THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



515 



SPECIALTY. 



It is now Becoming the Order of the day, 

 But has Special Requirements. 



No one. probably, has worked with 

 more persistence than the Review in 

 trying to induce bee keepers to "keep 

 more bees" and make a specialty of the 

 business. Under the circumstances it 

 is very gratifying to be able to clip from 

 Gleanings an item like the following, 

 written by Louis Scholl. 



Specialty is the order of the day to 

 such an extent nowadays that it is not 

 unusual for a great many bee keepers to 

 fall more and more in line with this trend 

 towards specialism. Editor Hutchinson, 

 of the Review, has advocated this matter 

 to a great extent, and it has been bear- 

 ing fruit. His "keep more bees" has 

 been heard far and wide, and is in many 

 a bee keeper's mouth. The writer, al- 

 though working along those very lines 

 years ago, before he read the Review, 

 has known of the value of specializing in 

 certain lines of work. It enables one to 

 accomplish more with little more expense, 

 bringing in greater returns with a larger 

 profit. But it takes a man with a busi- 

 ness get-up to do it. Then it takes a 

 location that will allow it; then a system 

 of management, and the right kind of 

 hives and appliances must be adopted. 

 Some special articles on the latter would 

 be interesting to some of us. 



5E.ALLD COVERS. 



They may be all Right Towards the South, 



but Cushions are Better at 



the North. 



Almost every fall and winter we have 

 a discussion as to the comparative ad- 

 vantages of sealed covers or cushions 

 over colonies in winter, particularly those 

 out of doors, but it seems that it is 

 largely one of locality; at least, the 

 arguments put forth in Gleanings by 

 Mr. J. E. Crane are very convincing. He 

 says: 



The discussion on pages 72 and 75. 

 Feb. 1, on absorbents vs. sealed covers. 



is one of much interest, showing, it seems 

 to me, that both parties are at least 

 partly right, or that both methods are 

 practical. 1 have been in the habit when 

 this subject is discussed, to look and see 

 where the opposing parties are located 

 and, so far as 1 remember, those who 

 prefer sealed covers live much farther 

 south than those who prefer absorbing 

 cashions, with colder winters. Now, it 

 is quite certain that we can winter bees 

 very well, even in this climate, with 

 sealed covers; but my own experience is 

 that we can do better without them. 

 Under sealed covers, I have found the 

 brood chamber quite too wet in spring to 

 suit me; while with absorbing cushions 

 above, the brood chamber is dry and 

 clean. In early spring we always find 

 the cushions damp on top, but never on 

 the under side unless from a leaky cover, 

 and this dampness all dries out long 

 before we take the cushions off in May. 

 1 much prefer my surplus moisture to be 

 in the cushion rather than in the brood 

 chamber. 



1 have no doubt that too much up- 

 ward ventilation has been given through 

 absorbent cushions. With the mercury 

 at 20° below, there is a strong tendency 

 for the cold air at the entrance of a hive 

 to drive the lighter warm air above the 

 cluster of bees up through the porous 

 cushion. I used to think that clean bur- 

 lap was the best thing to lay over the 

 frames before putting on cushions, and 

 have made my hands sore rubbing pro- 

 polis from old cloth before using it, but 

 of late years have found it unnecessary 

 to remove all the propolis. A board laid 

 over part of the brood chamber before 

 the cushion is laid on works well, or two 

 boards laid on top loosely will allow 

 enough upward ventilation to keep the 

 brood chamber dry. Where upward 

 ventilation is given through cushions, 

 only a very small entrance is needed. 

 Two inches long by ^4 high is ample, or 

 a -V-inch hole alone. 



Of quite as much importance as warm 

 cushions is a small brood chamber for 

 small colonies. We are successfully 

 wintering small colonies on four Lang- 

 stroth frames. 



From what you say, Mr. Editor, in 

 foot-note, page 121, Feb. 15, I infer 

 that your hive covers come down close 

 upon the cushion. This may make quite 

 a difference, as in our hives there is 

 quite a chamber above the cushion, and 

 some circulation of air; and as soon as 

 the sun warms up in spring the cushions 

 lose all their moisture without taking 

 them off the hives. 



