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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAjL. 



the center, then lay on the slats. If 

 there are any burr-combs they will come 

 under the slats, and not mark the sec- 

 tions. If there is any criticism to offer, 

 I shall be pleased to hear it. W. C. A. 

 Wood's Cross, Utah. 



Answer. — The point in question seems 

 to be the desirability of having a middle 

 support to keep the slats from sagging. 

 I can hardly see that it could do any 

 harm, bnt I've had very little experience 

 with such slats, and that little has not 

 made me dead in love with them. I 

 should hesitate about making many 

 hives on the plan mentioned, for you 

 may want to change after trial. But 

 now the matter is before the whole Bee 

 Journal family, and possibly some one 

 can answer from experience. Do the 

 slats in section-holders sag in an objec- 

 tionable manner? 



Alsike and Alfalfa, 



Please name the difference between 

 Alsike and alfalfa clover— the character- 

 istics of both— as spoken of on page 335. 



Decorah, Iowa. C. L. 



Anwser.— Alsike has a blossom much 

 like white clover, but pinkish and larger. 

 Grows much like red clover, but with 

 smaller leaves and stalks. You cannot 

 miss it if you look for something that 

 appears like a cross between red and 

 white clover. 



Alfalfa grows more upright and makes 

 a stronger growth, with a flower quite 

 unlike the clover. I don't like to give a 

 more minute description, for I might get 

 into trouble, having «never seen any- 

 thing of it except the hay in winter in 

 Colorado. Perhaps some one else will 

 describe it. 



Wintering in West Virginia. 



Please tell me, as nearly as you can, 

 how my bees should be protected through 

 winter, or if they need any protection at 

 all. They are in the Langstroth portico 

 hive. Sometimes it is 23^ below zero 

 here. W. C. K. 



Penbro, W. Va. 



Answer.- Whilst there is a great di- 

 versity of opinion as to the matter of 

 winter protection, I think there can be 

 little doubt that certain kinds of protec- 

 tion are desirable. Generally the first 

 question is whether bees should be win- 

 tered in the cellar or out-doors. In 

 your locality I suspect they are better 

 off out-doors, for 23 -' below is probably 



exceptional. Still, I'd rather take the 

 opinion of one in your own locality who 

 has tried both kinds of wintering. 



Very likely the thing for you to do is 

 to protect your bees against sweeping 

 winds. Dense timber growing on the 

 sides from which come the prevailing 

 winds is perhaps the best thing. Lacking 

 this, you can supply its place by plant- 

 ing, and for immediate protection you 

 can put up a close fence. Plenty of 

 corn-stalks packed closely around your 

 hives will serve a good purpose, of course 

 leaving entrances free. But some expe- 

 rienced West Virginian can tell you bet- 

 ter than I. 



A Feeding Scheme. 



I have been thinking of trying the fol- 

 lowing scheme next season. What is 

 your opinion of it ? It is this: To set 

 apart one colony for feeding early in the 

 season, and confine the queen below by 

 a queen-excluding honey-board, give 

 drawn combs above, feed sugar syrup as 

 fast as they will take it, removing combs 

 as fast as capped over, and substituting 

 fresh ones until I have enough combs of 

 sugar syrup capped over to supply all 

 colonies with winter stores ; in the fall 

 remove all honey and substitute syrup 

 combs. This would do away with fall 

 feeding, and give me all the honey stored 

 and the bees, and, I believe, better 

 stores. I might make the colony queen- 

 less and give bees from other colonies to 

 keep up the strength, but by that plan 

 get laying workers. 



My crop this ye ar is TOO pounds of 

 extracted honey f rom 21 colonies. No 

 increase. F. H. R. 



Laclede, Mo. 



Answer.— Like many another thing, 

 you can tell better about it after trying 

 it with the bees. There may be some 

 difficulty about getting the bees to store 

 continuously from feeders. I shouldn't 

 want to try it on too large a scale at 

 first. 



Ciiood Iloney-Sellers ought to be. 

 needed now, and the little 32-page pamph 

 let, "Honey as Food and Medicine," has 

 for years proven itself valuable in making 

 repeated sales of honey. Its distribution 

 will ermtc a dema?ul for the honey first, and 

 then the bee-keeper can follow it up and 

 supply that demand. Send to us for a 

 sample copy, only 5 cents ; 10 copies, post- 

 paid, 3.5 cents ; SOcopies, $1 .25 ; or 100 copies 

 $2.00. Try 50 or 100 copies, and prove their 

 ability to aid you in disposing of your 

 honey at a good price. 



