dead certainty that in the case you mention the swarm will 

 return to the hive. In any case you may be sure that the 

 swarm will not go off, and under ordinary circumstances 

 that it will go back to the hive from which it issued. But 

 if it should happen that a little while before another swarm 

 had issued and returned to its hive, the bees still making a 

 loud call at the entrance of the hive, j-our returning swarm 

 iiiighl return to this latter hive instead of returning to its 

 own. 



Tall vs. Square Sections, Etc. 



1. I began bee-keeping last year and now have 36 colo- 

 nies. My troubles are caused by the great variety of bee- 

 supplies. I have 60 supers meant for 4 '4x4'+' bee-way sec- 

 tions. Now I want tall sections with no bee-way. I think 

 of buying 60 supers designated "L,." These take 4x5 

 sections. Now, can I alter the old supers so they will carry 

 4x5 sections? I'm afraid robber-bees will get in. 



2. Will filling all cracks with white lead injure bees in 

 any way ? 



3. I think of using full sheets of light brood founda- 

 tion in all frames when hiving' swarms, these sheets to be 

 wired. Is this a good plan ? 



4. Do you prefer tall sections with no bee-way to the 

 old-style square ones with bee-way ? 



5. Are the combs less liable to be built together? and 

 do the bees enter them as readily tho they sit across the 

 frames? Colorado. 



Answers. — 1. There are so many different surplus 

 arrangements that take 4'+ sections that it is impossible to 

 tell how much change would be required ; but by the exer- 

 cise of a little ingenuity almost any of them could be 

 changed to take 4x5 sections. 



2. It will do no harm. 



3. An excellent plan. 



4. It is largely a question of one's market. Some pre- 

 fer one and some the other. 



5. You will probably find no difference. 



Bees Diseased and Dying— Closed-End Frames. 



1. I took 12 strong colonies of bees on shares last 

 spring. One or two swarmed and almost all stored a little 

 surplus. When I prepared them for winter — that is, took 

 off the supers — they had plenty of honey and appeared to be 

 strong, and along about January 1st, I examined and found 

 all dead but three. On examining the combs of the dead 

 ones I found fully ' j of the cells with capt brood, with a 

 small puncture in the cap, and an offensive smell, not like 

 a glue-pot. I took five back to the owner last summer that 

 were too weak to defend themselves, and I didn't want any 

 robbing. The owner (a beeman of 20 years' experience, so 

 he says) claimed it was caused by moths. The bees I have 

 here haven't any moths in the hives ; besides, I haven't any 

 trouble with the moth, anyway. 



2. If it is foul or pickled brood, why do they die in win- 

 ter without any brood, and be, stronger in bees than some 

 of my weak ones ? 



3. What course should I take to prevent it from spread- 



