H-it) 



gLeaniKgs IK BKh: ctjjyruUE. 



vSepi*. 



is something of an obstacle; the presence of sepa- 

 rators may help, although I have no trouble without 

 separators, and the distance of the sections from 

 center to center (about tvvo inches) also helps. 

 Still, I have not bad trouble, even with ]ii-inch sec- 

 tions. Some say the queen g-oes up to lay drone 

 eggs because there is no drone comb below. I have 

 generally no drone comb below, but then the sec- 

 tions are filled with worker foundation. So in my 

 case, the conditions are, the slat honey-board, sep- 

 arators, and two-inch sections filled with worker 

 foundation. I suspect that the essentials are the 

 honey-board and full-sized starters. Possibly if the 

 brood-chamber is too much contracted, the queen 

 might be forced up. 



THE BEE-KE£PER'S HAT. 



1 have worn one nearly all summer, and I like it 

 better than the five-cent hat. which is high praise. 

 The women-folks prefer the five-cent hat because 

 of its more drooping habit, thus making them less 

 sunburnt; but I don't think there is any thing 

 wicked in being sunburnt. 



GETTING A GOOD CHOP IN ANY SEASON. 



There you go again, friend Root, riling me by 

 your remark on page 637: "Give us a man with 

 sufficient energy and enterprise, and he will have a 

 crop, no matter what the season may be." Now, I 

 had this spring the best lot of bees I ever had, and 

 never worked harder to have every thing in good 

 shape, and never had less to reproach myself with 

 as to my own management, but 1 have no crop. 

 Colonies that were strong and in good condition in 

 the spring, and have continued so right along, have 

 gained not a pound; and when I open them, the 

 vacant, uncapped cells at the top of the brood- 

 combs stare me in the face. Now, will you tell us 

 the management or " energy and enterprise '" that 

 would secure a crop in such a case? Heretofore 

 my lack of energy may have been at fault; but 

 with the present season of drought I plead " not 

 guilty." C. C. MiLLEK. 



Marengo, 111. 



Look here, old friend ! nven't you a little 

 cool about taking the position yon do, that 

 tired honsewives can not doctor without med- 

 icine, as I have been recommending V Im 

 agine the husband or a child saying to the 

 mother of the household, " Dear mother, we 

 are well aware that your life would probably 

 be spared to iis fully ten years longer if you 

 could take a short nap just before dinner : 

 but the way we are situated, I think you will 

 have to do the best you can ; and when you 

 die we shall have to get somebody else to 

 take your place. We can not possibly spare 

 you to take your nap, the way things are 

 now ; but may be you might get some qui- 

 nine, or some" sort of bitters, of the doctor, 

 that would strengthen you up a little. It is 

 quite likely that it will not enable you to 

 live any longer in the end, but you see it is 

 quite impossible that we should spare you 

 for even twenty minutes, just before dinner 

 time.'" I want every husband, every son, 

 and every daughter, to read the above and 

 ponder on it. Has it not some sort of appli- 

 cation to the state of affairs in your house- 

 hold V — I declare, friend M., I entirely for- 

 got all about you when I made my sweeping 

 assertion. If I should take it back now, you 

 would all say I did it out of resi^ect to pres- 

 ent company, and then the rest would all 



laugh, and the matter would be worse off 

 than if 1 let it alone. Why, is it indeed 

 true you did not get any honey at all in any 

 one of your apiaries V 1 will tell you what 

 the trouble is : You have too many colonies 

 in one location. Dr. Mason, you know, rec- 

 ommends only ten in one place ; or. at least, 

 if he did not say that, it was something to 

 that effect. Kow, may be if you try again 

 with a small number of colonies in a good lo- 

 cality you will conclude I was pretty nearly 

 right, after all. 



GIVEN FOUNDATION. 



THE KEASON WHY FRIEND HEDDON HAS GIVEN IT 

 UP. 



0N page 610, in your foot-notes to friend Hutch- 

 inson's article, you call upon me to state 

 what may be my present idea of Given comb 

 foundation, and why I do not handle it now, 

 and why I have changed my mind, etc. How 

 simple, seemingly, complex problems appear, when 

 fully understood! After all I have written and 

 said in favor of the Given press, had I changed my 

 mind, after more experience, it would have been a 

 duty to have publicly stated the change, and the 

 reasons for it, and a duty which I should have 

 promptly and pleasurably fulfilled. Now, if you will 

 look over my writings you will find that, while 1 

 have always given a decided preference for the 

 press, as a means of making wax into foundation, 

 I have given the foundation only a little prefer- 

 ence, at the same time saying that the best rolled 

 foundation was good enough for any one. The 

 difference is slight, but it has always been, with us, 

 in favor of the Given foundation. 



I have worked no less than seven roller mills, 

 of four different makes, and nearly as many differ- 

 ent Given presses, and to-day I would use no other 

 machine than the Given press. My preference for 

 it, for speed, ease of operation, etc., is radical. 

 Now, why don't I use it':' Why, because 1 dou't use 

 any. Well, why don't I deal in Given foundation? Be- 

 cause 1 can't buy it in large quantities at wholesale 

 rates. I tried to do so, before I adopted the Dadant 

 foundation. No one makes it to wholesale, in sufli- 

 ciently large quantities to supply me. Some one 

 might agree to, but fail. I can't fill orders with 

 promises. I preferred to become one of Dadant's 

 jobbers. I will tell you why. 



1. They make a most excellent article of rolled 

 foundation. It is made upon honor and .iudgment. 



3. They are almost specialists (please remember 

 that I alwajs plead for specialty), and that greatly 

 aids the fact that, their work is nearly perfection, 

 and t»at they are always ready to fill orders prompt- 

 ly- 



3. These men are so honest and fair in deal, that 

 no energy need be expended in watching and weigh- 

 ing after them. They seem to have found out that 

 honesty is truly the best business policy, and they 

 appear to feel that thei-e is no pleasure to the heart 

 in injustice. They seem to recognize the fact that 

 virtue is its own reward. I can't agree with many 

 of their mechanical deductions, but I do most 

 heartily indorse their integrity, and their consisten- 

 cy in its adoption and use. In this special sphere, I 

 hold this firm as worthy of the position of a guiding- 

 star to our fraternity. 



I used to think, and it was nearer true then than 



