THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



227 



^oxxtsponAtntt. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Which Frame ? 



A beginner in bee-l<eeping must depend 

 for guidance on tlie testimony of tliose wiio 

 have experience. If tliis testimony was 

 always harmonious tlie beginner's path 

 would be comparatively easy. He would 

 have only to learn this testimony and follow 

 it. But unfortunately for his ease and 

 peace of mind the testimony of the most ex- 

 perienced and succcessful bee-keepers is 

 often conflicting on some important points. 

 When the doctors disagree in this perplex- 

 ing way the cautious and thoughtful begin- 

 ner must weigh the testimony on all sides, 

 consider his own resources, determine as 

 nearly as possible what he wants to accom- 

 plish, then decide for himself what course 

 lie will take, knowing that whatever de- 

 cision he may make will be pronounced un- 

 wise by some whose success entitles them 

 to speak. 



The kind of hive with which one begins 

 is an important matter. The beginner 

 wants a hive which is good tor brood-rear- 

 ing, good for coQib honey, good for extract- 

 ed hoiiey,good for the health and prosperity 

 of the bees the year round, and which can 

 be manipulated with the smallest possible 

 trouble and expense. If there is no liive 

 that combines all these excellencies, he 

 wants that hive that has most of them. Of 

 course, this being his aim, he asks at once 

 what hives are used or were used by the 

 men who have had marked success in bee- 

 keeping ? What hive did Grimm use ? 

 What liives are used by Dadant, Doolittle, 

 Harbison, and Hetherington ? 



In answering these questions, one point is 

 settled at once and witiiout difficulty. All 

 bee-keepers in our day who have had a 

 worthy success use a movable-frame hive. 

 Upon this point the testimony is, in effect, 

 unanimous. The few who advocate old- 

 time box-hives may be considered only the 

 exception that proves the rule. But having 

 decided upon a ' movable-frame hive the 

 beginner's next question, which frame shall 

 I use? perplexes him. Here the great 

 doctors disagree. The Langstroth, Qiiinby, 

 Gallup, and Harbison frames are all used 

 with eminent success, and the beginner 

 must decide which is best for him. 



In the perplexity of choosing he has at 

 least one comfort. As the eminent bee- 

 keepers use different frames it is clear that 

 a fair degree of success may be achieved 

 with any one of the frames, hence choosing 

 which he may, the beginner may feel that 

 his frame does not necessarily mean failure. 

 Rather, with good management, it means 

 success. 



An enthusiastic friend having interested 

 me in bee-keeping, I determined to begin 

 with live stands. As soon as I began to in- 

 quire about frames I found myself compel- 

 led to choose one from the several used by 

 the most successful bee-keepers. I asked 

 myself, "What do you want to do?" It did 

 not take long to reply that I wanted, in the 

 first place, an avocation that would take me 

 into the fresh air and sunlight, and give me 

 the physical exercise that would keep me 

 in nerve for my regular vocation. (Second- 



ly, I wanted a recreation so absorbing as to 

 take the mind entirely from my customary 

 work, and occupy it "fully with something 

 entirely new and different. And, thirdly, 

 I wanted to get honey enough for the 

 babies, and if there should be a few pounds 

 to send to the grocer, I should not seriously 

 object. 



Then I asked, " How do you want to do 

 it ?" The answer came pretty sharply. I 

 want to do it myself. I want to do all the 

 work, except cut out the material for the 

 hives. I do not want to hire any help to 

 carry hives in and out of the cellar, or for 

 any other purpose. 



Having only average phpsical strength, it 

 at once became clear that the hive 1 should 

 use must not be large, and must be made as 

 plain and light as possible. Which, now, is 

 the smallest hive that, in the hands of an 

 intelligent man, has given good results ? 

 The Gallup. 



Having reached this point, I wrote to 

 Prof. Cook, asking him if any new light 

 had come to him, as to the best frame, since 

 he wrote his excellent " Manual for the 

 Apiary." He replied: "I prefer the hive I 

 describe in the " Manual " to any other. It 

 is a Gallup frame, the one used by Doolittle. 

 I prefer it for these reasons: (1) It can be 

 used for nuclei, and save making small ones 

 on purpose for this. (2) It can be made 

 more compact, and so save heat in fall and 

 spring. (3) It is easy to handle. (4) It does 

 not trouble by comb falling out. I have 

 tried all sizes and find this best." 



This letter led me to a further investiga- 

 tion as to the Gallu]) frame. I found that a 

 hive made to contain 12 Gallup frames 

 would contain nearly as many square inches 

 of comb as a 10-frame Langstrotli hive; that 

 they could be easily worked single or two- 

 story, for comb or extracted honey; that 

 they were simple in structure, simple in 

 management, easily carried into the cellar, 

 and easily prepared for shipping to remote 

 points. 



Then as to honey and bees, the dollars 

 and cents question, some who use the Gal- 

 lup frame have been among the most strik- 

 ing instances of success in bee-keeping. It 

 seemed, then, that for my purpose as men- 

 tioned above— to keep a few stands of bees 

 for exercise and recreation, and honey for 

 my family, doing all the work myself— the 

 12-franie Gallup liive was the best. 



The 12-franie Gallup hive was adopted 

 and procured. My first work in bee-keep- 

 ing was to transfer my five swarms into the 

 new hives, work which was accomplished 

 successfully— getting a few stings by way 

 of discipline. And to-day in their plain lit- 

 tle houses, new and neat, the bees are doing 

 as well as can be expected. O. Clute. 



Keokuk, Iowa, May 25, 1877. 



Relative Merits of Italian and Black 



READ BEFORE THE MICH. CONVENTION. 



Fellow Bee-Keepcrs: —It was not without 

 some degree of hesitancy that I prepared 

 this paper, with the intention of reading it 

 before this convention. It is upon a sub- 

 ject that I consider of paramount impor- 

 tance to all honey producers; and I have 

 reason to believe that every enterprising 



