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ML CULTUKE 



HnbllKlied by The A. I. Root Coiiu*iiy. Medina, ohi 



F,. R. ROOT. KniTOR A. L. BOYDRN, ADVERTISING M 



R. B. ROOT. AssT. Ed. J. T. CALVERT, Bcsinkss Moh. 



A. I. KdOT, Editor of Home Dbpartment 



Vol. XXXVI. 



MARCH 15, 1908. 



No. 6 



Dr. Bruennich, Leipz. Bztg., 24, reports a 

 young queen stinging a worker to death. I 

 saw one case of the kind, and never but one. 



That parcels-post rate of 5 cents for 

 first pound and 3 cents for each additional 

 pound, p. 279, has reference only to a dis- 

 tributing office and its rural routes, and 

 could never apply to a distance as great as 

 100 miles. 



G. K. Hubbard writes: "I wonder if it 

 would not fulfill the requirements of the Ne- 

 braska pure-food law to label a case of comb 

 honey 'None of the sections in this case 

 weigh less than 14 oz. or more than 17 oz.'" 

 I'm watching to see what those Nebraskans 

 do. 



Your answer, Mr. Editor, page 276, that 

 more than J inch between bottom-bars of 

 Langstroth frames is needed to look up be- 

 tween them, clears the matter. I never think 

 of looking between bottom-bars, and didn't 

 know that other people did. Of course, i 

 inch wouldn't give much chance for looking. 



Asphalt paper is strongly recommended, 

 Deutsche Bzcht., 18, to put in the bottom of 

 hives in winter to catch the droppings. Does 

 that mean asbestos paper, or what? [As- 

 phalt is similar to tar; but, unlike tar, has 

 no odor, and will stand a greater degree of 

 heat without running or becoming sticky. 

 It therefore makes a coating much superior 

 to tar. In short, asphalt paper looks like 

 tar paper, but is much superior to it. — Ed.] 



I AGREE with all you say, Mr. Editor, p. 

 276, about testing heat by the hand, and 

 most emphatically when you advise measur- 

 ing by a thermometer. Please note that I 

 gave no conclusions — merely items of the 

 experiment. The objection to using ^the 

 hand for a thermometer, aside from the great 



variation of hands, is emphasized by the 

 chance for misunderstanding as illustrated 

 by your urging holding instead of dipping, 

 neither of which words is given in the re- 

 port. Hershiser said "stand" and you said 

 "put," either of which might mean a quick 

 dip or holding ten minutes. 



F. DuNDAS Todd suggests " division " as a 

 name for one of the parts of a divisible hive. 

 Sounds all right, and doesn't bump into the 

 name of any tning else in bee-keeping. [We 

 have no objections to the word "division." 

 In referring to this general subject we may 

 say that we have a big grist of matter 

 on the proper word to designate the several 

 parts of a divisible-brood-chamber hive. 

 Owing to the crowded condition of our 

 columns we shall not be able to publish any 

 of these articles; but we will say right here 

 that we favor the word "division," and sug- 

 gest that our correspondents adopt it. In 

 any case we wish them to use any phrase or 

 word that can not be misconstrued. Brevi- 

 ty, at the expense of clearness, always de- 

 feats itself. — Ed ] 



Allen Latham, you've filled page 291 with 

 exceedingly interesting reading. I've al- 

 ways counted you a genius; but how you can 

 succeed in getting bees to do such remark- 

 able work with bottom- starters is beyond me 

 — must be locality. That queen reared by 

 me, whose bees filled sections with "solid 

 chunks of honey with daylight showing all 

 around the chunk except at the top." I am 

 sure that queen would not have acted so if 

 she had stayed here — at least I could not 

 possibly get my bees to do such a thing here, . 

 and all that bad work that you tell about 

 your other bees doing with bottom-starters— 

 why, I couldn't possibly get my bees to do 

 any thing of the kind. They just make beau- 

 tiful sections, tons and tons of them, with 

 no imperfections, and with no effort on my 

 part. You say you follow my directions and 

 "use a bottom-starter not over half an inch 

 wide, and usually less." Et tu, Brute! 

 Where did you ever see me advise any thing 

 less than f inch? But I can hardly believe 

 that so shallow a starter can cause all the 

 trouble. Seriously I can not understand it 

 at all, and I'd give two spools and a potato 



