December, 1916. 



41\ 



*Jr;^rV' 



crease from month to month," Gates 

 gives reasons for this which may have 

 also been the reasons for this decrease 

 mentioned by Spuehler. There is a 

 notable lessening of the number of 

 bees, and therefore of expenditure in 

 stores not dependent upon the weather. 

 Gates says that "when bees were more 

 active and before settled winter weather, 

 food consumption was greater than in 

 midwinter." There is also as he re- 

 ports a condensation of moisture in- 

 creasing the weight of the hive while 

 the stores decrease. 



We are still of the opinion that, in 

 winter, very low temperatures cause a 

 great increase of consumption, over 

 that of ordinary winter weather, be- 

 cause of the greater activity within the 

 cluster. Although colonies are often 

 " as quiet as death " during cold weather, 

 when well protected, a loud humming 

 is heard at times, from the outside. 



On all these matters, it is well to say, 

 as does Dr. Phillips, that "too hasty 

 conclusions must not be drawn from 

 the facts presented." More light is 

 needed. 



But on two things we are all agreed: 

 The colonies must be kept as quiet as 

 possible, especially in the coldest 

 weather, and a sufficient amount of 

 ventilation supplied. On this latter 

 point we call the attention of the reader 

 to the article by our able Italian cor- 

 respondent, Mr. D. Barone, in the pres- 

 ent number. 



All the statements of these writers 

 confirm the advice given by Mr. Lang- 

 stroth years ago on wintering bees. — 

 Editor. ] 



American Hee Journal 



Influence of the National Bee- 

 keepers' Association 



BY FROK. FRANCIS JAfiER, PRES. 



THE most pleasant feature of the 

 annual gathering of the National 

 Beekeepers' Association is the in- 

 spiration which one gathers from con- 

 tact with the master minds of beedom. 

 Were it not for these gatherings of the 

 National there would be no chance 

 whatever for the beekeepers of America 

 to have the pleasure of seeing and hear- 

 ing the leaders in our profession. We 

 would know them only from their 

 books and articles and hearsay. Still 

 more unfortunate would be the fact that 

 these prominent men would have no 

 occasion to meet each other. 



This personal contact with beemen 

 we know so well is an everlasting 

 source of inspiration, forcing one into 

 thinking, planning, correcting, improv- 

 ing, and by making him realize his own 

 weakness and ignorance stimulate him 

 to better and more perfect things. The 

 fact that beekeepers, like " birds of the 

 same feather," flock together, would 

 justify the conclusion that this experi- 

 ence is not an isolated, psychological 

 phenomenon, or, in plain English, that 

 beekeepers, just like the bees they keep, 

 swarm once in a while and cluster in 

 a bunch in a riot of mental pleasure 

 and joy. 



They tell a story about Tennyson and 

 Carlyle. They used to visit each other 

 to gather from each other's company 

 new thoughts and inspirations for their 

 literary work. Carlyle would call on 

 Tennyson to spend the evening. They 

 would move their chairs to the fire 

 place, light their pipes and solemnly 

 stare into the crackling logs, the danc- 

 ing flames and curling smoke. Never 

 a word was spoken for t.vo or three 

 hours. About half past ten Carlyle 

 would rise to go, and shaking his 

 friend's hand would say: "So 'long, 



<^=^ 



Tenny, we have had a most delightful 

 evening together." 



And so they did. They were both 

 better men for having had the visit. 

 And if no word was spoken, who could 

 describe the wealth of thoughts that 

 passed through these men's minds 

 during those three hours. Indeed, 

 speech would have been an interrup- 

 tion, a profanation of the great work 

 they were then doing. 



Let us meet once a year in some part 

 of the United States under the name of 

 the National Beekeepers' Association 

 in a circle of friends. It is true, we 

 cannot keep silent for three hours at a 

 time, but the influence is there just the 

 same, and we return home better bee- 

 keepers and better men. 



The National will meet next February 

 at Madison, Wis., with Mr. N. E. France 

 as host. For membership and infor- 

 mation write to Eric Millen, East Lan- 

 sing, Mich., secretary, and help to pre- 

 serve the best we have. 



St. Paul, Minn. 



Wintering in Singie-Walled 

 Hives 



BY D. BARONE. 



IS it possible to winter bees success- 

 fully in single-walled hives ? I say 

 yes, and the problem is not so hard 

 to solve as it might look like at the 

 first glance. I foresee many a reader 

 giving a reception of skepticism, and 

 perhaps of good humor, to this asser- 

 tion, since they have been so (badly ?) 

 influenced that in their opinion the 

 ideas of good wintering and quadruple 

 cases and double walled hives and so 

 on, can by no means be disjointed. 



Yet, notwithstanding the ready oppo- 

 sition, plucking up my courage, I am 

 going, in support of my thesis, to quote 

 facts because I think facts always more 

 convincing than the most elaborate 

 reasonings, and because not being a 



APIARY AT THE UNIVERSITY FARM, ST. PAUL. MINN.. IN CHARGE OF PROF. FRANCIS JAGER 



