564 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



for calling attention to the W. B. C. metal 

 ends. We will try to illustrate them soon. 



BROOD-COMBS. 



OBJECTIONS TO THE WIDE SPACING OF BROOD- 

 COMBS. 



The following article we take pleasure in 

 copying from the American Bee Journal of 

 July 19. The arguments presented for 1|- 

 inch spacing are convincing. 



I have watched with great interest for the replies 

 to Dr. Miller's articles on page 314 and y65. relative 

 to the proper spacing of brood-frames, if the doc- 

 tor holds himself in readiness to be convinced by 

 the reports of the box-hive men, I have no doubt he 

 will adopt the 1,'c-inch spacing. The bees evidently 

 plan tor a large amount of store-room above the 

 brood, and as a consequence the combs in box 

 hives and hollow trees will usually be found to 

 average l',4 inches from center to center. Thick 

 combs above necessitate wide spaces between 

 brood-combs below, and I have no doubt that, in a 

 state of nature, this is the best possible arrange- 

 ment for safe wintering. But when bees are win- 

 tered in the cellar or in chaff hives, I am of the 

 opinion that this matter of close or wide spacing 

 cuts a very insignificant figure. 



I am fully satisfied that wide spacing is "nature's 

 way," and i am just as fully satisfied that I can not 

 obtain the best results in comb-honey production 

 by following it. 



Three years ago, when I adopted the Van Deusen 

 metal corner for brood-frames, I adopted the l,'™- 

 inch spacing with it, for the irons were not then 

 made any other width; but the stern logic of facts 

 has compelled me to go to the expense and vexa- 

 tion of changing to a closer spacing. Now let us 

 see why: 



Since brood-comb is only about Js of an inch 

 thick, the I'/i-inch spacing permits a considerable 

 thickening of the upper part of the comb for stor- 

 age purposes. If the whole upper part of every 

 comb were equally thickened, no great harm would 

 be done, but such is not the case. All conceivable 

 varieties of thickness and thinness occur, the un- 

 dulations of surface on each comb conforming to 

 those adjacent combs, rendering it, in many cases, 

 Impossible to change the relative position of combs 

 in the hive. Such combs will not fit anywhere, 

 only where they were built, unless they are shaved 

 off, and who wants to handle frames under such 

 conditions? 



The next difficulty with the wide spacing is a lit- 

 tle more serious, for it affects the brood rearing ca- 

 pacity of the comb. Every bee-keeper knows that 

 worker-brood is si-ldom if ever reared in cells more 

 than seven-sixteenths of an inch deep; and it is evi- 

 dent that, the greater the area of thickened comb, 

 the smaller the brood area will be. Colonies that 

 have a tendency to store honey in the brood-cham- 

 ber will thicken an undue proportion of their 

 combs, thus restricting the queen to the lower part 

 of the central combs. It is useless to ai-gue that 

 the bees will cut these cells down when needed 

 again for brood— they will not do it, as I have learn- 

 ed from sad experience. There are many combs in 

 my hives, that, by improper reversing, were made 

 thick at both top and bottom. In the center of 

 these combs is an oval area of brood comb that 

 comprises probably one-third of the entire area of 

 the comb. This is the second season they have 

 been in that condition, and I can not determine 

 that the bees have cut down a single cell for the 

 purpose of brood-rearing. 



A third objection to the wide spacing is, that, so 

 long as the bees are amply provided with storage 

 ■comb in the brood-chamber, they are slow to enter 

 the sections. The reasons are obvious. The limit- 

 ed brood area has reduced their numbers, and an 

 ample supply of honey in the brood-chamber has 

 removed all anxiety to provide further for the fu- 

 ture. 



At my earnest solicitation, the width of the "Van 

 Deusen metal corner was reduced to one and elev- 

 en thirty-second inches, and hereafter all my brood- 

 combs will be spaced that distance from center to 

 center. Whether that is just the right distance or 

 not, I do not pretend to say; but I know from pre- 



vious experience that it suits me much better than 

 the wide spacing. Z. T. Hawk. 



Denison, la. 



Mr. Hawk's experience re-echoes our own, 

 except that we find that sealed worker- 

 brood is about an inch thick. However 

 that may be, Mr. H.'s point (that ^iiore brood 

 can be reared on narrow spacing) is well 

 taken. The fact that brood is not raised in 

 deep cells is a pretty convincing argument 

 for the narrow spacing. 



"WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE. 



THE ENORMOUS CONSUMPTION OF BASSWOOD IN 



OTHER DEPARTMENTS OF TRADE BESIDES 



THE BEE-BUSINESS. 



I READ the article on page 490, entitled " Wood- 

 man, Spare that Tree." While it is a fact that our 

 basswood forests are being rapidly desfroyed, 

 friend Markly probably is not aware that the uses 

 he mentioned for basswood cut but a very small 

 figure in its destruction, if taken alone. All of this 

 part of the State of Wisconsin has been a heavy 

 basswood region; and but a few years ago, before 

 the destruction of the pine forests, basswood was 

 held as of but very little value. But as soon as 

 pine timber became scarce, basswood began to be 

 used for flooring, for sheeting-boards, for siding, 

 scantling, and general building purposes. Then 

 came its use for barrel-staves and heading, for 

 wagon-boxes and other light upper work for bug- 

 gies; for berry-boxes and crates; for excelsior; for 

 the veneer-mill for the manufacture of material 

 for shipping plants, etc. After every large tree 

 had been cut for these various purposes, the small 

 trees came in for making broom-handles. This is 

 only a partial list of its uses. You will see that the 

 bee-business takes but a small portion of the 

 amount consumed. It is estimated that, within a 

 radius of a few miles around here, the yearly con- 

 sumption of basswood for the various purposes 

 mentioned amounts to over twenty million feet an- 

 nually, until now basswood-trees are few and far 

 between. If other woods were used, whitewood 

 and poplar would take the place of basswood, and 

 make just as good sections. 



Another thing to be considered is, that until re- 

 cently cattle have been allowed to run at large, and 

 these are very destructive to young basswoods; in 

 fact, it is almost impossible to find young bass- 

 woods growing where cattle run. Now that cattle 

 are restrained wherever we go, we find young bass- 

 woods growing thickly, and in a few years (unless 

 wantonly destroyed) they will take the place of the 

 old crop of trees already cut, and gone. A few 

 days ago I went into the woods for the purpose of 

 getting at the facts, and I counted about 40 trees 

 from 2 to 4 feet high on less than an eighth of an 

 acre, so that, while basswood honey will be scarce 

 for the present, the young trees will take the place 

 of the old ones in the near future; then after all it 

 may not be looked on as a thing of the past, for 

 basswood-trees grow rapidly, and bloom quite 

 young, possibly in six or eight years from planting. 



Clintonville, Wis., July 13. Daniel Noble. 



Friend N., I am glad you have taken up 

 this matter of keeping cattle away from 

 young basswood-trees. Bee-keepers who 

 own basswood timber should by all means 

 keep their cattle out of the woodland. The 



