588 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



practically the same. First a long crate is 

 laid on the car floor, just long enough to 

 reach up to the ear door and to the end of 

 the car. The liives are then piled on top of 

 this crate in ]5airs, the back and front of 

 the hives pointing to the back and front of 

 the ear. This leaves the rovps of hives paral- 

 lel to the track. As soon as the first tier of 



li^. 1.- -C laliny on plat t'onii rt'^dy to load. 



hives is placed on the crate, another crate is 

 put on top, and then another tier of hives, 

 then another crate, and so on clear up to the 

 top of the car. Four tiers like this are 

 placed in an ordinary car. When so loaded 

 one can get about 350 colonies in a 36-foot 

 car. Mr. J. E. Marchant, formerly in our 

 employ, and now 

 with the J. E. Mar- 

 chant Bee and Hon- 

 ey Co., saj's he can 

 load 400 colonies, or, 

 more exactly, over 

 200 two-story colo- 

 nies, in a 36-foot car, 

 and use only half the 

 number of crates. He 

 finds that the two- 

 story hives go 

 through in as good 

 condition as the sin- 

 gle-story, and the 

 more colonies, or 

 bees, rather, that one 

 can get into the ear, 

 tlie cheaper the rela- 

 tive freight. Th'e 

 ininimum weight on 

 the 36-foot car is 



H.OOO lbs. Unless one can make up a ship- 

 ment that will equal that minimum he is 

 compelled to pay more freight ])roportion- 

 ally per colony, as will be readily seen. Mr, 

 Marchant's plan is to load the two-story 

 colonies clear along on one side without any 

 reference to the door. This gives room for 



extra colonies. Of course a dooi'way must 

 be provided on the other side for entrance 

 and egress. Ordinarily we would consider 

 it more difficult to ship two-stoiy than sin- 

 gle-story, as the ventilation in the latter 

 case would be a little better. But if one 

 thoroughly understands his job, and the 

 weather conditions are not too severe, he 

 may succeed nicely with the two- 

 story plan. 



Fig. 3 shows how our first Vir- 

 ginia car of bees came to Medi- 

 na. There is a long crate, as 

 shown at 1 and 2 ; then a tier of 

 hives ; then another crate. These 

 are i)iled up in alternation until 

 the requisite height is secured. 

 The camera shows a view looking 

 into the doorway, and how tlie 

 crate serves to let in air between 

 each tier of hives. It will be 

 readily seen that, by making a 

 hive two-story, and then splitting 

 it up at the end of the journey 

 into two, one can save in lumber 

 and crating, and at the same time 

 increase the space for bees. 



In the foreground, Fig. 3, will be seen a 

 2x4 with notches cut in the side. We 

 used, as far as possible, old pieces in for- 

 mer ears loaded on the old plan. On that 

 plan we made a series of shelves on which 

 several tiers of hives were placed. We had 



Fig:. 2. — Onu section in the car ready for tUo hives. 



supposed it might be necessary to remove a 

 single colony from its place in the car, and 

 gi\e it individual treatment, or place it 

 where it could get more air. Theoretically 

 this was correct; but in practice it is not 

 practicable to disturb a single colony en 

 route. By piling up the hives and crating 



