1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



437 



we learn : Three grains of uncapped honey will, in 

 34 hours, in a temperature of 76°, absorb only .584 

 grains of water on an average; while three grains 

 of the same honey, impregnated with the same 

 quantity of water, but which, during the experi- 

 ment, lias cooled down to 50°, will, iu the same space 

 of time, absorb 1.537 grains of water. Other ex- 

 periments showed that tlie three grains of honej', in 

 24 hours, at a temperature of 76°. took up, on an 

 average, l.f'33 grains of water, and at 50° absorbed 

 3.7 grains, and in one case even ,S.034 grains. In the 

 dry air of a room, on the other hand, having a tem- 

 perature of 61°, three grains of honey lost only .04 

 of a grain of water. In three experiments, made 

 directly in a cluster of bees, at a constant tempera- 

 ture of 50°, five grains of honey received on an aver- 

 age 3.068 grains of water. No experienced observer 

 or student of the universal lawsof nature can doubt 

 the results of these experiments. We find it per- 

 fectly easy to comprehend that ripe honey, contain- 

 ing only 30 per cent of water, wliich the bees bring 

 in as nectar containing 80 per cent, does, by means 

 of energetic fanning, lose 60 per cent of its mois- 

 ture; and tliat it attracts back to itself its lost 

 property, water, as soon as the bees uncap the cells. 

 It is the nature of lioney, when five grains of it con- 

 tain only one part of water to five of solid part, to 

 absorb, on an average, 3.068 grains of water; for it 

 will not take back more water than it originally 

 held as nectar, as nectar is four-fifths water. 



[As our readers know, I have visited Mr. 

 Boardman's home a number of times, and illus- 

 trated and described his favorite winter reposi* 

 tory at his home apiary a few years ago. As it 

 may not be convenient to refer to this I repro- 

 duce one of the engravings we then made. 



It shows the outside of the repository. It is 

 a plain double-walled building, divided off into 

 three rooms — two large rooms, one at each end, 

 and one smaller one for entry way in the center. 

 The whole structure is 12x50 feet, with walls 14 

 inches thick, and packed. 



R. L. Taylor's experiments last winter, as re- 

 ported in our last issue, seem to show that 

 moisture, or even an excessive amount of mois- 

 ture, does not have a deleterious effect on the 

 wintering of bees; but Mr. Taylor seemed to 

 regard as of prime importance an even temper- 

 ture. and Dooiittle seemed to be of the same 

 opinion. Observe that Mr. Boardman thinks a 

 dry repository important, but does not consider 

 the matter of exact regulation of temperature 

 necessary. If I am correct, Mr. Boardman 

 winters right along, year after year. In this re- 

 pository, with absoutely no loss. If the proof 

 of the pudding is in the eating, then Mr. B. 

 seems to be nearer the truth. Or perhaps we 

 can put it this way: If the cellar is moist, we 

 must have an even temperature: if it is an up- 

 ground repository, and dry, even temperature 

 is not necessary. This will harmonize the opin- 



ions of Dooiittle, Taylor, and Schonfeld, on the 

 one side, and Boardman on the other. 



With regard to artificial heat at certain times 

 in winter repositories. Dr. Miller has seemed to 

 stand altnost alone in its advocacy. But now 

 comes Boardman supporting it. and. for aught 

 I know, he may have been a practicer of the 

 idea as long as or longer than Dr. Miller. — Ed.] 



B, TAYLOR'S LATEST HIVE 



LARGE HIVES HAVE TOO MUCH ROOM BELOW, 

 AND CONSEQUENTLY LESS SURPLUS; THE 

 FORCE OF DADANT'S ARGUMENT FOR LARGE 

 HIVES LOST, AND WHY. 



By B. Taylor. 



Editor Gleanings : — I see you still wish bee- 

 keepers to give their ideas in regard to small or 

 large hives. I have tested more styles and 

 sizes of hives in my 45 years of apiarian experi- 

 ence than any other bee-keeper I know of. To 

 me it is a great pleasure to realize that I know 

 a thing in counter-distinction to merely believ- 

 ing it, for belief may be founded on either truth 

 or error, and we must not forget that error is 

 no less harmful because honestly entertained. 

 "Prove all things, hold fast to that which is 

 good." 



Many years ago I made four large hives that 

 contained 4000 cubic inches each. I expected 

 to get large yields of comb honey from them. 

 I reasoned that, by clover time, these large 

 hives would contain gigantic colonies of bees, 

 and would not be likely to swarm. Well, I be- 

 lieve they never did swarm during the three or 

 four seasons I used them; but the giant swarms 

 were never ready at the right time when the 

 white-honey harvest came. Each season these 

 big hives would contain no more bees than 

 hives of 1200 inches of comb capacity, and I nev- 

 er got any surplus from them worth mention- 

 ing, and what they did give was always dark 

 fall honey. You see, they had ample room in 

 those big brood-chambers, to store all the 

 white honey they did not use in raising the 

 great colonies of bees that those hives always 

 contained at the end of the season. This im- 

 mense force, would, before spring, consume 

 nearly all of the large store of honey which 

 those hives always contained at the commence- 

 ment of winter; but these old bees would pret- 

 ty much all be dead the following spring before 

 a new force of young bees could be raised to 

 take the field; and they would have to build 

 up again from about the same condition as 

 swarms in small hives, with this disadvantage 

 — that the large hives did not utilize the heat 

 of the colony nearly as well as the smaller 

 ones In the cool weather of spring. 



A year or two ago we resolved to discontinue 

 further general experiments in testing hives. 

 We resolved to select from the fruits of our ex- 

 periments that hive and system that actual 

 experience had taught us would give the very 

 best results in white surplus honey, either comb 



