344 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



cream-color." My wife has noticeably improved in 

 complexion too, and I verily believe all this came 

 from the liberal use of honey as a diet; but it is not 

 only in the ones 1 hav^e mentioned that the effect is 

 noticeable, but in several other families as well; and 

 from those facts I have not the least doubt but that 

 if white people, especially those who are dark, or 

 troubled with pimples on their face, would use 

 honey liberally, it would improve their color and 

 give them a clean, smooth skin. It would be much 

 better for young- ladles than all the potions, washes, 

 and sham drug-g-ed stuff they are eternally buying 

 to beautify themselves. 

 I am, sir, yours in bee-lore, — Daniei^ McFadden. 



I am sure, dear friend, we are very much 

 obliged for your kind letter ; but we" should 

 have been better pleased to have had your 

 address in full, or at least your nearest post- 

 office, if there are no mail facilities near 

 you. As it is, we hope to hear more about 

 this wonderful experiment, through your 

 friend George Watson. Bees have over and 

 over again been wintered with so small an 

 amount of stores that more than one of the 

 bee-friends have been almost persuaded that 

 the bees could live for months, as you state 

 it, without any food at all ; but yet all ex- 

 periments made directly to prove this have 

 somehow failed, and most of us have settled 

 down to the belief witli Prof. Cook, that 

 bees do not hibernate. Perhaps in a climate 

 like yours it is possible to secure a cave with 

 a constant temperature a little below the 

 freezing-point; and although it seems to us 

 now that there must be some mistake some- 

 where, and that your bees had just a little 

 stores when they "started in their long win- 

 ter, we are open to conviction, and I have 

 to-day directed a letter to George Watson, 

 asking him what he can tell us about you 

 and your strange communication. 



THE T SUPER. 



WHAT SHALL BE USED TO SPACE OUT THE TOPS 

 OF THE SECTIONS ? 



fKIEND ROOT:— Gleaninos seems to be large- 

 ly occupied with the T super lately— perhaps 

 more so than some may desire; but I always 

 like to see a thing discussed in a way that 

 will bring many minds to bear upon it. I 

 believe that our bee-periodicals have done more 

 good by taking up a subject and discussing it 

 thoroughly than they have in any other way. Of 

 course, there Is a time when such discussion be- 

 comes mere repetition, and then it is time to turn 

 into some other channel. This is my excuse for 

 presuming to write any thing more about the T 

 super, for I do not think the subject is yet entirely 

 exhausted. 



First, T wish to say that my experience with 25 of 

 them, for two seasons, has been such as to cor- 

 roborate almost every thing that Dr. Miller has 

 said. I wish to dwell upon a few points that he 

 suggests on page 347, in his review of my former 

 article. 



The supers that I have been using are just the 

 least scant 17^ inches in length, inside measure. 

 They are too short. They can be used, but they 

 are too difficult to fill with sections, as the sections 

 strike upon the tops of the T's. I have made one 



Yi% inches long, and filled it with sections, to see 

 how it would work. I think this is just about 

 right. I feel very sure that any one who makes 

 them shorter than this will regret it, also that 

 there is no necessity for making them longer. But 

 this length leaves a space between the rows of 

 sections that I never could be contented with; 

 there must be some way of filling it. 1 tried the T 

 tins on top, with two or three supers, last summer. 

 It accomplished one thing perfectly — it holds the 

 sections square; but it Is objectionable, because of 

 the lines of glue that are placed where the tins 

 meet the tops of the sections— right where we 

 want our sections the cleanest. Also because it 

 necessitates a special T tin, or a separator less 

 than 314 inches wide, or the reduction of the tins to 

 less than i inch in depth ; for to try to use a T tin on 

 top that figures say will just touch the separators 

 below, will never do. I do not like either one of 

 these throe choices. 



Dr. Miller also suggests that, in place of a T tin 

 on top, merely a straight piece of sheet iron or 

 heavy tin be used of the proper length, and of a 

 width so it will rest on the separators and come 

 just to the tops of the sections This holds the see- 

 tions square, and prevents the gluing. If heavy 

 tin is used, let it be ever so heavy and it is too frail. 

 It will always be getting bent and kinked out of 

 shape. 



The sheet iron may do, but I think I know of a 

 plan better than either. Take a piece of tin of the 

 right length and width, and bend so the end will 

 look like this d3 . This makes a bar stiff enough 

 so, with any fair treatment, it will not get bent out 

 of shape; it is also folded so that it is the same 

 thickness as the T tins are below it, and both edges 

 are rounded, making it nicer to handle and easier 

 to insert between the rows of sections. What can 

 you furnish them at, friend Root? 



Now about the size of the T tins. Dr. Miller's are 

 1/2 inch deep, and, as I understand it. you are mak- 

 ing them so. Mine are only % ; and if they were 

 only one-half as strong as thej' are they would be 

 just as good. Now, if they are made only % they 

 let the separators down where I think they belong. 

 My separators are 3'/4 inches wide, but I rather 

 think, as Mr. Heddon said in March 1.5th Glean- 

 ings, that ii"., would be better. 



WINTEHING. 



I winter in the cellar. Winter before last I gave 

 upward ventilation by slightly raising the cover, 

 which is merely a cleated board lying on the hive. 

 Bees came out weak. Last winter I left the covers 

 glued down tight. Bees seem to be in good condi- 

 tion this spring— all alive. They were somewhat 

 stronger last fall, however, than the year before. 



Iowa City, Iowa, Apr. 9, 1887. Wm. Drew. 



Tiiauks for your suggestions, friend D. 

 For tlie inside 'length of the T super, 17f is 

 about as near right as we can get it. We 

 have made all ours that way, and, so far, I 

 believe we are on common ground ; but we 

 are not so decided as to what would be the 

 proper width of the T super. Dr. Miller 

 has the inside width of his super exactly 12 

 inches. Ours is 18i. The supports on our 

 T tins are f inch high. If they were i inch 

 high we could not, of course, use separators 

 'Si in. wide, with another T tin on top. For 

 tliose who may prefer to use the T tins 

 above, we decided upon the height of f of 



