GO 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15. 



rhan any thing else I have ever tried, for the 

 purpose for which it is adapted. 



REPORTS FROM THE MANGROVE BELT. 



These have been rather conspicuous by their 

 absence this season, owing to the freezing-down 

 of our naangroves. Yields have been light, 

 although, so far as my own apiary is concerned, 

 I have no cause for complaint, as I managed to 

 secure something over 100 lbs. per colony. 

 While this falls far short of last season's yield, 

 it does very well, and is about the best for this 

 vicinity. 



I see the hive discussion is still on deck; but, 

 as we crackers say, "it looks like" all the 

 points that are likely to be brought out have 

 come to light. I should like to know how 

 many bee-keepers have been induced to see the 

 error of their ways, and have changed the size 

 of their hives, by the discussion. 



I am still a believer in the eight frame, after 

 using the ten frame almost exclusively for sev- 

 eral seasons; also several seasons' experience 

 with the one-story "Long Idea" Langstroth 

 frame. I feel certain that, for my use, with my 

 methods, the eight-frame Langstroth is far and 

 away the best. For a weak colony, an eight- 

 frame body is large enough to build them up 

 in; for a fairly good one, two bodies with 15 

 frames is about right; and for a strong flour- 

 ishing one, ready for the honey-flow, three 

 stories with 23 frames hit it about right for me. 

 So with the eight-frame hive I can come nearer 

 making the "punishment fit the crime" than 

 with any other. 



Hawk's Park, Fla. 



[I have already announced that the hive dis- 

 cussion is to come to a close. — Ed.] 



THE ADVANTAGE OF NUMBERING HIVES. 



THE CONVENIENCE OF THE RECORD BOOK. 



By Emma Wilson. 



Suppose I met a man while down street to-day 

 whose name I did not know, and wanted to tell 

 Dr. Miller, when I came home, who it was I 

 had seen. I should most likely begin to de- 

 scribe him, tell whether he was tall or short, 

 fat or thin, dark or light, and how he was 

 dressed. If there was any peculiarity about 

 him I should mention it; and after I'd been to 

 all that trouble he might not be able to tell 

 who he was. Now, if I had known his name 

 was John Smith, and there was only one John 

 Smith in the place, I need only have said, " I met 

 John Smith to-day," and he would have known 

 immediately whom I meant. Just think how 

 much time and trouble I might have been saved 

 if I had only known his name! Now just imag- 

 ine what a muddle we should be in, most of the 

 time, if people were without names! 



Now, it seems to me just about as necessary 

 to number or name colonies of bees as it is to 



name people. If I had to stop and describe 

 each colony of bees by some peculiarity of hive 

 or location every time I wanted to refer to it, 

 instead of saying No. 12 or No. 9, I believe I 

 should get discouraged, and just give up. It 

 seems to me a bee keeper's time is too valuable 

 to be wasted in that way. 



For Instance, suppose Dr. Miller told me, 

 " Get a frame of brood and bees from No. 2 and 

 give it to 49," it wouldn't take him very long to 

 tell me, nor me very long to do it. But, oh dear 

 me! suppose our colonies were not numbered, 

 and he had to stop to describe them. I might 

 not understand perfectly, and get the wrong 

 colony, and what a muddle it would be! Then 

 think of similar orders many rimes a day! I 

 don't believe I'd want to work in the apiary 

 very long. 



It seems to me pretty clear, if two persons are 

 at work in the same apiary, and the colonies 

 are to be talked about, that they need names of 

 some kind, and I don't know of any thing more 

 convenient for names than numbers. Now, 

 how would it be if only one person svere at work 

 in the apiary? Well, suppose he's at work at 

 No. 49, and wants to get a frame of brood and 

 bees from No. 2. Unless he marks No. 49 in 

 some way when he goes to No. 2, he is liable to 

 make a mistake and get the wrong colony when 

 he comes back. 



But if there were no other reason for !t, I 

 should want them numbered in order that a 

 record might.be kept. You know when chil- 

 dren dispute with regard to their ages they are 

 always referred to the family Bible. Well, 

 when we want to be sure of our queens' ages we 

 refer to the record-book. 



Suppose I go to a colony and find that it is 

 queenless. Is the record- book now of any use 

 to me? Of course, it is. lean take the book 

 and look and see if there is any colony I can go 

 to for queen-cells, tell how ripe they are, tell 

 whether it's a colony I want to breed from, 

 whether it's gentle or cross, whether they are 

 good workers or not; in fact, tell all about 

 them. 



With a record- book you can sit down and 

 map out your day's work and know just what 

 you're going to do beforehand. In fact, I don't 

 see how any one can get along without one. If 

 we should forget ours when we go to the out- 

 apiaries we should have to go back after it, 

 and it would be a difficult thing to keep a 

 record-book without having your colonies num- 

 bered. 



Marengo, 111., Dec. 12. 



[I think we shall all have to accept this fact, 

 that, if a record-book is used, hive-numbering 

 is a necessity. 



Yes, it is indeed true that the book enables 

 one to plan out the work in the apiary before- 

 hand, and while at work in the yard it may 

 save many steps. Suppose I want a certain 

 kind of queen with v/hich to fill an order. In- 

 stead of walking from one hive to another, in- 



