AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 753 



queens whose bees will not go into the sections without baits. I also supersede 

 queens that swarm out from under empty sections, if I can find no cause except 

 "won't build comb." 



After-swarming is another bad trait that should be bred out as rapidly as pos- 

 sible. The most prolific queen is not always the most profitable queen. Most of my 

 knowledge in the bee-business has been gained by laborious, painful and costly ex- 

 perience. My articles are not the rehash of other people's ideas. They are based 

 on my experience. Allegheny Co., Pa. 



I.AROH OR SMAI.I. HIVES-OXHER ** KINKS.»» 



BY O. G. KISLOW. 



Say, will you who are trying to pull Dr. Miller off from the fence, leave him 

 alone, and let him sit there until he gets off himself, even if it will take him a long 

 time? Large hives, as well as small hives, will never become standard hives, viz.: 

 a hive that all can use to the best advantage. A small hive will be best for one 

 locality, and a large hive for another. One has to decide what hive is best for his 

 locality. What we ought to discuss, and try to agree on, is a standard frame all 

 over the United States ; then we could have large or small hives, as we thought best. 



The Season's Reports. — Some write : " I got a fine crop of honey." Or, " We 

 have had a fair honey season in this locality," etc. Why not say how many pounds 

 per colony, spring count, and what increase ; what source they got the honey from, 

 etc.? That is nearly as easily done for a practical bee-keeper as merely stating as 

 aforesaid. 



Reading Essays. — What is the use of reading essays at the North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Association when we can just as well sit down at home and read them, 

 without spending a cent for it. If it ever comes that I have a chance to be at the 

 convention, I would not care for such reading. Bee-talk is what we want, and then 

 some sort of recreation, or recess, and then bee-talk again. 



Beauty vs. Quality.— Nearly everybody seems to be crazy after Italian bees, 

 and particularly those 5-banded bees, as they are so pretty. Well, that is as far as 

 they go, as they are bred more for beauty than for good qualities, at least such is 

 my experience. Those that I have are worse than hybrids to handle, and not better 

 than blacks to work. I have a daughter of an imported queen, and they are the 

 best in every way — better to handle and better workers. 



Report for the Season. — The honey crop in this locality was poor. Spring 

 opened very favorably, bees bred up very fast, and the hives were crowded with 

 brood the middle of May, when that hard frost came and killed nearly half of the 

 brood, and continued cold for some time, which was a great drawback to brood- 

 rearing. White clover was winter-killed so badly that hardly anything was left, and 

 what little there was yielded no nectar. After the first week of June there was no 

 rain until the middle of September. Sumac yielded some, and after that basswood 

 yielded well for a week, and that was all the white honey I got. There was a fair 

 yield from fall flowers, which I got most of my honey from — mostly golden-rod 

 honey. 



I had 16 colonies, spring count, running 14 for comb honey, and increased all 

 to 30 strong colonies. I got 758 pounds of comb honey, mostly dark, and the bees 

 have enough to winter on. Lake Mills, Iowa, Nov. 12. 



