liable to be cracked or broken out entirely, 

 in wide tlian narrow frames, in handling, 

 and especially in extracting. 



I have made bee-keeping a speciality and 

 constant study for several years. Have 

 upwards of 300 colonies, and secure an 

 average of more tiian 100 lbs. extracted 

 honey per colony, each year, but have not 

 yet been able to discover any. advantage to 

 induce me to adopt tlie " Standard Lang- 

 stroth" frame. Still, 1 am always willing 

 and ever eager to learn, and perhaps some 

 of our fellow bee-keepers may very readily 

 show important points that I have over- 

 looked. William H. Ware. 



Bayou Goula, La., May 80, 1878. 



[ Lest anything we might say on this 

 subject might be construed to be said from 

 some interest in selling hives, we invite 

 some one to answer friend Ware, who is in 

 no way interested in any hive. Tiie supe- 

 riority of the Langstroth hive may be easily 

 demonstrated to any unprejudiced person, 

 but we prefer to let others speak on the 

 subject.— Ed.] 



From the Los Angeles Star. 



Preparing barrels for shipping Honey. 



Let the barrels stand in the sun 4 or 5 

 hours, with the buughole open, then go 

 carefully over every hoop and drive it tight, 

 for they can almost always be driven a 

 little, if the barrels are new ; then, if you 

 wish to paint them, do tiiat next, witii some 

 light colored paint, so as to reflect tiie heat 

 of tiie sun, instead of absorbing it, as any 

 dark color will do. Then take 10 or 15 lbs. 

 of clean beeswax, put in an iron pot with- 

 out any water, and heat it until it boils, 

 taking care not to let it boil over and catch 

 fire, which it would do very readily ; when 

 hot. pour it into the barrels with a large 

 funnel ; as quick as possible, put in the 

 bung and roll and tumble it every way as 

 fast as possible lor one minute ; then take 

 out the bung and pour out the wax into the 



Eot again, and, if quickly done, there will 

 e only about one ])ound remain in the 

 barrel." The hottest part of the day is the 

 best time to wax barrels, and also the best 

 time to fill them with honey ; and it is very 

 important to not fill too hill, as honey 

 expands and contracts a great deal with 

 heat and cold. 



If a barrel is filled in the morning when 

 the honey is cold, to within 1}4 inches of 

 the head, and then set in the sun, by 12 or 

 1 o'clock it will run over; or if bunged up, 

 it would strain the barrel and leak after- 

 waifls, so it is not safe to fill closer than 3 

 or 2J^ inclies of the head ; and if the barrel 

 is filled on the side, not less than 3 or3>^ 

 inches. When filled, take a wet cloth or 

 sponge and wipe off any honey that may be 

 on the edge of the buughole ; then take a 

 piece of thin cotton cloth and dip it into hot 

 wax, both sides, put it over the end of the 

 bung, and drive it tight, cut off what cloth 

 remains outside close with a knife, dress 

 off the bung smooth, and take a hot solder- 

 ing iron and go over and all round the 



bung with wax, as if it were solder, and 

 soak it in wherever it will go, then nail a 

 piece of tin over it and you need not fear 

 your barrel leaking honey. 



iE. W. Sinclair. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Chips from Sweet Home. 



As bee-keepers, as well as others, are 

 sometimes troubled with felons, and such 

 pets are not pleasant, I will give you a cure 

 which I have never known to fail : 



Take plug tobacco, pick in pieces and 

 boil in soft soap ; make a poultice of the 

 leaves and bind on the felon. You will find 

 that it will quit paining immediately, and 

 will continue easy till the poultice is dry.— 

 When dry, and it commences to pain, put 

 on another poultice which you have boiled 

 in soft soap. Continue this until it quits 

 paining when the poultice is dry. This will 

 occupy from 6 to 10 hours. I have never 

 known this to fail, although 4 or 5 days 

 gone. Try it. 



To hold Prize Boxes together on the 

 double portico, Langstroth hive, nail 3 

 pieces, %x%x26 in. on top of 3 pieces %x%- 

 xl.5%. One of the 3 pieces should be nailed 

 in the center, against which the 3 inside 

 boxes, of 7 sections each, is snugly placed : 

 and the other 3 boxes is snugly placed 

 against the 3 end ones. The separators are 

 5x133^. These not only keep combs straight 

 but hold boxes firm and prevent them, 

 when wedged together, from sliijping by 

 each other. At each end is placed a glass. 



statistics on honey and wax. 



The executive Committee of the National 

 Bee-keepers' Convention lias appointed one 

 person in each State to gather information 

 as to the amount of honey and wax pro- 

 duced in 1877, also the number of hives, &c. 

 As I have been appointed, I would ask the 

 assistance of each bee-keeper in Illinois, 

 that we may make the best report of any 

 State. At our last convention, we were 

 surprised to find the amount of honey and 

 hives kept by 70 persons. The Secretary 

 will give the report soon. I wish each bee- 

 keeper in Illinois would send me a postal 

 card, giving me the names of the bee-keep- 

 ers in his neighborhood, with niniiber of 

 colonies each liad in the spring, and the 

 amount of honey and wax produced in 1877. 

 Those of you who read this, do so at once ; 

 don^t forget it, and be sure to give as near 

 the exact number of colonies and amount of 

 honey and wax produced in 1877 as con- 

 venient. Also give names of bee-keepers, 

 hives, honey and wax of your neighbors, 

 whom you think will not see this. Be 

 brief, as follows: D. D. Palmer, 150 colo- 

 nies, 15,000 lbs. honey, 24 lbs. wax. By 

 this means, I will collect the whole, if 

 possible, and make, a synopsis and send to 

 the National Convention. Address, D. D. 

 Palmer, Eliza, Mercer Co., 111. 



R. C. OTIS. 



When a prominent apiarist falls from the 

 ranks, we, as small bee-keepers, like to 

 know something of their whereabouts. R. 

 C. Otis, of Langstroth bee-hive law-suit 



