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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Some advocate giving empty combs 

 and feeding all sugar syrup for winter 

 stores, but I think tliat good clover 

 honey is almost as goud. Should tlie 

 hives" contain much cider or "bug- 

 juice." I should remove it and give 

 the colony sugar syrup instead. 



Having Bnished the feeding, whifh 

 should be done by the middle of 

 October, I now proceed to paclv the 

 bees. The coming winter I intend to 

 experiment with three ditferent ways 

 of wintering bees, viz : with chaff 

 packing, buried in a clamp, and cellar 

 wintering. I have been making these 

 experiments for the past two winters, 

 and the coming winter I intend to 

 decide the question. 



For chaff packing I use an outer 

 box ab )ut -5 or 6 inches larger than 

 the liive, placing it over the hive and 

 making an entrance through the box 

 so the bees can get out for a flight 

 any time during the winter. I fill the 

 space with chalf, fine straw, or what 

 1 think just as good— sawdust, and a 

 good chaff-cushion is put on top of the 

 brood-frames. 



For cellar wintering I leave the 

 colonies on the summer stands until 

 cold weather has begun, then I carry 

 them into the cellar and remove the 

 hive-covers. I should have stated 

 that I also remove the enameled cloth 

 which I use in surauier, and replace 

 it with some i)orous material, such as 

 will let moisture pass through ; I use 

 coffee sacking. This is done just 

 before feeding is commenced. I leave 

 them undisturbed until the weather 

 becomes warm enough for a cleansing 

 flight, when I place them out-doors ; 

 but I return them before they 

 become chilled. 



For the clamp I prepare the same 

 as for cellar wintering, and leave tlie 

 bees out until the weather is cold, 

 when I put them in the clamp, re- 

 moving the hive-covers. I cover all 

 over with dry straw, and next with 

 soil to a depth of fJ or .S inches. With 

 this last method I have had much the 

 best success for the past two years. 



If either of the above methods is 

 closely followed, the bee-keeper need 

 not worry when we have zero weather. 



North Manchester, 5 lud. 



For tbe American Bee JoumaL 



Small Hives vs. large Hives. 



C. p. DADANT. 



Mr. Heddon, page 093, and Mr. Day- 

 ton, on page 098, say that location 

 has somethingtodo with the desirable 

 size of hives. Mr. Dayton suggests 

 very correctly that if the honey crop 

 lasts only twenty days, there is no 

 need of having any larger hive than 

 the queen can well lill with brood 

 between the winter and the few days 

 previous to the honey crop. lie 

 states also that bees in the North are 

 weakened more by winter; tliat spring 

 begins later there than here, and 

 tliat the queens have less time to 

 breed. But does the honey crop 

 through the Northern States last only 

 1-5 or aj days, as it does at times in 

 his location V I have had no experi- 

 ence north of this location, but I 



cculd name bee-keepers who have 

 reported an almost uninterrupted flow 

 of honey from clover, basswood, and 

 other flowers during the whole sum- 

 mer in the centre of Wisconsin. In 

 this case tlie queen would have a 

 chance to lay to her utmost capacity, 

 so as to make her bees useful. 



Another fact which Mr. D. seems 

 to overlook is, that a large hive con- 

 taining more bees, more brood and 

 more honey in the good season, also 

 contains more bees at all times, and 

 is constantly a larger colony in the 

 full sense of the word, and therefore 

 winters better, and breeds earlier in 

 the spring. 



Upon investigation I find that I did 

 unintentionally misquote Mr. Ileddon 

 in saying that the strongest colonies 

 were more liable to diarrhea Uian 

 average colonies ; for which I apolo- 

 gize. But if he and the reader will 

 rccad what he said about it on page 

 630, it will be found that he conveys 

 the idea that the strongest colonies 

 are objectionable because they suffer 

 more from diarrhea. On this very 

 few will agree with him. We cannot 

 accept Mr. Ilosmer as authority, as 

 his theory was a complete failure in 

 practice. 



Mr. Heddon speaks again of econ- 

 omy, and yet he has not disproved 

 my statement showing that 90 cents 

 in all, or about 1.5 cents per year, in- 

 terest included, will fully give the 

 extra accommodation of one-third 

 more room, to the most prolific 

 queens. He asserts again tliat queens 

 cost nothing. Supposing this to be 

 correct, does he not see that this 

 argument is against him V for if queens 

 cost nothing, or next to nothing, we 

 need not be particular about making 

 them last, and we might as well take 

 all the brood from them that they can 

 afford when needed. 



