1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1371 



Mr. Burrows claims the mail-order business 

 would build up the cities; but it has not done so 

 in Europe. I know many people move to the 

 towns so as to get more comforts. They want 

 the daily papers; they want fresh meat every 

 day, and many other tilings which they can not 

 get. It is a very common occurrence in Europe 

 to see butter, eggs, honey, flowers, fruit, etc., 

 sent by parcels post. I have repeatedly seen 

 meat sent by the same means. It strikes me this 

 is a good thing, and I firmly believe it will be a 

 great day for bee-keepers who sell their honey to 

 consumers direct when parcels post is allowed by 

 Congress. 



Please do not think I imagine all this. Only 

 a few days ago a gentleman who keeps a drug- 

 store here in Medina issued the following circu- 

 lar. It speaks for itself. 



Dear Friend: — We wonder if you know how easy it is to order 

 drugstore goods by telephone or mail. Since the rural routes 

 have been established in this section of the country many of our 

 old customers who formerly waited until they came to Medina to 

 buy drugstore goods are now ordering by phone or by mail, and 

 having the goods delivered by rural routes. You will find the 

 system works very nicely indeed; for instead of waiting days or 

 weeks for storms to blow over, etc., for goods of which they are 

 very much in need, they are able, by the new plan, the R. F. 

 D.'s, to have things delivered the next day. 



We shou'd be glad indeed to have you keep this jn mind ; and 

 if you are in need of any drugstore goods in the near future, write 

 or phone us, and you will find we will take care of your order 

 just as carefully and just as promptly as if you yourself came per- 

 sonally to our store. 



The writer of the foregoing has a store in a 

 country village, and it is very clear to me that 

 parcels post would enable him to extend his busi- 

 ness considerably, as 16 cts. a pound is too much 

 to pay for goods delivered on a rural route. 

 Every country storekeeper should be, in my 

 opinion, a strong advocate of parcels post. It is 

 bound to help him. The Postmaster-General 

 intends it shall help him, and he will help him if 

 he gets a chance to do so. 



CARPET WEED. 



The California Cidti'vator recently gave space 

 to the following query from a correspondent : 



I read an article in a recent issue of the Cultivator regarding 

 Lippia repens. a creeping lawn-plant. Where can I obtain a 

 start of it.' Will it sp ead and become a pest? Is it a forage- 

 plant for stock.' — W. E. A. 



In answer to the above the editor replies : 



We should think you could secure this plant from your local 

 nurseryman; but if not, the Southern California Acclimatizing 

 Association, Santa Barbara, which originally introduced it, or 

 probably any nurseryman advertising in these columns, can sup- 

 ply you. It will not become a pest, and is easily eradic-ted if 

 desired. While it has been c aimed to be a strong enough 

 grower to eradicate mi^rning-glory, we do not know whether it 

 would do that or not. It would surely need encouragemement by 

 keeping down weeds until it is thoroughly rooted. In the yard 

 of ttie writer it has proven very attractive topoultry, which run to 

 it immediately on being let out of their corral; but as to whether 

 stock would find it agreeable, or whether it would live under 

 grazing, we are not prepared to say. 



This lippia is a splendid honey-plant — few 

 better — and is, in addition, a soil or sand binder, 

 creeping over the loose sand and covering it with 

 a mantle of green like a carpet. In Florida it 

 would be a grand acquisition, and thousands of 

 dollars could be profitably spent in getting it 

 started there. It is fair for stock. If it would 

 take hold of Florida land as it does some others, 

 the "land of flowers" would become one of the 

 leading honey States. Every Florida bee-keeper 

 should try it. 



General 

 Correspondence 



WHAT HIVE TO ADOPT. 



A Discussion of the Merits of Different- 

 Sized Hives, Taking into Consideration 

 the Man, the Methods, and the Locality. 



BY E. D. TOWNSEND. 



The proper hive to use is a question that con- 

 fronts every beginner. The kind, size, and shape 

 of the hive best adapted for the purpose must be 

 taken into consideration, and these depend upon 

 whether comb or extracted honey is produced; 

 whether the colonies are all in one yard or in sev- 

 eral outyards, etc. 



In reading the current literature on the sub- 

 ject, much confusion of ideas is noticeable; for 

 in some locations, where conditions ought to be 

 the same, one bee-keeper will use a large hive 

 and the other a small one, each being successful 

 with his own preferred size. This reminds me 

 of a little incident that came up in our conven- 

 tion at Saginaw. Mr. W. J. Manley, of San- 

 dusky, told of buying about 60 colonies of bees, 

 one of which was in a soap-box. This soap-box 

 colony was inverted, an upper story put on, and, 

 although the colony was handled the same as the 

 others, several more pounds of honey were ex- 

 tracted from it than from any other individual 

 colony in the yard. This only goes to show 

 that bees will store honey in almost any kind of 

 hive; and, further, that a hive poorly proportion- 

 ed can be so manipulated as to yield fair results 

 in the production of honey. But in this case it 

 is, of course, the man and not the hive that should 

 get the credit. In this article 1 propose to fit the 

 man to the hive, the hive to the man, and both 

 to the location. 



It has been my fortune (or perhaps misfortune) 

 to be the owner of almost all kinds and sizes of 

 hives, including the ten-frame Gallup and the 

 ten-frame Quinby — hives varying in size from 

 1000 to 1800 square inches of brood-comb space. 

 I have also had the eight, ten, and twelve frame 

 Langsttoth hive; and many times different sizes 

 and styles of hives w^ere in the snme yard. My 

 experience with such has extended over many 

 seasons, so that I am in condition to know which 

 size and style are best adapted to my locality and 

 to my particular system of management, etc. 



Probably two-thirds of the colonies in this 

 State are in eight-frame Langstroth hives, or in 

 hives similar in size and shape. In general we 

 may say that, the further north the bee-keeper is 

 located, the shorter his honey season. A short 

 season requires a small hive for the best results in 

 the production of honey; and a small hive requires 

 the more constant care. A large hive will stand 

 more neglect. 



Our location is one where the surplus flow is 

 early and quite short, it being mainly from clo- 

 ver and raspberry. This flow usually begins 

 about 60 days after the first natural pollen is 

 brought in. The best flow is apt to come after 

 a rigorous winter, and then the skill of the expert 



