Dec. 24, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



825 



hanging- frames mentioned. This advice has lately been 

 given by at least two prominent foul-brood inspectors, the 

 advice being given with emphasis. I believe the advice is 

 good — at least to the extent that such a change would be a 

 real improvement in some of the cases we have met. Fixed- 

 distance frames, so thoroughly glued together that it is five 

 times as hard to get out the first frame as it is with loose- 

 hanging frames — when a foul-brood inspector meets such a 

 case I don't blame him for saying emphatically that loose- 

 hanging frames are better, and the narrower the top-bars 

 the easier to get out the frames. 



Suppose we put the question in its broadest sense, 

 which, very likely, is the sense intended, and ask whether it 

 is good advice to recommend loose-hanging frames with 

 narrow top-bars. If you allow me to answer it for myself, 

 under my conditions, I must give a very emphatic no. I 

 have .used loose-hanging frames with 1-inch top-bars — used 

 themby the thousand for years — and for some years have 



used flxed-distanee frames, and it would take quite a little 

 money to hire me to go back to loose-hanging frames. If 

 the top-bars had been only Js, it would have been easier to 

 get out the frames ; but if it were made so easy that any one 

 frame could be taken out without moving any other frame, 

 I still would not be willing to give up the advantages of the 

 fixed distance. But I want so few and so small points of 

 contact between the frames that it will always be a light 

 thing to separate them. 



Californians who work for extracted honey say fixed- 

 distance frames are barred, because the spacers interfere 

 with the knife when uncapping. If I were working for ex- 

 tracted instead of comb honey, I might agree with them. I 

 have, however, a lingering notion that if some of them 

 should work for a while with such frames as I use, they 

 might endure the inconvenience of the spacers when un- 

 capping, rather than to forego the advantages that I be- 

 lieve they would discover. 



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FROM MANY FIELDS 



1 



Managing an Out-Apiapy. 



I will try to tell how I work my out-apiary. 

 The greatest help I have is the drone-guard, 

 made with cone-escape, with a tin slide, so 

 I can close or open the escape. After the 

 hives are leveled up I put a drone-guard on 

 every colony but one ; this is an extra-good 

 colony that I keep for drones, and manage it 

 so as not to have them swarm. I leave them 

 for S or 10 days with no one to look after 

 them. 



When I go to the apiary I examine each 

 colony carefully by removing the drone-guards 

 to see if there are any dead queens. If I find 

 any of these I give that colony a comb with 

 eggs in it. I leave the guards off in the fore- 

 noon for the bees to get their hives well 

 cleaned out ; in the afternoon I put the 

 guards on with the escape open. Until about 

 4 o'clock I look every little while for queens 

 that may have come out to be fertilized. If I 

 find one I let her in the hive and dispatch the 

 drone. 



I spend my time in doing anything that 

 may need doing, and making sure that they 

 have plenty of room at all times for both 

 brood and honey. If there are any bees that 

 seem to be loafing or lying out, I leave the 

 queen below and place the brood in the upper 

 story with a queen-excluding honey-board 

 under it. About 4 o'clock I dispatch what 

 drones are out, and close the escape, and leave 

 them for another 10 days. This keeps my 

 colonies strong, and I get more honey than 

 my neighbors, and wiih no expense for labor. 

 I have worked the out-apiary three years this 

 way, but have made a success in getting 

 honey, and without the expense of paying a 

 man to watch the bees. C. .J. Barber. 



Monona Co., Iowa, Dec. 12. 



Poor Honey-Years In Succession. 



The honey crop was very poor here the past 

 season, which makes five poor honey-years 

 in succession, and each one of the five was 

 poorer than the one before. A. W. Smith. 



Sullivan Co., N. Y., Dec. 1. 



Address Neareot Office. 

 Hease mentiou Bee jotimal ■whea writina 



A New Bee-Keeper's Song— 



"Buckwheat Cakes 

 and Honey" 



Words by EUGENE SECOR. 



Music by aEORQE W. YORK. 



This song was written specially for 

 the Buflfalo convention, and was sung 

 there. It is written for organ or piano, 

 as have been all the songs written for 

 bee-keepers. Every home should have 

 a copy of it, as well as a copy of 



"THE HUM OF THE BEES 

 in the APPLE-TREE BLOOM" 



Written by 

 EnoENE Secor and Dr. C. C. Miller. 



Some Experience With Bees. 



My experience with bees in the past, and 

 outlook for the future, I would compare to 

 the unregenerate son of Adam, and his condi- 

 tion after being converted to the Gospel of 

 Christ. I feel, concerning apiculture, as if I 

 had been " born again," and, " as a new born 

 babe." desire "the sincere milk of the word " 

 (American Bee .Journal) ''that I may grow 

 thereby:" and yet, in this case, I don't know 

 that I shall believe all things I read. 



I am now 32 years of age, and my experi^ 

 ence with bees has been as follows: About 17 

 years ago a swarm came to my father's home 

 and settled on a cedar limb about 15 feet from 

 the ground. My father rushed around and 

 fixed up an old upright hive that he had pur- 



PricES — Either song will be mailed 

 for 10 cents (stamps or silver), or both 

 for only 15 cents. Or, for SI. 00 strictly 

 in advance paj'ment of a year's sub- 

 scription to the American Bee Journal, 

 we will mail both of these songs free, 

 if asked J or. 



QEORQE W. YORK & CO. 



144 ,fe 146 Erie .=lt.. - CHICAC.O, ILI» 



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