DECEMBER 15, 1912 



in regard to changing from box to frame oi 

 patent hives, as he called them. "Don't, 

 don't," I said, "unless you are going to use 

 the frames, for of what earthly use are 

 frames in a hive unless they are used by 

 the beekeeper? They cost more, and are 

 not as good. Of course, if you use them 

 they can be m.ade of great value, and for 

 (he suppression of disease they are useful,*' 



I found one yard full of great clumsy 

 box hives, made of coarse lumber, but ever\- 

 hive was blessed with a portico, Langstroth 

 style, tacked to the front of it. The idea 

 seemed to be that bees, in order to do well, 

 must have a nice place to lounge, just as a 

 man, to be quite happy, must be able to si' 

 on a hotel piazza and smoke. 



1 find that many beekeepers fail to get 

 much surplus liecause of lack of a large 

 enough passageway from the brood-cham- 

 l)er into the supers. I remember seeing one 

 hive with one small hole from the biood- 

 box into each box i3laced on top. Unless 

 bees have a larger opening 't is almost im- 

 possible to ventilate such a receptacle or to 

 allow the bees to pass through freely enough 

 to store much honey. Such beekeepers are 

 "right smart backward in getting ahead,"' 

 as some one has said. 



I have found some apiaries located near 

 the house, others down in the meadow ten 



or fifteen rods away; sometimes in bushes, 

 or among weeds so thick I had to hunt for 

 the hives. In one yard we had to climb 

 through a hen-house window in order to 

 reach some of the hives. Some are- on 

 beautiful lawns, in gardens, or orchards, 

 and others on side hills. One such was so 

 steep that I fell three or four times in try- 

 ing to get up to it, and had to get behind 

 the hives to keep from falling off. 1 was 

 rewarded, however, for I found a new style 

 of honey-box I had never seen before. Two 

 c|uart fruit-boxes were tied together, a hole 

 cut in the bottom of one and then placed 

 over a corresponding hole over the brood- 

 chamber. The proprietor said they worked 

 well. I did not dispute him, for I had 

 never tried them. 



Another apiary was located on a side 

 hill less steep, and was very pretty. The 

 owner, in addition to being a beekeeper, 

 was a taxidermist. A room in his home 

 was as good as a museum, containing a 

 large number of species of birds and ani- 

 mals. I was es^Decially interested in a 

 crow that was of a liaht chestnut color in- 

 stead of black. As I was looking around 

 I turned suddenly, and for the first time 

 saw a large bear, looking so lifelike that T 

 started away from him as though he was 

 about to hug me. 



Combs having the diseased portion cut out. See article by E. D. Townsend in the last issue, page 760. 



