1874 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



35 



OUR, .* 



-* * I, si t e h t 1 11 telllf ©'lie©*® 



(Questions tint too length v, may be answered through 

 this department even it' not received until within two 

 vlavs. of the firsl of the month ; and in two days more, 

 ino'thbig preventing, yon may have your paper contain- 

 ing the reply, [four friends would use a separate: 

 piece of paper for this, and in fact for each of the de- 

 partments, and write on one side only t'would be quite 

 a favor.but .-.fit's too much trouble, don't do it,,for we 

 want to hear from you any way. 



Herk we are -once more, this 27th day of Feb. 1874, 

 and Bee Culture stands about as follows :— Xo posi- 

 tive case of the dreaded malady has yet been reported ; 

 unusually favorable reports come from all quarters, 

 both in regard to out, and in door wintering. 



Bee Keepers Mag, for Feb., we noticed last month. 



We would suggest to Adair the propriety of return- 

 ing the money sent him for his Dec Annals. Three 

 months behind time can hardly be considered excu- 

 sable. 



Although Mrs, Tapper's Journal for Feb. did not 

 come to hand until the 26th, slue presents us one of the 

 most valuable Nos. yet issued. 



The j4. B. J. made its appearance on the 9th, with 

 an unusually line selection of valuable articles. Botli 

 in typography and arrangement, it is not only a cred- 

 it to our branch of industry, but to AMERICAN Jole- 

 nalism as well. 



The Bee World for Feb. made its appearance on the 

 "2!)th. Its typography is somewhat Improved, and 

 Mr. Moon seems to have a fine corps of contributors; 

 but for mercy's sake, why does he not get some one 

 to read his proof. If the man can neither read, write, 

 Jior spelh himself, he certainly should not leave his 

 readers to infer that no one in Home-, Go., can do any 

 better. Among all the host of transient Periodicals 

 With which our country is now flooded we have never 

 before seen any thing so lamentably deficient in the 

 principles which any common school education should 

 give, as Mr. M's attempts at editorials. We say this 

 With no ill feeling toward Mr. M. but on the contrary 

 Would be much pleased to add to our list of Bee Peri- 

 odicals, one published in the South. 



ON page 220 of A, B. J. for 1870, J. L. Davis writes: 

 *' But I do say that I can raise Queens for $1.00 apiece 

 if taken as soon as fertile," by which it appears we 

 were not the first to suggest the idea. 



Several complain that their Italians look like hy- 

 brids in the winter; we think this only owing to the 

 faded odors of the old bees, and that when the young 

 bees get out, their markings will be equally as fair as 

 last seasoji, unless the Queen has been superceded. 



Instead of the long arguments, as to who is right, 

 and who is wrong on wintering, would it not be as 

 well to watch and see who is most uniformly success- 

 ful ? Those who perfectly understand it should win- 

 ter, aye, and "spring too," without loss. We hope 

 all will be as faithful in reporting losses as successes. 



N. C. Mitchell, writes to ask our readers to defer 

 concluding him really untrustworthy until May or 

 -June, when he will make good all premises. He also 

 insists, Moon is much the worse man of the two, yet 

 we have let him go "scott free"; to which we reply 

 (bat Moon has done nothing, so far as we know, 

 whereby the >^«>d oj community equires he should be 

 "shown up"; unless it be, forsooth, his murderingof 

 the English Language, 



(Continued from p<i(,e 2G.) 



Our reason for gutting the Quinby frame 

 last, was mainly on account of its .size, and as 

 there must be a, stopping place some where, we 

 had concluded, that about the capacity of the 

 L. frame was enough. Our objection to the 

 American frame in A. B. J. was written while 

 using the old style with cross bar in the mid- 

 dle, and of a depth of 15 inches or more ; when 

 marie 12 by 12 they can be readily used in a 

 tight hive like the L. without a movable side. 

 Yours were probably the old movable side 

 American hives, and perhaps this was some- 

 what the reason for the lack of brood. It is 

 our impression you could have done nearly, if 

 not quite as well, with the L. hive. We agree 

 with you perfectly in regard to the Queen's 

 dislike to enlarging the brood nest downward* 

 Being enabled to use 8 combs instead of 10, 

 would be with us a heavy argument in favor 

 of the large frames, and were we to handle 

 them personally, without expecting any aid 

 from feminities and juveniles, w r e might give it a 

 preference. In our attempts to get the bees to 

 work in boxes, we have for two seasons had il- 

 lustrations of heavy Q. frames that were 

 enough to intimidate a good sized child. 



In regard to the divisible frames ; we made 

 similar ones two years ago, and formed a plan 

 of having the hive so narrow, that with rabbets 

 clear around, we could put in the small frames 

 cross wise, and the whole ones length wise, 

 thus securing the advantages of the Gallup 

 hive for Queen-rearing etc., and the Quinby 

 hive for honey. After getting over our first 

 enthusiasm on the idea, we concluded the ad- 

 vantages were not sufficient to compensate for 

 the complication rendered necessary for a div- 

 isible frame ; and so we turned back to our old 

 Langstroth frame again, as we have many 

 times before, satisfied it was nearest the desid- 

 eratum, all things considered. 



The long, one story hives had better be made 

 with a permanent bottom board "let In" like the cover, 

 for it will be found quite difficult to make them tight 

 otherwise, in so long a hive ; besides as they are not to 

 be used two story, there is no especial need of a loose 

 bottom. Further directions next month. 



We have 13 colonies under as many manure heaps, 

 (now covered deep with snow also) with the south 

 side of the hive exposed, in such a way that they can 

 fly, at any glimps.ejof sunshine, ad libitum, and yet the 

 manure affords so much protection that we think wat- 

 er would not treeze, under the same conditions, du- 

 ring the most severe winter weather. Is it possible 

 that we have at last a. plan of wintering our bees on 

 their summer stands without exposing them to a 

 freezing temperature? This would chime with the 

 broad one story hives nicely. 



Were we to judge of the value of Conventions 

 by the excellent address ;s of Prof. Cook, and M. Quin- 

 by, given respectively in A. B. J. for Feb. and Utica 

 Morning Ilerrdd of Feb. 5th, we should have no doubt 

 of their great, utility. The Convention at Utica, fur- 

 nishes a great number of practical facts, and much 

 credit is due them for their concluding summing up 

 of the report in a tabular form ; but why does it not 

 embody also, the yield of Capt. Hetherington'a large 

 apiary? Attend Conventions by all means, when 

 you can do so without making the expense of the 

 Apiary, on an average, overbalance the total receipts. 



Will the kiml friend who sent us the above papers 

 accept our earnest thanks for the same. 



