THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



21 



and the patent is issued on the combination 

 of a white stripe on a bee hive to prevent 

 the moth miller from entering. This is a^ 

 good sample and, I am told, is actually one 

 of the many patents on bee hives. But 

 there is a queer notion entertained by the 

 people that a patented article must be good, 

 and, as Barnuui used to say, they like to be 

 humbugged. 



If any one ever exhibited an article at a 

 fair that was not patented, by the side of a 

 patented one he would soon see this pecu- 

 larity. The first question would be, what is 

 this? Beehive! Is it patented? No! Pass 

 on to the next, without fartlier examination 

 or inquiry. What is this? This is my pat- 

 ent bee hive, moth trap and honev extractor 

 three patents on it. Here is the drawer 

 that you can pull out and fill with cups and 

 tumblers, and the bees will fill them, and 

 you can extract honey any time you want. 

 Here is the hole for the millers to enter and 

 they go down in that box and can never get 

 out, and here are the two holes for the bees. 

 Dear me! just come and see this patent 

 hive and honey extractor. I have had three 

 gums of bees for several years and they 

 have done no good, and 1 believe the miller 

 is what is the matter with them. What do 

 you charge for the patent? Only $10 in- 

 eluding a hive. Well. 1 must have one. 



N. Camerox. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Union Apiary. 



Mr. Editor.— The honey season is over, 

 partially filled boxes stored away, frames of 

 empty comb taken care of, and our little 

 friends "tucked in their little beds'' for 

 their long winter nap. And the bee-keeper 

 can now strike his balance-sheet and see 

 how he stands. 



Our own apiary has increased from 36 to 

 81 colonies, we I'lave secured 1,300 lbs. of 

 extracted honey and SOO lbs. in boxes and 

 small section frames. Of course this is no- 

 thing to brag of, but it is the best we could 

 do under the circumstances. We might 

 ha\'e got more surplus but our bees at the 

 "French Pavilion" got the "old Harry" in 

 them about the middle of July and com- 

 menced swarming, and we thought from 

 the way they acted they were going to keep 

 it up all winter. It seemed as if a lion stood 

 in the doorway or on the ])ortico. Out they 

 would come. "^It is all well enougli to talk 

 about controlling swarming by cutting out 

 queen cells and giving more room and all 

 that, but our bees were on a "big tight'" 

 and some of the old colonies literally 

 swarmed themselves to death; thus yon see 

 intcnipt'rance even in bees is ruinous to the 

 most prosperous families. 



Taking the hint from small section 

 .'■frames, we divided our apiary into sections, 

 and find thereby we secured more honey 

 than though the hives were compact and all 

 huddled into one yard. AVe divided our 

 apiary into three sections: the first we called 

 the "French Pavilion," because it is located 

 in a French community; the a))iary at the 

 French Pavilion is devoted principally to 

 surplus honey and a full use of the extract- 

 or, and is stocked in the spring with our 

 strongest colonies. Another apiary is lo- 

 cated at "Carpenter's Hall."' On this sec- 

 tion we depend for our increase of stocks 

 by artificial swarming, etc., and here all the 



hives are manufactured, invented, repaired, 

 etc., for tlie Union Apiary. The third sec- 

 tion is called " Sugar-loaf Apiary," located 

 on an eminence comn)anding a beautiful 

 view of the valley below. In this division is 

 kept our choicest queens and finest stocks, 

 and the energies of this apiary are devoted 

 principally to queen rearing to supply our 

 stocks with choice prolific queens. Many 

 of our best queens, however, were ruined 

 the past season by mating with black 

 drones from the numerous colonies of com- 

 mon bees in the valley, especially an old 

 fogy 'apiary at Asher's Corner, the proprie- 

 tor of which is oppo.sed to bee journals, 

 Italian bees, honey slingers, etc. And al- 

 though it may be humiliating I am forced 

 to confess, he almost always has as much 

 surplus honey to sell as any of us. 



Owing to the swarming fever attacking 

 the "French Pavilion" in July there sprung 

 up quite a rivalry between this section and 

 the "Sugar-loaf Apiary" as to surplus, but 

 owing to a couple of deadnings very near 

 the "French Pavilion" which furnished an 

 abundance of fall pasturage the greatest 

 amount was gathered by the latter, but 

 owing to the source from whence it was 

 gathered was not thought by many to be of 

 as nice flavor as that procured by "Sugar- 

 loaf" from clover, linden and golden-rod. I 

 will say right here that we have no trouble 

 whatever to find a home consumption for 

 all the honey we have had so far. 



Now, Mr. Editor, we are too far advanced 

 in apiculture to believe very much in tin 

 pans, bells, etc., in an apiary, but when our 

 "French Pavilion" commenced to throw out 

 4 and 6 swarms per day we were glad to 

 have a bell in this section, not to settle the 

 bees but to notify us at the office and store 

 when a swarm w'as in the air, and from the 

 way we have heard the silvery notes of that 

 bell on certain occasions I have thought the 

 clapper was really hung in the middle. But 

 so long as we kee]) bees we hope never to 

 be deprived of just such a bell in the Union 

 Apiary of Jones. Carpenter & Co. 



Dec. 1, 1870. Sea G. Wick. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



How to Double up Hives. 



There are several ways, but the following 

 is the most successful I have tried. 1 use 3 

 hives, for convenience will number them 1 , 

 2, 3. No. 2 to be doubled with 3. If Nos. 1 

 and 2 are some distance apart, draw them 

 each day a foot or so nearer each other until 

 they are only about a foot apart. The ob- 

 ject df drawfng them a little at a time, is to 

 prevent a confusion among the bees. No. 3 

 ought to be some distance away from the 

 others. Having completed the work of ar- 

 ranging the hives for doubling as above 

 stated, take all the frames from No. 3, ex- 

 cept one without brood, after brushing off 

 the bees put them into No. 2. or any other 

 hive, if you have nutre than you want for 

 No. 2. This should be done duVing the day. 

 That night take No. 3, move it away from 

 all other hives some 40 or .50 feet and put 

 No. 2 in the place where No. 3 stood. Mote 

 No. 1. which was only one foot from No. 2, . 

 into tlie stand from which No. 2 was moved, 

 both being done the same night. Next day 

 many bees in going out from No. 2 will per- 

 haps return to their old stand and thei'e find 

 No. 1, but being laden will en ei No. Iwith 