Our method gives us the advantage 

 of being able to reduce the capacity 

 of the hives, a la Ileddon, if we 

 choose, by the use of a division-board, 

 and his does not give him the advan- 

 tage of giving full scope to the queen, 

 a la Dadant, iii cases of very prolific 

 queens, exct'pt by adding a second 

 story, which then would make the 

 hive too large. If we have but one 

 queen out of ten with a large laying- 

 capacity, her hive will pay for the 

 extra expense on all the others, and 

 we will have the additional satisfac- 

 tion of knowing which is our most 

 prolific queen, and of selecting her for 

 queen-rearing purposes. 



Mr. H. and others mention differ- 

 ence in climate as causing the differ- 

 ence in experience between us. If 

 this is correct, it already gives the 

 large hive the pre-eminence through 

 about two-thirds of the United States. 



As Mr. Heddon says, the question 

 will be solved by the practical experi- 

 ence of the future. It is on such open 

 and yet vital questions that our bee- 

 papers are doing an immense amount 

 of good, by bringing together the 

 different views expressed from differ- 

 ent parts of the country. 



On this question, so many of our 

 noted bee-men — Messrs. Cook, Hed- 

 don, Hutchinson, Doolittle and otiiers 

 — are on the opposite sides together. 



that we should not have dared to take 

 the ground which we have taken had 

 it not been for our past conclusive 

 experience of profitable bee-keeping, 

 coupled with the physiological facts 

 of the laying-capacity of queens, 

 which, to our minds, form the basis 

 of the question. 

 Hamilton,-io Ills. 



For tlie American Bee JournaL 



Railroad Certificates for Convention. 



n. D. CUTTING. 



As many do not fully understand 

 the use of the certificates to secure 

 the benefits of reduced rates, I will 

 try to explain tlieir use. 



It makes no difference whether you 

 belong to the North Americnn Bee- 

 Keepers' Society, or any other society, 

 or ever expect to, if you wish to go to 

 Detroit, Mich., to attend the annual 

 meeting of the several bee keepers' 

 societies to be held at that place on 

 Dec. 8, 9 and 10, you will simply write 

 to W. Z. Hutchinson, Rogersville, 

 Mich., asking for as many railroad 

 certificates as you can use. Mr. H. 

 will book your name and the number 

 of certificates you want, and as soon 

 as he obtains tlie certificates from the 

 railroad companies, which will be 

 about Dec. 1. he will mail them to 

 you. You will fill out the blank, and 

 when you buy your ticket have the 

 railroad agent fill out his part. If 

 you cannot buy a through ticket to 

 Detroit, buy one for as far as you can, 

 and when you procure a new ticket 

 have the agent endorse on the face of 

 the certificate that he sold you one 

 full-rate ticket from that place to as 

 far as yon get your ticket. You may 

 be obliged to get tickets at several 

 places, but always have the agent 

 certify that he sold you a full tare 

 ticket. 



When you arrive at Detroit, present 

 your certificates to Mr. Hutchinson, 

 and he will fill out the blank left for 

 that purpose, certifying that you was 

 in attendance at the above-mentioned 

 meeting. Then, on presentation of 

 your certificate properly filled out, 

 you will be able to procure a return 

 ticket by paying one-third the regular 

 fare, thus saving to you two-thirds of 

 the regular fare one way. 



This is a great reduction, and will 

 enable many to attend at Detroit that 

 would feel that it would cost too 

 much to go. Then with the reduced 

 rates at the hotel it will make your 

 expenses very low. Your committee 

 is still at work trying to make it 

 pleasant for you when you arrive in 

 Detroit. We hope you will all come 

 and make this meeting one long 

 to be remembered by those present. 

 A large sample room at the hotel has 

 been placed at our disposal, where 

 you can have every facility to show 

 anything new or of interest to the 

 Society. 



Let every bee-keeper canvas his 

 neighborhood and find how many will 

 attend, then send to W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son for certilicates as soon as pos- 

 sible, so that he will know how many 

 to apply for. 



Clinton,? Mich. 



