Italians got the majority in tlie hive, and 

 when I would open the hive, they would 

 make a bee-line for me, (the^ are so smart), 

 and sting my nose and close my eyes. 



It is generally considered, here in Oregon, 

 that it is unprotitable to engage exclusively 

 in the bee busines ; but, I think, if it was 

 not for foul brood, it would be profitable. — 

 I know of not more than 5 or 6 bee-keepers 

 here. 1 sell my honey at 25c. per lb. 



I have sent for the Prize Sections and 

 Crate, as advertised in the Amekican Bee 

 Journal. I sent for the 2 lb. glass jars 

 last spring. I like this box the best of any 

 I have ever seen. 1 have sent for Novice's 

 1 lb. and 2 &. sections and tin separators, 

 and if they come in good condition I con- 

 sider myself pretty well fixed. 



The wild willow bloomed here about 

 January 15. It rained hard until about the 

 20th of February. The beautiful dandelion 

 is commencing to bloom. 



If I siiould make a guess at what the 

 cause of foul brood was, I would say, " in 

 and in breeding." Tnos. Brasel 



Portland Oregon, Feb. 21, 1878. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Wintering. 



Perhaps a few words on the above subject 

 might be of some use to such bee-keepers as, 

 like myself, are not blessed with tlie best 

 kind of a winter repository. As for out- 

 door wintering, I have not much to say, as 

 I have had but little experience and less 

 success with it. If they were to stand out 

 exposed, 1 could not expect them to winter 

 in this climate with any degree of success ; 

 and if packed witli straw and half buried, 

 as is recommended by some, it would soon 

 cost more to do that than it would to make 

 a good cellar, and put them in and out of 

 that once a year. Tiiree years ago I put 5 

 colonies in a little place dug out under the 

 house, and lost none in wintering, but lost 

 1 in the spring by them killing their queen. 

 All were movable-comb hives except one, 

 and that was a common box hive. 1 venti- 

 lated the box hive by blocking it up a very 

 little and leaving a small hole in the top. — 

 The frame hives were ventilated by leav- 

 ing the entrance open about }4 inches, the 

 caps left off and the cloths loosened up, but 

 spread all over the top of the frames. I 

 could not tell much al)0ut the temperature, 

 as 1 had no thermometer then, but 1 know 

 it was very irregular. In the coldest weath- 

 er I kept a cup of water near the bees, and 

 frequently found it frozen, but never saw 

 any bad effects from the cold, except that 1 

 colony got the dysentery. I hardly think it 

 was caused by the cold. That colony I 

 frequently took up to let them fly on the 

 window in a warm room, and out doors 

 when the weather was warm enough, but 

 never was benefitted by it. Every time 

 they had a fly they were worse off, though 

 they came through the winter, and by good 

 care in the spring, they made a good colony. 



That season I got 225 lbs. of honey for 

 each colony wintered, and increased my 

 stock 200 per cent. 



Two years ago I put 12 colonies in the 

 same place, placing them 6 on a side on 2 



benches. The temperature that winter 

 varied from 37° to 00°, but most of the time 

 the mercury stood at 48°. Hives were ven- 

 tilated by leaving the entrance open about 

 }4 inch, same as the winter before ; the top 

 I ventilated according to the temperature. — 

 While the temperature was at or near 48° I 

 left the cloth down flat, all over the frames, 

 and when the mercury went down several 

 degrees, I covered them up warmer, by 

 laying several thicknesses ot folded news- 

 paper over them. When the temperature 

 began to raise I took the papers off, and 

 when the temperature raised much above 

 48° I raised up one edge of the cloth. When 

 the mercury went up to 60° on the 31st of 

 December, I found the bees as lively as in 

 summer. I then about half uncovered the 

 hives and left them clustering on top ot the 

 frames until the temperature went down 

 far enough, then they went among the 

 combs and I covered them up again, and so 

 I kept changing the ventilation of the hives 

 during the whole winter-. 



For cover over the frames I use 2 thick- 

 nesses of sheeting, doubled together with 2 

 thicknesses of newspaper between them. — 

 I put them in on the 3rd of November, and 

 took them out the last of March and lost 

 none. All came through in excellent con- 

 dition. The winter being very wet the 

 ground filled up with water, and from Feb- 

 ruary the water stood even with the bottom 

 of the repository ; for some time, and before 

 time to take them out, the water raised 

 about 6 inches, and when I took them out 

 I waded in the water about ankle deep. — 

 That season I increased from 12 to 56 colo- 

 nies by buying only one queen. It was a 

 very poor season tor surplus honey. 



Last year I dug out my cellar about 7 feet 

 deep, and plastered it with water lime, but 

 failed to get it water tight. 1 put the .56 

 colonies into it on November 24, and took 

 them out the 30th of March, and the 2d of 

 April the water run in so fast that I took 

 out from 4 to 8 pailsful every day for about 

 two-thirds of the time ; and once every two 

 days, the remainder of the time. I made it 

 one of my regular chores. 



I ventilated the hives by leaving the 

 entrance open about 4 inches wide and a % 

 inch bit hole, half way up tlie front board, 

 and left the toj) about J^ uncovered, without 

 a change during the winter. They were 

 tiered up 3 benches high, the lower one 

 being about 20 inches from the bottom of 

 the cellar. 



I had a sheet-iron stove in the cellar, and 

 a 5 inch pipe connected with the stove-pipe 

 above the floor. Occasionally during the 

 winter I put in a shaving fire that would 

 heat the stove red hot at once and soon go 

 out. The object of that was to dry the air 

 in the cellar, though I am quite sure I did 

 not do it often enough to do much good. — 

 To ventilate the cellar, I left the draft hole 

 of the stove open, and perhaps two-thirds 

 of the time I left the cellar door open, at 

 night, in the stove room. 



The regular temperature during the win- 

 ter was 48° seldom varying more than 1 or 2 

 degrees. Out of the 56 colonies which came 

 out alive, and after 1 sold 1. had 1 robbed, 

 and united a few weak and queenless ones, 

 I commenced the season with 47 colonies. — 



