pect any more improvements in l^eekeeping. 

 And yet improvements have been appearing 

 right along ever since tlien. But I don't 

 see any chance for fui-ther improvements — 

 do you? Yet how many of us thought be- 

 fore they appeared that there was any need 

 of sections, foundation, etc. 1 I don't know 

 what they'll be; but I'm looking for just 

 as great advance in the next 50 years as 

 there has been in the past 50; and it may 

 be that in 1963 some one will be writing 

 reminiscences of " the many gi'eat advances 

 in beekeeping since 1913." Who knows? 

 Marengo, 111. 



■»-•-*■ 



WINTER FEEDING ; SOFT SUGAR VS. CANDY 



An Open Letter to the Editor 



BY ARTHUR C. MILLER 



» In an editorial (Jan. 1, p. 3) concerning 

 the supplying of extra stores in mid-winter 

 to make up for any possible shortage 

 caused by the mild weather of the fall and 

 early winter, you quote me thus: "Mr. A. 

 C. Miller recently made the statement that 

 coffee A sugar (a moist sugar) can be given 

 to the bees direct;" then you say you "have 

 never tried it," and at once proceed to tell 

 how to use it. Phew ! Wait a minute till 

 I whistle, or I may say something hot like 

 ginger and suggestive of brimstone. 



In some climates and conditions the bees 

 may get by when provided as you direct ;, 

 but in others, not, nit ! 



Now I, A. C. Miller, never recommended 

 the A sugar for winter. You do not say 

 specifically that I did; but taken with the 

 rest of the editorial, that is the natural and 

 unavoidable implication. If, perchance, 

 some poor chump thinks a thing must be 

 good because I said it (or Avas supposed to 

 have said it), and goes and does something 

 just near enough to what I did say to be 

 entirehi different, and the resulls are a bee 

 funeral, there will be something unpleasant 

 coming my way. Excuse my dodging. 



Now, here is what T actually said con- 

 cerning soft sugar for winter use: "Colo- 

 nies have been wintered on it without any 

 thing else, and that was in southern New 

 Hampshire; but I want to know more 

 about its use thus before I advocate it for 

 such purpose." (Dec. 1, 1912, p. 771.) I 

 have a sort of hazy idea that that assembly 

 of words pretty distinctly conveys the in- 

 formation that I do not yet advocate the 

 use of soft sugar for winter. 



Let me quote again : " The soft A sugar 

 put in a division-board feeder and hung in 

 beside the brood-nest will serve to keep up 

 brood-rearing as well as the most painstak- 



GLEANIKGS IN BEE CULTURE 



ing feeding with sj-rup," etc. (Dec. 1, 1912, 

 \). 771). That does not exactly suggest win- 

 ter feeding — at least it doesn't to me. 



In your suggestion as to how you think 

 the soft sugar may be used for winter, you 

 would have it put in a dish on top of the 

 frames with sticks across the dish to give 

 the bees access to it under the cushion. 

 Just stop and consider what you have sug- 

 gested. Little Mr. Innocent, not wanting 

 a lot of paper pie-dishes, goes and uses a 

 soujo-plate from the i:>antry shelf. The bees 

 find a nice cold stone over their heads, and 

 not the remotest suggestion that there is 

 food on top of it, and they starve. Remem- 

 ber, you are suggesting putting that Dutch 

 ceiling over their bedroom in mid winter. 



Well, to keep you from feeling too much 

 remorse, I will grant that, between some 

 warm spells, a thick cushion and a lot of 

 bees, the latter do find their way up to the 

 sugar. Bully ! But old Boreas kicks up a 

 muss, and the bottom drops out of the 

 thermometer and stays out for a week. 

 Well, why Avaste words on what happens? 

 It is just as well if you and I do not know 

 what that fellow says about us. 



Before we go further, I wish to do a 

 little defining so that, if possible, I can not 

 be misundei-stood. 



There are several sorts of feeding, one 

 for brood stimulation, one for stores given 

 in mild weather, and one for emergencies 

 given when, for any reason, it is not feasi- 

 ble to expose or seriously disturb the colo- 

 ny. Those " any reasons " may have to do 

 with our personal convenience, as lack of 

 time, dislike of cold fingers or wet feet, 

 laziness, or plain everj'-day consideration of 

 dollars and cents, as represented in time 

 and material. 



At this particular time we are consider- 

 ing the emergencies of colonies starving in 

 cold weather, and we want to prevent that 

 starvation ; and if we are worth our keep 

 we want to do it in the most effective and 

 tlie most economical way. 



So far as at present known, a slab of 

 candy placed over the frames meets tlie 

 conditions bett'er than any other method. 

 It is an old idea and a good practical one. 

 But the making of the candy is a stum- 

 blingblock to many. Some will not take the 

 trouble to make it right, others seem un- 

 able to do so; and still others, after one 

 attempt, give it up in disgust, and try 

 syrup or let the bees " go hang." 



There are candies and candies, and some 

 are good and some are only near good. 

 Your hard candy is all right, but many 

 persons will make a failure of it. The 

 candy made after the Fuller formula (Seii!. 



