A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to ti^e Interests of HoqeLj Producers. 



$1.00 A YEAR. 



w. z, HDTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL. X. 



FLINT, MICHIGAN, MAR. 10, 1897. 



NO. 3. 



AVork at IVTicliig-aia's 



ExperiiTieiital 



-A^piarv. 



B. L. TAYLOB, APIABIST. 

 THE ASPINWALIi NUN SWAEMING HIVE. 



T HAVE now 

 I used two of 

 these hives in ray 

 apiary for the 

 past two seasons, 

 and yet the re- 

 sults so far as 

 determining the 

 true vilue of its 

 non-swa r m ing 

 quality is con- 

 cerned, are thus 

 far negative. 

 While other non-swarming devices that I 

 have subjected to practical use have proved 

 rather provocative of swarming than other- 

 wise, this one has, at least, not failed to that 

 extent, for, as yet, no swarm has issued 

 from it. Whether this result is to be as- 

 cribed to the virtue of the device itself, or 

 to other circumstances, requires further use 

 under other conditions for full determina- 

 tion. 



The hive is a marvel of ingenuity through- 

 out. The frames are of the Ij. size, with 

 closed ends, and, are held compactly to- 

 gether by a screw which works against a 

 movable side. By the use of blocks to rein- 



force this movable side the size of the brood 

 chamber is made elastic to a considerable 

 extent. The provision made for ventilation 

 is unique, and very effective, which no doubt 

 renders material assistance to the main de- 

 vise for preventing swarming. The hive 

 itself is a frame rather that a box, and has 

 the bottom and only one end and one side 

 tixed, the other side being movable as al- 

 ready explained, and the closed ends of the 

 frames supplying the other end. The cov- 

 er is a cap or box open underneath only, of 

 sufficient dimensions to inclose two ordin- 

 ary section cases when adjusted to tlie hive. 

 I make no attempt to de.-cribe. nor even 

 to mention, the many fine points of the 

 hive, but, on the whole, it is altogether 

 unique, and being uniciue it would be unique 

 if it were not liable to criticism from some 

 standpoints. In my estimation as now 

 made it is too heavy, but I speak with ref- 

 erence to my own methods. I cannot toler- 

 ate a hive which a single able-bodied individ- 

 ual cannot pick up and carry to the cellar or 

 to any part of the apiary without much dis- 

 comfort, even when it is abundantly sup- 

 plied with winter stores. This hive is not 

 constructed with a view to portability. To 

 one whose methods do not require this qual- 

 ity, thi-, of itself, would be no great ob- 

 jection, but there arc other features of the 

 hive which can scarcely fail to prove them- 

 selves inconvenient to every one who makes 

 use of it. Under this head comes first, its 

 bulk, which is twice, not to say three times, 

 as great as that of an ordinary single wall- 



