630 



THE AMERICA!? BEE JOURNAL. 



Explanatory.— The figures bkfoke the 

 names indicate the number of years that the 

 person has kept bees. Those after, show 

 the number of colonies the writer had in the 

 previous spring and fall, or fall and spring, 

 as the time of the year may require. 



This mark © indicates that the apiarist is 

 located near the centre of the State named: 

 5 north of the centime ; $ south ; 0+ east ; 

 ♦Owest; and this 6 northeast; V3 northwest; 

 o»southeast; and ? southwest of the centre 

 of the State mentioned. 



For the Amencan Bee Joumai 



Eight or Ten Frame Hives ? 



JAMES HEDDON. 



Mr. Dadant, for some reason or 

 other, entirely ignores my argument 

 in favor of smaller brood-chambers, 

 which is based upon the undeniable 

 fact that the capital is invested in 

 other than the queen. From the way 

 in which Mr. D. speaks of the fertility 

 of the queen, one would think that 

 the way we became vested with bees 

 was by the purchase of a queen, and 

 the vender threw in the other " fix- 

 ings" to make up a surplus honey 

 outfit. Tlie most of Mr. D's article, 

 on page 585, seems to me to be simply 

 an aggregation of assertions. 



Regarding his statement that Eu- 

 ropean apiarists are growing more in 

 favor of large brood-chambers, I will 

 say that I know but little about that. 

 As far as this country is concerned, 

 there has certainly been a steady 

 growth just the other way during the 

 last 20 years. It is true, as Mr. 1). 

 says, that I wish to have my brood- 

 chambers come out almost destitute 

 of honey when the gathering season 

 is over for the year, and while small 

 contractable brood-chambers do not 

 necessitate such a condition of the 

 hives, they admit of a practical, 

 speedy system of manipulation that 

 will bring it about at the option of 

 the bee-master. Such cannot be said 

 of the large brood-chambers. 



Mr. D. mentions that with a large 

 brood-chamber we need not feed so 

 often in the spring. With my small 

 ones I do not practice feeding in the 

 spring at all. I find no need of it. 

 He also says that "at all times the 

 large brood-chamber is stronger and 

 can better stand the ' ups and downs ' 

 of the business." This does not prove 

 to be the case. The greatest "down " 

 of the business is the dying of our 

 colonies in winter with bee-diarrhea. 

 It is the general experience, that very 



Eopulous colonies are more liable to 

 ave that disease that those of average 

 strength. Mr. Adam Grimm win- 

 tered his bees as safely after he 

 adopted the S-frame hive. Mr. Bing- 

 ham, with his little flat brood-cham- 

 ber of a capacity of not more than 5 

 or 6 Langstroth "frames, is now among 

 our most successful ones in wintering, 

 and he winters his bees out-doors, at 



that. I find that it costs more to 

 produce 100,000 bees in one hive with 

 16 combs and one queen, than in two 

 hives with 8 combs and 2 queens. 



All along Mr. Dadant says nothing 

 for or against the small brood cham- 

 ber and " contraction system " as es- 

 pecially applied to the production of 

 comb honey. I suppose it is because 

 he is a specialist in the production of 

 extracted honey, and thus has had 

 little experience with it in producing 

 comb honey. As regarding this, in 

 connection with extracting, it is 

 mostly summed up in a matter of 

 convenience. Perhaps it makes little 

 difference to the bees whether they 

 have 2-1 combs in two stories or three, 

 in which to breed, and store honey. I 

 presume that one would notice no 

 difference in the amount of bees and 

 honey he would receive from the two 

 plans ; but for comfort in handling, 

 and compactness of the winter brood- 

 nest, I do not want my hives more 

 than 8 combs wide. Nine "ranges" 

 are as many as I wish. 



Mr. D. says that with the large 

 hives we "do not have to buy sugar to 

 feed." As before stated, neither do 

 we who use small hives, unless we 

 desire the change of diet, and when 

 we do so make a change, we get the 

 honey to more than pay for the syrup 

 fed. Small brood-chambers and op- 

 tional contraction do not discourage 

 bees, causing them to gather and 

 store any less honey ; they only give 

 the bee-master the power to operate 

 in such a manner as to have it nearly 

 all go into surplus comb honey when 

 he so desires. 



