302 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



ceived my more careful attention and experiments, 

 the same as it does to Mr. Doolittle's. In your foot- 

 notes you mention the success of the chaff hive. 

 Let me ask you to make this experiment: Take a 

 colony of bees that you have managed all summer 

 in Simplicity hives, along late in October, about a 

 week or so before the bees cease to fly, and set 

 them over into a chaff hive, and see how they win- 

 ter then, after that disturbance. I have repeatedly 

 noticed, that, when a hive is thus disturbed, espe- 

 cially after the brood-frames are opened and the 

 combs interchanged, late in the season, these bees 

 will not winter so well as those not disturbed. This 

 says to me, "Pack your bees early." I presume 

 you remember that I am radically an anti-chaff, or 

 tenement-hive, bee-keeper. During summer man- 

 agement, all my hives must be very light and most 

 readily movable, for I propose to work two hives 

 with the same expenditure of time and muscle that 

 is usually applied to one. 



YOUR DOVETAILED HIVE. 



Under this head, on page 234 I am pleased to learn 

 that you will use the honey-board single bee-space, 

 leaving it flat on one side, and the bee-space in the 

 brood-chamber at the top; and in order to make 

 this brood-chamber and the surplus receptacles 

 readily interchangeable, you have made a bottom- 

 board with a bee space in that. That is exactly like 

 my new hive. That is just what I did, as you will 

 see by the cut I inclose. You will also notice the 

 style of cleats I nailed on, which style furnishes a 

 more solid base, and gives a narrow bearing to 

 avoid crushing the bees. Now, if you had your 

 brood-chamber in two sections, each containing a 

 complete set of shallow frames, with side frames 

 tightly fitting the case, but reversible at will, you 

 would just have my new patented hive, if made 

 and used as and for the purposes specified. I fear, 

 friend Root, that your investigations and reason- 

 ings concerning hives will end up as it did with the 

 honey-board. You will first oppose, then tolerate, 

 and finally embrace the new hive in question. 



Dowagiac, Mich., Mar. 22, 1889. James Heddon. 



Thanks, friend H. Your first objection 

 to the Miller- Warner feeder (i. e., if you in- 

 cluded it with the one illustrated on page 

 216 of last issue) with us does not hold true 

 in practice. We fed several barrels of syrup 

 last fall, and. as a general rule, the bees 

 emptied the feeders in a single night, no 

 matter whether the feeders contained 5 

 pounds or 25 pounds of syrup. In some in- 

 stances we filled the feeders entirely full (a 

 capacity of 30 pounds) all of which was tak- 

 en down and deposited in the cells in less 

 than 12 hours. Is not this rapid enough 

 feeding for all practical purposes? It is 

 true, as you say, there is no need of lining 

 such a feeder with tin ; but if you will refer 

 to our descriptive remarks, and to the en- 

 graving on page 818, for 1888, you will see 

 that the feeder we manufacture is made en- 

 tirely of wood. The great point we urge in 

 favor of the Miller feeder is, that the pas- 

 sageway affording access to the feed is lo- 

 cated directly over the center of the brood- 

 nest, and this passageway is closed at the 

 top by a board, so as to confine the heat. 

 Accordingly feeding can be done in cold 

 weather comparatively. That this is not 

 mere theory, is evidenced by the fact that 

 we have had colonies, by way of experiment, 



empty these feeders, during freezing weath- 

 er, in chaff hives.— As to the Dovetailed 

 hive, we are pleased that you like the 

 change which we have made in the matter 

 of the bee-space. We did not take the idea 

 of putting the bee-space on the bottom- 

 board by means of cleats, from your new 

 hive. We suppose you know it is an old 

 idea. Years ago, before we adopted the bev- 

 el on the Simplicity hive, we used such a 

 bottom-board. — In addition to what Ernest 

 says, I will add I objected to such a bottom- 

 board then and do now, because, if made in 

 that way, the bottom-board and cover will 

 not be exactly alike. The simple features 

 of the Simplicity hive are, that there are 

 only two pieces or two things to the hive — a 

 body and a cover. The body is an upper 

 story or a lower one, as you choose ; and the 

 cover is a bottom-board or a cover as you 

 choose. When you have a stock of one you 

 have a stock of the other. 



THE UNITED STATES HONEY - PRO- 

 DUCERS' EXCHANGE. 



THE BENEFITS OF THE STATISTICS. 



fHE above association was organized under 

 the auspices of the New York State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, in convention at Utica, 

 N. Y., Jan. 17, 18, and 19, 1888. Its object is 

 to furnish to its members prompt and relia- 

 ble information as to the honey crop throughout 

 the United States. Six or more reporters are ap- 

 pointed in every honey-producing State, who for- 

 ward their reports to the Secretary on the first day 

 of May, June, July, August, and September. The 

 Secretary compiles these reports from each State 

 (separately), and on the K>th of the month forwards 

 to each member of the "Exchange" the reports 

 from the whole United States. These statistics em- 

 brace the increased or diminished number of 

 swarms going into winter quarters, loss in winter 

 and spring, condition of bees at beginning of sea- 

 son, proportion of full crop of honey gathered, both 

 white and dark, comb and extracted, the quantity 

 of honey in the different markets remaining unsold, 

 with price, etc. 



The advantage of this information is too apparent 

 to require any elaboration here. We would only 

 say, that if you know the honey crop the market is 

 yours, and you can secure prices in keeping with 

 the amount of honey which you know is on the 

 market. The "Exchange" has met with great fa- 

 vor among bee-keepers, several members present at 

 Syracuse (Dec. 11—13), and others from abroad, 

 among whom are many of the largest honey-pro- 

 ducers in the United States, stated that the infor- 

 mation furnished by the reports during the past 

 season had been worth many dollars to them in the 

 disposal of their honey, while other prominent bee- 

 keepers pronounced it the best thing that ever 

 came from an association of bee-men. Feeling as- 

 sured that you will wish to reap your share of the 

 benefits of these statistics, we extend a cordial in- 

 vitation to you to join the "Exchange" by for- 

 warding your membership foe to the Secretary, G. H. 

 Knickerharker, Pine Plains, N. Y., which will entitle 

 you to the reports for one year; and also, if you 

 can attend its meetings, to all the advantages of 

 membership in the New York State Bee-Keepers' 



