784 



GLEA^l^GS iN liEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



In regard to disinfecting chaff liives by 

 tire, Mr. Cowan said lie would feel safer 

 about it to take out tlie chaff and burn it 

 up, or destroy it in some such way, then im- 

 merse the chaff hives in boiling water ; and 

 this is what we are preparing to do with 

 ours. 



The secret of the instantaneous ex- 

 tinguishing of the fire in the chaff hive is 

 simply the generation of steam in a con- 

 lined space ; and it is well knoM n that the 

 fire in any building may be put out instant- 

 ly by opening a steam-pipe so as to till the 

 building with vapoi'. Factories and other 

 buildings where lieating is done by means 

 of steam-pipes have often extinguished fires 

 in this manner. No blaze can exist in a 

 room which is filled with condensed watery 

 vapor. 



^EP0R¥g Dl?C0ap6IJ^16. 



^EP0i^iF? ENoea^HeiNS. 



THE FIRST FAILURE IN 22 YEARS. 



Bees have done nothing' this year. 1 had 20 colo- 

 nies this spring; had 3 natural swarms, and divided 

 to 4. I am leeding- now, and want to get them in 

 good shape for winter. They are making a little 

 honey now from hearts-ease and a few other 

 weeds, but will not make enough to winter on. 

 This is the first jear that is a total failure, in my 

 recollection, and I have kept bees for about 22 

 years. Wc must have disappointments sometimes; 

 but don't give it up yet. Thos. Chapman. 



Rocheport, Mo., Sept. 22, 1887. 



ALAS ! 



Blasted Hopes is not a fair picture of a failure in 

 this locality this season. I have 30 hives, which I 

 put in good condition early in the spring, hoping to 

 reap a good harvest; but. alasl I shall not get .50 

 lbs. of honey from the whole lot. Last year 1 took 

 as much as 96 lbs. of comb honey from a single 

 hive. If this is not grounds for having the blues, 

 ] wish some one would furnish them, 1 will not 

 give it up, though, but will feed and take care of 

 my stock just the same as if they had done me good 

 service this season. Tt is a complete failure in this 

 whole country— no doubt ot it; so let all the 

 friends .ioin in sympathy with us down in the sun- 

 ny South, especially Alabama. J. J. B. McElrath. 



Centre, Ala., Sept. 22, 1887. 



" LOTS OF BEES WILL STARVE." 



"JTp S the honey season is now over I will send you 

 gfife, my report. I commenced in the spring 

 ^^K with 13 stands; increased to 1.5 by swarming, 

 ■*^*- and got ,50 lbs. of honey. This has been one 

 of the poorest honey seasons I have seen 

 since 1 have been keeping bees. Last year's 

 drought killed the white clover. The bees worked 

 well in the flax-field.s while they were in tiloom. 

 Lots of bees will starve this winter, unless fed, 

 which will hardly be done, as Ihe most are kept in 

 the old bo.\ hives. Wm. O. Heivlv. 



Raymore, Mo., Sept. 29, 1887. 



This has been the poorest season for honey we 

 have had for a number of years. There is no sur- 

 plus; and if the drought continues, bees will have 

 to be fed to carry them through the winter. 



Delhi, III., Aug. 3, 1887. H. D. Edwards. 



AN AVERAGE OF 200 LBS. PER COLONY; NO LOSS 

 I.\ WINTERING. 



fHE following is the report of a Cayuga County 

 apiary for the past season: Spring count 

 was 8 colonies, which were doubled by 

 first swarms. The jield was 200 lbs. per 

 hive. In all, there was 1500 lbs. of comb 

 honey, and 100 lbs. of extracted. The bees have 

 always stored from three to four times as much as 

 their neighbors. They are wintered upon summer 

 stands, and have never lost a colony. The net pro- 

 ceeds of the product of the little busy bee is all 

 used in ministrations to the needy, so each may 

 draw his own inference as to the character of his 

 (the bees') inspiration for business. With proper 

 care I tliiuk there is as little risk in wintering bees 

 as in wintering any other stock, safety being de- 

 pendent upon many little and timely attentions. 

 Poplar Ridge, N. Y., Oct. 5, 1887. .1. Mekeel. 



The explanation you mention, friend M., 

 I think is in the second sentence above. 

 Eight colonies were made powerful ones 

 early in the season, by giving them new 

 swarms. The difficulty with "this plan is 

 in making new swarms unite with an old 

 stock and go to work peaceably, without 

 trying to swarm again very soon. It will 

 doubtless work much betterduring a season 

 like the past, than at other seasons. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELD: 



FACTS IN FAVOR OF THE BEVELED EDGE. 



E see that several of our ])rominent apiarists 

 have sort o' gone back on the beveled edge 

 on the Simplicity hive. Now, we hav^e used 

 both, side by side, for years, and we give 

 the preference in each and ever.v respect 

 to the beveled edge, the opinions of such men as 

 O. O. Poppleton, A. J. Cook, and E. E. Hasty to the 

 contrary notwithstanding. Possibly for their local- 

 ity the square joint would be best; still, we think 

 there is a great deal in knowing just how to use the 

 beveled edge to bring out its superiority over the 

 other. Friend Hasty seems lo think it sucks the 

 water up worse than the square joint. We wish to 

 say, that we had a little experience last winter 

 right in that very line. Several of our colonies 

 were packed for winter by putting burlap on top of 

 the frames, and then filling the upper story with 

 ioose chaff. The result was, that the chafl" in every 

 one of the square-edge hives became wet and moldy, 

 and had to be renewed with new chaff twice during 

 the winter, while that in the hives with the beveled, 

 edge remained dr.v and sweet until removed last 

 spring. This may prove nothing after all, but it 

 may be one of the straws that will tell which way 

 the wind blows, just the same. M. W. Shepherd. 

 Rochester, O. 



Friend S.. since you mention it I recollect 

 that my experience with loose chaff' in the 

 top of the hives was just about as you state 

 it; and it was the main thing that decided 

 me in using the beveled edge. In the old 

 Langstrotli iiive, the same thing is accom.' 