The truth will surely come upper- 

 most, and I am perfectly confident 

 that small brood-chambers, so ar- 

 ranged as to admit of quick contrac- 

 tion at the right time, will be uni- 

 versally adopted in tlie near future. 

 Messrs. Hutchinson, Bingham, Doo- 

 little, and in fact nearly all of our 

 most successful comb honey producers 

 are now leading in this— the right 

 direction. Should Mr. Dadant ever 

 devote all his energies to honey pro- 

 duction, and live where most of the 

 surplus is white honey, I feel confi- 

 dent that he would see that comb 

 honey production was by far the most 

 profitable for him, and then he would 

 soon join us in the use of brood-cham- 

 bers of a lesser capacity, and so ar- 

 ranged as to be quickly contracted at 

 will. 



Dowagiac, P Mich. 



Western Maine Convention. 



The Western Maine Bee-Keepers' 

 Association held their semi-annual 

 meeting at the residence of Pres. W. 

 W. Dunham, North Paris, Maine, on 

 Sept. 1 and 2, 1885. The meeting was 

 called to order by Pres. Dunham, the 

 roll was called, and the report of the 

 Secretary read and approved, after 

 which questions in practical apicul- 

 ture were discussed. 



The first, "When to prepare colo- 

 nies for winter," called forth the fol- 

 lowing discussion : 



Mr. Fuller : If I were running my 

 apiary for extracted honey, and re- 



moving all the honey, I would feed 

 my bees now so as not to disturb them 

 after the nights become cool. I be- 

 lieve in syrup for winter feed. I 

 should not feed late enough to cause 

 unnaturally late breeding, so as to 

 have any bees go into winter quarters 

 without having had a flight. 



Mr. Crawford : If feeding is neces- 

 sary, it should be done in the latter 

 part of September, or as soon as frost 

 cuts off fall flowers. 



Wm. Sweet : I have fed a small 

 colony all winter, causing them to 

 breed and come out strong in the 

 spring. I winter my bees in a shed 

 packed with six inches of chaff. 



Mr. Goff : I believe in feeding early 

 and keeping the colonies rearing 

 brood as late as possible. 



Mr. Dunham : Locations differ. I 

 should feed bees late in October. My 

 principal honey-flow is from basswood. 

 I do not have enough after that to 

 keep up lively breeding. I generally 

 feed syrup to stimulate my bees, made 

 of two pounds of water to one pound 

 of sugar, and not later than October. 

 I would feed all that was necessary 

 to winter on, as rapidly as the bees 

 would take it. 



Mr. Wellcome : I begin in Augnst 

 to prepare bees for winter. I leave 

 the stores in, and consider it hard to 

 give a rule, as seasons vary very 

 much. 



W. Mason : I would not begin as 

 early as August, if I used contracted 

 brood-chambers. I should want all 

 the young brood that August could 

 give, so as not to go into winter 

 quarters with a lot of worn-out bees. 



J. B. Mason : I would advocate re- 

 ducing the brood-chamber to seven 

 frames, on removing the sections, or 

 there would be stores in too many 

 frames if we allow the bees to use 

 their own stores. I would begin with 

 the first frosts to feed enough addi- 

 tional stores to be sure the colony was 

 well supplied, and would not have 

 their stores on less than five or more 

 than seven frames. 



Mr. Pike : I want the stores in the 

 hives by the middle of October. I 

 always feed my bees in September. I 

 have lost by feeding bees too late. I 

 always winter my bees in the cellar. 



The question. " What bees are best 

 adapted to our climate V" elicited 

 some discussion, the conclusion of 

 which was that all had failed to dis- 

 cover any difference in the races of 

 bees, in that respect. 



The President, in answer to the 

 question, " Is it better to feed honey 

 or syrup V" said that honey was un- 

 doubtedly better, but as a matter of 

 economy, he should feed syrup. Also 

 in answer to a question as to how he 

 kjpt colonies from swarming but 

 once, he replied that he cut from the 

 frames all butone queen-cell, and thua 

 prevented it. 



' The afternoon session closed with 

 an essay on " Showing our Products 

 at the State Fair," by J. B. Mason. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The evening session commenced at 

 7:,30, the President calling attention to 

 Mr. Mason's essay, and for remarks, 

 regarding exhibits at the State Fair. 



