AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



503 



them, with only a small handful left, were finished up by the moth; and they 

 have not gathered over one-third as much honey as the non-swarmers. 



Again, by the non-swarming method you can rear your queens from the very 

 best stock, and thus improve them. Of course, if you over-divide, it would be like 



over-swarming they will not do as well. I cannot name the many conditions for 



want of space. I am aware that a large swarm will sometimes gather considerable, 

 but it is often at the expense of the colony that they swarm from. But I do not 

 wish to argue this point with our bee-keeping friends, aside from which pays the 

 best. Many are opposed to any method of increase except by swarming, as they 

 say it is the natural way ; but why stick to nature on the swarming question any 

 more than on any other question in bee-culture ? Who will give us any reason why 

 we should ? ^^.It Lake City, Utah. 



pr* Do not write anything for publication 

 on the same sheet of paper witn business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart wlthou 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Fine Crop of Honey. 



I have 50 colonies of bees, and a fii 

 crop of honey. Frank Wilkins. 



Pelham, N. H., Sept. 30. 



Feeding Bees— The Season, Etc. 



I hear a great deal about feeding bees. 

 I raise the front of the hive up about 

 four inches with a block, so that the 

 honey will not run out. Then I pour in 

 10 or 12 pounds of honey at night, and 

 by morning the bees have it put where 

 they want it. I used to take out frames 

 of bee-bread and put in frames of honey, 

 but maybe I wouldn't put the honey where 

 they wanted it. Bees want bee-bread to 

 winter on ; if they didn't want it they 

 would not gather it. Bees in the North 

 need 30 pounds of honey to winter on. 

 Bees want bread to eat with their honey 

 —and so do I. 



I got no surplus honey this year, but I 

 am thankful that the bees gathered 

 enough to winter on, and enough for my 

 family, for we all like honey. We had 

 only three rains in four months, but we 

 are having a good rain to-day. If we 

 have plenty of rain this fall, so as to wet 



the land well, we will expect a good crop 

 next year. 



This has been a good year to raise 

 chickens — no rain to drown them. I 

 raised 300 Partridge Cochins this year, 

 and they are good ones. I run a mixed 

 business — farming, bees and chickens. 

 I find that these all work well together. 

 When it gets too dry for the farm and 

 bees, 1 can raise chickens. I look after 

 the sitting hens, young chickens and 

 bees at noon while I am resting. I feed 

 the young chickens three times a day. 

 If you want to raise chickens, you must 

 get from a large breed, as the small 

 breeds are not worth their feed. I have 

 tried them. Geo. W. Nance. 



Anthon, Iowa, Oct. 1. 



Beady for Winter. 



Bees are in fine condition for winter 

 here. Feank Covebdale. 



Delmar, Iowa, Oct. 4. 



Hives Favoring Moth-Worms, Etc. 



In regard to the query about moth- 

 worms, answered by Dr. Miller on page 

 394, I believe the fault is often as much 

 in the hives as in the bees. My own 

 bees are hybrids, and I am confident of 

 their ability to handle the moths as well 

 as pure-blooded Italians, if in a hive of 

 proper construction. But in a hive with 

 the bottom-board nailed on, and the 

 frames nearly resting on it, with space 

 so small at the bottom and sides that the 

 bees cannot get between the hive and 

 frame, you have conditions that dis- 

 tinctly favor the moth. 



Outside of the large apiaries run by 

 advanced bee-keepers, a large propor- 

 tion of the hives in use are faulty in 

 regard to proper bee-space. There 

 should be no place in the hive large 

 enough to shelter a moth or worm and 



