1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



307 



as reported. Yet this is my first loss since 1 com- 

 menced bee-keeping- ten years ago. My theory for 

 wintering- has been, plenty of bees, plenty of stores 

 of g-ood food, and a good chaff hive. These condi- 

 tions were all present last fall; but it seems some- 

 thing was still lacking to meet the extreme cold of 

 last winter. Most of those dead colonies perished 

 of starvation, having consumed all the honey in 

 the combs on which they were clustered, and with 

 a thermometer scarcely above zero; for two weeks 

 in March they were unable to change their location 

 in the hives, although winter-passages were at 

 hand. My past success in wintering made it a mat- 

 ter of indifference about reducing- the space below 

 the ten frames by a division-board, except an occa- 

 sional weak colony. One such came through the 

 past winter, on six frames, in good condition. Had 

 I reduced all to the same space, what would have 

 been the result? Will those who have been practic- 

 ing the division-board system report your percent- 

 age of loss, with the particular condition, that we 

 may get an idea of its real valuey 



Observation shows, that before an extremely 

 hard winter the bees do but little swarming, in- 

 stinct teaching them to hold their strength to meet 

 the rigor of winter; also that a disastrous winter is 

 followed by a summer of unusual activity in the 

 bee-yard, a seeming effort being made to recovei- 

 the winter losses. Such I pi-edict the coming sum- 

 mer. Let those of us who ai-e more fortunate share 

 with the less fortuiuite- at swarming time— at rea- 

 sonable prices, that all who wish may utilize those 

 empty hives and well llllcd fi-anics. 



J. N'KWTON WllITK. 



Grove City, Mercer Co., Pa., Ai.ril ••. ISf^.'). 



THE HEDDON HIVE. 



IT'a .\ND 17'-3 KliA.ME. — r.IAHll.ITV OK COViCKS TO 

 IILOW OFF, ETl. 



fRiEND ROOT:— You say in Gleanings, page 

 21.5, that great confusion is going to result be- 

 cause friend Heddon uses 17 'h instead of 17'a 

 frames. Why can't your customers specify 

 which frame they want? It's just as easy to 

 make the hive for 17''ii as 17-'«. The honey-board 

 can be made longer; and by using ',-inch instead 

 of '^i-inch thick pieces on end of super, you can 

 make the super as long as the hive. 



Dr. Miller is dreadfully worried about that 1.5-lb. 

 stone. Now, doctor, you are worrying yourself for 

 nothing. The cover, if rightly made, needs nothing 

 to hold it down. I have used them, and never had 

 one blow off; and they have been through some 

 pretty hard storms too. In my opinion, a wind that 

 will take the co\'er off' will move the hive too. I 

 have seen large covers made the same way, and was 

 told that they never blew off'. That 15-lb. stone is to 

 keep the shade-board in place, which being 2x;} feet, 

 presents considerable surface to the wind. And, 

 doctor, have you been out of practice so long that 

 you have no remedy for backache? 1 use the Hed- 

 don system adapted to 17'"8 frames, and think that is 

 the best out. I use 17''8 because 1 commenced using 

 It when I first commenced, and don't want to 

 change. Those that are so loth to take hold of the 

 Heddon system will be well satisfied with it, unless 

 I am greatly mistaken. 



The past winter has been an extra severe one for 

 bees in this section. Out of 37 stands packed on 



their summer stands, 18 are dead, one more will die, 

 if not more. Yet I don't consider myself in Blasted 

 Hopes, but will try again. E. L. Mascjn. 



I Hillsboro, Wis., April 7, 18^•5. 



In regard to tlie 17| frames, friend M., the 

 171 are always in stock, and all the appurte- 

 nances belonging thereto. In fact, we keep 

 a great warehouse full of hives and frames 

 and other fixings. Now. should we build an- 

 other great warehouse and keep that full 

 also, tiiat we may be ready to till orders for 

 either kind V Again, nine-tenths of our cus- 

 tomers order Simplicity frames and Simv>lici- 

 ty hives, or LanListroth hives and Langstrolli 

 frames, without saying any thing aV)out di- 

 mensions. What kind should we send tliein 

 — write back and inquire, and possibly have 

 them so vexed by this amount of delay that 

 they will countermand their order V Then. 

 j again, suppose one wants to buy and sell 

 liives and fixtures. Starting off on a shortei' 

 hive and shorter frame would be a national 

 calamity. If you want to see how it works. 

 I try it, and it will not take many years for 

 I you to declare you won't have any thing 

 I about you hereafter that is not conformed to 

 the regular standard goods in common use 

 i by the majority of bee-men. The Heddon 

 ' eight-frame hive is going to make trouble in 

 the same way. to some extent : but if tliey 

 1 are made to hold a standard frame, the trou- 

 ble will not be nt arly ;:s great. I havesome- 

 ! times really thought that it would be a kind- 

 ness to refuse to make or encourage the mak- 

 ing of any thing different from the slaiuhud 

 goods. 'J'lie veterans can use what they 

 like;- but f(U' beginners to get a notion in 

 tlicir heads that they want something a lit- 

 tle dili'erent. is a great misfortune. If noth- 

 ing but stai)le goods are to be had. at moder- 

 : ate ])rices. it would do much to end these 

 troubles with things that won't tit or work 

 together.— I presume that we shall have to 

 give up. that the Heddon covers do not blow 

 olT. since so manv declare it is a fact. 



A WORD IN FAVOR OF QUEEN - CLIP- 

 PING. 



A srCJGESTION IN KECAHD TO THE MATTEH, FKO.M 

 OUH (JOOD FUIEND MHS. .JENNIE Cl'LP. 



N your last issue, April 1."), you say you believe 

 ^ the general oi)inion is that we do not want our 

 I queens' wings clipped; but " I am afraid to say 

 I so." Now, Bro. Hoot, I do hope, for the benefit 



I of lady bee-keepers, you will continue to be 



afraid to say so. 1 have practiced it so successfully 

 the three yeare I have been in the business, that I 

 must say T favor it with both hands up; in fact, I 

 will not tolerate a queen in my apiary undipped, if 

 I know it. I believe it is generally conceded that it 

 does not injure her, but only mars her beauty. Of 

 course, it necessitates keeping tidy around the front 

 of the hive, so she can be readily found when a 

 swarm issues. For me they seldom get more than a 

 foot or two from the entrance, and I have never lost 

 one yet. Just think of the advantage. No nervous 

 excitement for fear your swarm will leave. Just 

 pick up your queen, put her in a cage, move the 

 hive the swarm issued from back a foot or two, cov- 

 er it with a table-cloth, place the new hive where the 

 old one stood. When the swarm gets tired waiting 



