AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 815 



ment gave no satisfactory results. Mr. Taylor is inclined to draw some inferences 

 in favor of small brood-chambers, but admits himself that the premises are slender 

 for so doing. But, all through the season, the unpacked colonies maintained their 

 superiority over the packed ones. 



Foundation fok Sections.— The next report is really a continuation of an 

 earlier one in which the superiority of the Given style of foundation had been 

 shown, only the sample of Hunt foundation excelled the Given by 63^ per cent., 

 while the Given excelled the best of all the others by 18 per cent. 



Foul Bkood. — The last report which has come to hand contains a very impor- 

 tant experiment designed to ascertain whether the germs of foul brood would retain 

 their vitality when contained in beeswax that had been manufactured into founda- 

 tion. The late Mr. S. Cornell strenuously took the affirmative of this much-debated 

 question, and Mr. Taylor's experiment, while not positively conclusive, nor abso- 

 lutely final, affords strong presumptive evidence that Mr. Cornell was right, and that 

 unless care be taken to bring the beeswax at least to the temperature of boiling 

 water, it is possible to convey the germs of that dread disease in comb foundation 

 made from it. Guelph, Ont., Dec. 12. 



SUCCESSFUL l^INTERING OF BHHS. 



BY DANIEL WTSS. 



I have probably been more successful in wintering my bees than in any other 

 point of the business, never having lost a colony in wintering them, nor from spring 

 dwindling. This winter I may not be as successful, having fed my bees later than 

 I should have done. Out-door wintering, in chaff hives, for this locality, is un- 

 doubtedly the safest way. I construct my own hives (and sell none) as follows: 



The brood-chamber consists of a box with double walls all around, and double bot- 

 toms filled in with wheat chaff ; with Simplicity frames, 8 or 10 in number. The 

 space between the walls is about 3 inches. On this is a box, without bottom or top, 

 made of 8 or 10 inch boards, just large enough to slip over the outside walls of the 

 brood-chamber. This box — second story as it may be called— should slip down over the 

 brood-chamber about one inch, and there rest on uprights nailed on the corners. These 

 uprights should extend three or four inches below the bottom of the brood-chamber, 

 answering for legs or supports to the hive. The top, or roof, is made of pine 

 shingles to fit the second story. In this second story any kind of arrangement with 

 sections for surplus honey can be made. 



For wintering, out of half-inch lumber I fit a board that will just cover the 

 frames of the brood-chamber. Strips % inch thick, and about 3^ inch wide, are nailed 

 to this board, as near the ends and sides as practicable, giving the bees a free pas- 

 sageway over all the brood-frames. Near the center of this board cut a hole two or 

 three inches square, cover this opening with a piece of board, and pour into this 

 second story enough chaff to cover the board about two inches, well packed. Cover 

 this with a cushion five or six inches thick, made out of burlap filled with wheat 

 chaff. 



At any time during a warm day in winter, it will be an easy matter to examine 

 the bees, by taking off the cushion, and work aside the chaff over the board cover- 

 ing the opening in the main board. And should they need feeding, put over this 

 opening a feeder, with syrup or honey, and again cover with chaff and cushion. 

 Even in cold weather bees can be successfully fed in this way. 



I have read the American Bee Journal since June, 1886. From its pages I 



