Surplus Boxes 40 Years ago. 



So much has been written about the 

 invention and use of surplus boxes for 

 honey, as a very recent contrivance, 

 that a relic of 40 years ago, sent us by 

 friend W. W. Lynch, of Maysville, Ky., 

 vs^ill be interesting to our readers. It 

 is a copy of Fishers' Farmers'' Almanac 

 for 1839, by John Armstrong, A. M., 

 professor of mathematics in Franklin 

 College, O. It is published by Robert 

 Fisher, in Wheeling, Va, On page 32, 

 we find the following on the 



MANAGE3IENT OF BEES. 



The Kennebec, Maine, agricultural 

 Society, at their meeting last autumn, 

 awarded their premium on bees to 

 John Gilmore, who furnished the soci- 

 ety with the following statement : — 

 " Having entered my name for premium 

 on honey and a hive for bees, 1 will 

 inform you how I have managed them 

 for some years past. I keep them in 

 boxes — my boxes are 13 inches square 

 on the outside, and from 6 to 7 inches 

 high, with thin slats across the top 

 about an inch wide, with just room 

 to let the bees pass between them. — 

 For a yomig swarm I fasten 2 boxes 

 together, with a board on tlie top, put 

 in the swarm, and when I set them on 

 the bench, put under as many more as 

 I think they will fill — a large early 

 swarm will fill 4 or more. I had some 

 this season that filled 3 in about a fort- 

 night, and tlien swarmed, and the 

 young swarms have filled 4 boxes. — 

 After my old hives have swarmed 

 once, I usually put under one or more 

 boxes. I prefer this course to letting 

 them swarm again, for second swarms 

 are generally worthless. When the 

 weather becomes cool, if the hive is 

 well filled with honey, the bees will all 

 leave the upper box ; it can then be 

 taken on without disturbing the bees 

 in the hive. I usually take from my 

 old hives and early swarms one box, 

 containing from 50 to 54 lbs., and leave 

 enough for the bees to live on diuing 

 the winter, or I can take a part and 

 return the box if I think the remain- 

 der is sufficient for them. If my bees 

 grow lazy after the swarming season 

 is over, and hang out on tlie hive, 

 which is in consequence of the hive 

 being full, I add more boxes. I had a 

 few swarms which I have taken up 

 otherwise. I have not destroyed any 

 bees. I have taken up on my own 

 farm this season 289 lbs. of good honey 

 in the comb ; and I now own, including 



including those I have taken up, 26 

 hives. 



Where is Gillespie, with his new 

 patent on two-story hives V He ought 

 to have collected a " Royalty " of John 

 Gilmore in 1838, (40 years ago), for 

 using a two-story hive. He put a 6 or 

 7 inch story over his breeding apart- 

 ment, which was 13 inches square, and 

 obtained his surplus comb-honey in 

 these " boxes," which had slats or 

 bars across the top, an inch wide, 

 " with just space enough to let the 

 bees pass betw^een them I" — there is a 

 bar-hive, with If inches between the 

 bars or slats. These he also " tiered 

 up," too, as some now do. He was a 

 progressive bee-keeper, with advanced 

 ideas ; and obtained from 50 to 54 lbs. 

 of comb-honey from a hive, good 

 enough to exhibit at an agricultural 

 fair in Maine, in the year 1839 ! Good 

 enough ! 



i^° A subscriber in Alabama wishes 

 to know how to be able to tell when 

 honey is adulterated. Almost all ex- 

 tracted that will not granulate is adul- 

 terated. The latter is not as sweet — 

 tastes more like starch, and lacks the 

 pungent aroma of the flowers for 

 which the genuine is noted. 



111^° We have received the "Dun- 

 ham Rack " or Case to hold sectional 

 boxes. It is an ingenious contrivance 

 for expanding the limits of a story for 

 hive having cases with close-fitting top 

 bars, thus admitting ease in manipula- 

 tions. It can be used under a 7 inch 

 cap; or by nailing strips on, can be tiered 

 up as high as wanted, or used with a 3 

 inch cap. It can be closed with hooks, 

 but Mrs. Dunham says she prefers wires, 

 as they are the cheapest, and can also 

 be used as handles, and in lifting the 

 case they draw all firmly together. 



How TO Winter.— Those who wish to 

 post up on the subject of wintering, will do 

 well to read Prof. Cook's essay as read be- 

 fore the National Convention of 1876. — 

 Price 15 cents. 



