62 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June. 



STANDARD IflVK AND t'RA.VU-'. 



fN V. B. ./. for April, page !»4, we read as 

 i follow - 



"We no more eXpect ever to see a >-r •> mlar. 1 

 frame," or a standard hive, than we do to see a 

 "standard" religion or "standard" opinions on 

 anything. 



People cannot sir alike, and the best waj is 

 to exchange opinions freely, and then "agree 

 to disagreed" " 



Again on page 131, B. K. M. we read: 



" A Standard Frame. — Everybody — beg 

 pardon — every bee-keeper, would like to have 

 all other sizes and shapes of frames and hives, 

 thrown away, except one. Whose is it? Why, 

 mine, of course. No other is just right, it is 

 like the efforts to unite all denominations of 

 Christians. They are all ready, willing, anx- 

 ious, but it must be done on "my freed."" 



We are really sorry to tiud we have been so 

 little understood, and that too, by two Journals, 

 who certainly have it in their power to do 

 much toward lessening the growing evil of 

 having so many different dimensions of hives 

 and frames, and still more coming. We can 

 not see how Mr. King could get the impression 

 that we advocated our own favorite hive, {\>v 

 the one we have proposed as a Standard, be- 

 cause it seems nearest the prefen net of the j» oph, 

 Is one we have never used at all. 



Mr. K. and Mrs Tupper would do a great 

 amount of good, by advising their subscribers 

 to adopt the 12x12 frame if they are agreed in 

 preferring that, and also by advising them to 

 be very tract in the outside dimensions, that 

 Whenever American hives are round, from 

 whatever source, any frame may tit any hive. 

 New beginners could certainly adopt this, just 

 as well as to have them vary K, or l . ( of an 

 inch, or just enough to make an exchange im- 

 possible. What bee-keeper has not seen troub- 

 le of this kind. Because the evil is so great, 

 shall we despair and make no attempt at all to 

 lessen, it, or to prevent its increase with the 

 next generation of Bee-keepers? 



B. K. M. and N. B. J.\ we beg of you both to 

 consider well, what you arc doing before you 

 advise Bee-keepers to make no attempt at uni- 

 formity in hives and frames. We should be 

 perfectly willing to adopt the American frame 

 as a Standard if 'twas the wish of The majority, 

 and in choosing the Adair frame which comes 

 nearly halfway between it and the Langs pth 

 frame, we hoped to have one that would be 

 adopted when circumstances favored a change, 

 by the advocates of both, or either of them. 



We hope no oue will be so thoughtless, as to 

 allow personal or outside matters to influence 

 their judgment in such a matter. If we cannot 

 have one frame, cannot we limit the number to 

 four or five, or half a dozen at least? In the 

 manufacture of Extractors, great expense and 

 labor can be saved by coming down to -a. few 

 regular sizes. 



What would be thought of our coach and 

 wagon-makers if they persisted in making ve- 

 hicles that "tracked" all the way from two to 

 ten feet in width, with no two alike? Now if 

 Bee Culture is to become a permanent indus- 

 try, are not the evils of hives and frames all 

 ike. a parallel case? 



th :r Wet and cold, bees breeding up very slow- 

 nding the piles of manure around them, 



for ihal has cooled ©ft- — the rain we have had for 

 the last two weeks would cool oft* almost anything. 



Have made several "Standard hives" utter the plan 

 in April No.. I like the look- o| th. in . You speak of 

 painting bottoms before n-ing. 1 suppose vou mean 

 inside hive, and they need n outside mil worse don't 

 they ? 



How would boiling coal-tar. With drj sand sprink- 

 led on, do for ihem next the ground*; preserve tin- 

 bottoms and keep the dampness out wouldn't it? 



Manalapan. S. J. 0. H. RIik. 



We should think the coal-tar and sand, a 

 fine-thing for the under side, but would it not 

 be somewhat inconvenient, unless a lot of hives 

 were treated at once? We always have paint 

 handy and can put it on at once. The coal- 

 tar would doubtless be cheaper. 



!>!•:. \U NOVICK: I took ie\ 5 hives out of cellar 

 April 10th. <>ne was Queenless, one swarmed out the 

 same day and went to another hive. Speaking of 

 Standard hive, I have come very mar it, I have made 

 a lot of hives 31x18. holding 20 frames; the frames are 

 II '■>. 1.; '... oiu-;,iile measure, with % inch square bar 

 for too. and lay my quilts on top. 1 also made a lot of 

 hives square 16x17 holding ten frames, and box on top 

 under which I put i hone} boxes, took off quilts and 

 put boxes on top of frames. Hive made same as yours 

 by rabbeting and nailing both wavs on the corners. 

 Woleottville, Ind. April 4th, 1874; A. IM.oi on. 



We have a!-<- had several orders for hives to 



! hold only ten of the Standard frames, but we 

 would not advise these to be used either for a 

 two story hive, or for box honey on account of 

 depth. If we were to use a two story hive. 

 'twould assuredly be the Langs troth frame* 



i and for box honey, either the L. or Q. frame. 



As we have given several letters, defending 

 a larger frame than the Standard, we will give 

 oue in favor of a still smaller frame. See 

 friend D's letter of last month. 



I prefer a shallow frame, because the bees regain 

 the (duster better on cold days, in fact I like to have 

 the cluster near the entrance; the reason 1 like a 

 short frame is it j. Ives me the power to condense 

 the bees into a small compass for wintering, and at 

 any time when reduced. 



For all that I can see. my Queens pass to the nexl 

 comb in laying, readily, and 1 can interpose a com i> 



; that is empty when 1 please, and will not have a cold 

 end in my hive at all, especially in winter and spring. 



i The bee bread will be on about four combs mostly, to 

 be had at pleasure, this helps us with weak hives. I 

 generally take up about 100 hives In the full— .keep 

 about 50 "over. This gives rue a warrant of success, 

 and I increase more in new swarms. I have to han- 

 dle more frames, but what of that. I am willing to 

 work harder and make a sure thing of bee-keeping. 

 I can say a great deal more that is trulv important to 

 the hive if needed. Delhi. Mich. J. L. DAVIS. 



Now as an evidence ol the soundness of Mr. 



| Davis' teachings, we append the following, 

 that came some time ago from his neighbor 



I hood. We don't know what frame friend I. 



i uses, but hope he will inform us. 



Mr. Editor : I recti from one swarm, 4 others. 



land 484 lbs. of honey. The old stock had at the end 



I of the seasou at least 40 lbs. of honey and 30 each for 



I the young 'swarms, two ol the young" swarms made a 



1 part of the 434 lbs. From r> strong and :i weak colonies. 



i 1 got aboil I 1600 ibs. of honey which here, was as good 



I as $-'40.00, and had in the fall HI very heavy swarms. 



1 have never seen so good a season for bees as this, in 



I this place. I have never taken a Journal until Mr. 



Davis sent GvEASiisaa to me. Mr. Davis has taken 



much pains to show rae how to manage my bees, when 



I have visited him; he li ailes from here. 



From one of mj Id. si; 25 lbs. in 3 days, from 

 another 37 h in 7 davs. 



West Windsor, Mich. J. L. LEWIS. 



Are we not right in thinking, all things taken 

 into consideration, thai the '. ■ in favor of 

 a larger frame than bhe SI . . lard is just about 

 equal to that in favoi of a smaller, and no more 

 and may not the same '■ e 

 and depth. 



