Sept. 3, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



565 



'AS percent of the wax contained therein. From slum-gum 

 the steam wax-press removed 76.5 of the wax therein. 



The solar wax-extractor was tested with brood-comb 

 one year old and removed only 77 percent of the wax con- 

 tained. It is also worthy of note that even from very old 

 comb, bright yellow wax was secured by using the steam 

 wax-press, esecially if the melted wax as it comes from the 

 press be allowed to drip into cold water. The results of 

 these experiments, when tabulated, appear as follows : 

 TA.BLiE3 I. 



The above table indicates also what points remain to 

 be determined in order to make the series complete. 



HIVK-COVERS. 



Six different hive-covers were tested to determine their 

 resistance to heat, when placed in direct sunlight. As the 

 bees in any colony always attempt to maintain the normal 

 temperature within the hive, a comparison of covers, made 

 upon hives containing colonies, would not be accurate, 

 accordingly six empty supers, each having upon it a differ- 

 ent cover were exposed May 30 and June 1 to steady sun- 

 shine from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. At no time during the day 

 were they disturbed, nor was any circulation of air allowed 

 inside of them. Each super contained a tested, self-regis- 

 tering thermometer which registered the highest tempera- 

 ture, that is, in direct sunlight ; a similar thermometer was 

 placed on top of one of the covers. The covers tested were 

 as follows : 



Excelsior cover ; Excelsior cover with shade-board made 

 of one-inch pine, 24x30 inches, raised 3 inches above cover 

 by means of cleats, thus allowing a free circulation of air 

 between cover and shade-board; Ventilated gable-cover; 

 Double, paper-covered, with dead-air space between two por- 

 tions of cover, designated as " flat cover." " Hill " cypress 

 cover, made of a solid one-inch cypress board, with heavy 

 end-cleats. " Lewis " cover, made of '+ inch pine, covered 

 with tin, and allowing a contained space of about 2 inches 

 above top-bars. 



All the above were covered with two coats of white 

 paint. The highest temperatures attained under these 

 covers are given below : 



TABIjE II. 



Cover. 



Ventilated gable. 



Doable cover dead.air 

 spaced. 



" Hill " Cypress. 



Date. 



metal covered. 



Ventilated gable. 



Double cover dead air 

 spaced. 



"Hill" cypress. 

 '"Lew's" metal. covered. 



May 30 

 May 30 

 May 30 

 May 30 

 May 30 

 May 30 

 June 1 

 June 1 

 June 1 

 June 1 

 June 1 

 June 1 



Temperature .^^i^eruTder 



I Sun 



102° F. 



102"= F. 



102° F. 



102° F. 



102° F. 



102° F. 

 103.5 

 103.5 

 103.5 

 103.5 

 103.5 

 103 5 



93.8 F. 



93.4 



93.5 



94.5 



97 



94.2 



93.8 



92 



92.5 



94 



96.9 



93.5 



For the two days it will be seen that the temperature 

 under each cover, averaged as follows : Excelsior with 

 shade-board, 92.7 degrees; Ventilated gable cover, 93 de- 

 grees; Excelsior, 93.8 degrees; "Lewis" metal-covered, 

 93.85 degrees; flat (dead-air) cover, 94.25 degrees; "Hill" 

 cypress, 96.95 degrees. 



It is regretted that warmer weather was not immediately 

 at hand for a more crucial test, and it is hoped the experi- 

 ment will be repeated during the hottest weather. 



NORMAL TBMPERATURB OF BROOD CHAMBER. 



In order to determine the normal temperature of the 

 brood-nest, for comparison with above results, a self-regis- 

 tering thermometer was placed in a 5-frame nucleus and left 

 24 hours. Another was placed in a full colony {crowded 

 with bees forced down from the super into the brood-nest 

 for the purpose) and left the same length of time. Both 

 nucleus and full colony were protected from the sun. The 

 maximum temperature attained in the nucleus during the 

 24 hours was 94 degrees, and the maximum in the crowded 

 colony was 94.5 degrees. We conclude, therefore, that the 

 normal temperature is between 94 and 94.5 degrees. Any 

 cover that in the hottest weather will not allow an inside 

 (of an empty hive) temperature of more than 94 degrees 

 may be considered a safe cover. Any cover allowing a 

 higher temperature than this, even if no more than one 

 degree, is detrimental. It is much easier and more econo- 

 mical for the bees to raise the hive temperature to their 

 normal of 94 degrees by heat production than it is for them 

 to /ozt/^r the temperature to 94 or 94.5 degrees by ventilation. 



Any tight wooden cover, substantially made, with a 

 good shade-board above it, is a better protection from heat 

 than complicated or high-priced covers involving "new 

 principles." We do not sanction such, as the latter for 

 shade-boards are cheaply and easily made (where it is neces- 

 sary to place colonies in the sun) ; and the ordinary cover 

 and shade-board together usually cost less than the " spe- 

 cial " covers designed for protection from the sun. 



FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS. 



Perhaps no industry can show more rapid progress and 

 development within the past 30 years than apiculture. In- 

 deed, present methods, making possible the profitable pro- 

 duction of honey on an extensive scale, are the develop- 

 ments of recent years. The bee-keeping industry is pecu- 

 liar in that the greater part of its development has been due 

 to private enterprise and experimentation, rather than to 

 scientific study by government experts or others employed 

 especially for that purpose. The bee-keeper has received 

 practically no assistance, aside from some very creditable 

 work done by the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 and a few insignificant spurts by several Experiment Sta- 

 tions. Several of the latter have started off in apicultural 

 work with promise of attaining good results, but the 

 majority of them have allowed the work to lapse— either 

 from lack of funds or disinclination, or both— before they 

 had really gathered together sufficient equipment for real 

 investigation. . 



I think I stand without fear of contradiction when 1 say 

 that to-day Texas has the best equipped experimental api- 

 ary in North America. The A. c^ M. College promises very 

 liberal and material support for the future, and the manage- 

 ment of this apiary is in most careful and competent hands. 

 We are justified, therefore, in expecting most definite and 

 profitable results in the future from our Experimental Api- 

 ary. 



The problems which present themselves for investiga- 

 tion are both numerous and varied. I will not occupy more 

 space than is necessary to call your attention to some of 

 the more important ones. 



Races —Prof. Frank Benton, of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, has made a careful study of the 

 traits, characteristics and advantages of the principal races. 

 His published works are familiar to all of you. However, 

 much remains to be done along this line. It does not nec- 

 essarily follow that a race adapted to Northern or Eastern 

 States will be found well adapted to Texas conditions, arid 

 it is not likely, either, that a race giving the best results in 

 one portion of Texas will prove the race best adapted to all 

 portions of that State. There is a large field for experi- 

 mental work in hybridizing these races and testing the 

 crosses thvts secured. 



Taking the five races, Italian (for the present purpose 

 the .3-banded Italians, Golden and Imported— or " leather 

 —Italians are considered as one race), Cyprian, Holy Land, 

 Carniolan. and German (black), we have, by combinations, 

 the following 10 possible crosses :n Italian-Cyprian, Italian- 



