42 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 15, 1903. 



once ?' To make bees clean up combs placed over them and 

 carry down the honey, is one of the provoking' things of 

 apiculture — more frequently failure than success." 



A Temporary Bee-Shed. 



Perhaps our bee-keeping' sisters would like to know 

 how one of their number built a shelter for her bees. Well, 

 here is the story of that structure, which, by the way, was 

 more useful than beautiful : 



Imitating the example of Gail Hamilton, I went out one 

 morning to build — not a barn — but a bee-shed. Like her, I 

 did not know exactly how to build my proposed edifice, but, 

 in her words, I could " keep up a mighty clatter till some 

 one should come that did know," which amounts to the same 

 thing. 



In my case the carpenter had disappointed me about 

 coming to make the shed, and while waiting for him the 

 weather had suddenly turned cold. November winds were 

 howling, and, in this extremity, I went out to erect a tem- 

 porary covering for my bees wherewith to bridge over the 

 time till the carpenter should appear. Briefly, my architec- 

 ture was as follows : 



I put a barrel at each corner of the hive, and as the hive 

 rests upon a bench, I was obliged, in order to make the 

 roof high enough, to lay thick boards from barrel to barrel 

 across the tops. Over all of this was placed a disused door 

 as a roof, while against the open spaces at the sides and 

 back, were leaned pieces of boards. And now, behold with 

 your mind's eye, the completed structure ! 



To use the words of Ovid, I did not know whether " the 

 workmanship surpassed the matertial," or, reversing the 

 sentence, whether the material surpassed the workmanship. 

 Doubtless the building would have disgusted a bee on ac- 

 count of not being hexagon in shape, but so far as my own 

 opinion was concerned, the barrels — or columns — even if 

 not of the Doric order, seemed to possess a proudly swelling 

 air, as if to assure me that I would be justified in hanging 

 out my shingle as a carpenter. 



However, the shed served its purpose, although its mis- 

 sion was short, for in a few days the weather moderated, 

 and with the first warm rays of the sun came a man laden 

 with nails, hammer, and saw. Soon a bee-shed was made, 

 and soon the hive itself was prepared for winter. 



Now I can gaze upon the whole aifair with satisfaction, 

 hoping that my bees will go safely through the winter, and 

 that when spring comes again the queen will be able to open 

 parliament under the most happy auspices. Vive la mere 

 abeille ! Kate V. Austin. 



Wayne Co., Ind., Dec. 10. 



Talk about women not being able to drive a nail 1 

 Well, here is a woman that can build a whole building with- 

 out driving a single nail. How's that ? 



i ^ The Afterthought. ^ 



Tbe "Old Reliable" seen through New and Unreliable Qlassea. 

 By E. B. HASTY, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, O. 



OLD BLACK COMBS AND OUEEN-RBARING. 



I guess A. C. F. Bartz is right, that old black combs 

 when cut are not built out again with nearly the readiness 

 which the new comb would be. But they build queen-cells 

 on the cut edge just as readily, or at least readily enough 

 for use. Page 761. 



LATE STRAWBERRIES — BEANS, ETC. 



Two quarts of fall strawberries for northern Illinois is 

 not only doing pretty well, but it is also one more of the 

 numerous evidences that the earth's weather has been un- 

 hinged somewhat for a year or more. I'm fond of lima 

 beans, and take much pains to have plenty. Last year, al- 

 though the plants grew luxuriantly, there was not a single 

 pod on a great part of them. And some that had pods had 

 no beans in the pods. This yearlimas bore the most beans 

 I ever knew them to. Sweet potatoes were just the opposite 

 — best I ever had last year, best in yield, and biggest pota- 

 toes. This year there was not one that could be fairly 

 called big enough to eat on a patch that looked finely as to 



outward appearance — myriads of long, slender roots that 

 never fatted up. When ihefruit of plants is so variable we 

 need not be surprised that the nectar-flow varies. Page 763. 



SHOCKED S\V.\RMS. 



And now, on account of the shock of the shake when 

 the shaking is shocking. Shaker wants 'em called " shocked 

 swarms." A suggestion altogether shocking. I suppose if 

 you then put a shock of corn-fodder around them for winter 

 protection they'll be double-shockers. Page 765. 



LIGHT IN THE BEE-CELLAR. 



Yes, why not take a little pains to have the bee-cellar 

 so it can enjoy health-giving light so long as light does no 

 harm? But the fellow with the big " forgettery " might 

 forget to darken his cellar until after much harm has been 

 done. Page 771. 



AN INDEX TO AN INDEX. 



I fear Mr. F. L,. Thompson's index would itself have to 

 have an index. Page 772. 



SCISSORS VS. KNIFE IN QUEEN-CLIPPING. 



If I am right on the scissors versus knife question, it is 

 not the cutting off of the queen's leg, nor even half of a leg, 

 that is the main thing to be feared ; its a cutting off of a 

 foot, or a part of a foot. Some love their queens so well 

 that they don't want their feet to be in the condition in 

 which men's hands are apt to be in the buzz-saw and 

 shingle-machine regions. This is an old idea, and I was 

 not the starter of it when it did start. I think Mr. Doolittle 

 has spoken of it pretty freely — can't be sure. May have 

 been somebody else whose writing produced the strongest 

 impression on my mind. Somebody (whose suggestion I 

 will warmly second) says, hold a queen's wing in the blades 

 without clipping for a spell, and minutely watch results. 

 Ouick as a flash she will put a foot between the blades in 

 the effort to push the scissors away. Finding they cannot 

 be moved she takes it out ; but she will probably repeat the 

 effort a great many times. Her movements are so much 

 quicker than yours that seeing the coast to be clear is of no 

 avail. You order your hand to operate at the instant when 

 things are all right ; but the fraction of a second that has to 

 pass between the mental order and the hand's execution is 

 just the time when she pushes at the scissors once more and 

 gets a mained foot. And her master never (that is to say, 

 hardly ever) takes pains to know what he has done — never 

 mained a queen in his life. The proposition is that mathe- 

 matically it can't very ivell be otherwise than that a consid- 

 erable percentage of queens clipped with scissors in the 

 most common styles have a mained foot — and that Dr. Mil- 

 ler has a lot of them this minute. Hope the brethren will 

 " peel their eyes," and put on big specs, and just honestly 

 see once. As for me, I confess I don't knoiv. I only cogitate. 

 Page 771. 



>VJV»v>vja>ji%j< 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. SilLLER, Mareaso, 111, 



[The Qttestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail. — Editor.1 



Wants to Increase Fast. 



I am desirous of increasing my apiary as fast as possi- 

 ble the coming season. 



1. Would it be advisable to allow a colony to cast a 

 prime swarm, hiving it on the old stand, then divide the 

 frames of the old hive into 2-frame nuclei, allowing but one 

 queen-cell to each set of 2 frames ? 



2. If advisable, how much time should elapse from the 

 casting of the swarm until dividing ? I wish to secure as 

 much honey as I can together with increase, and these 

 question are based on the supposition that swarming will 

 occur during May and June. Illinois. 



Answeks. — 1. There is a sort of discrepancy in your 

 questions. In the first place you say you want to increase 

 as fast as possible, and afterwards that you wish to secure 



