ntmm mjmmmiG'mM mmm jouRNaiL. 



185 



loss of bees ii: individual numbers ; 

 less consumption of stores, and in 

 some instances it has been found tliat 

 bi'ood-iearing has been carried on in 

 the cellar where colonies possessed 

 young and vigorous queens so tliat 

 such colonies come out as strong in 

 numbers, if not actually stronger than 

 when put into the cellar in the early 

 winter. 



This state of things cannot always 

 be depended upon, however, but ex- 

 perience seems to have demonstrated 

 that we may reasonably hope to get 

 small and rather weak colonies, that 

 have an ample supply of good quality 

 of stores in their hives, through to 

 April in the cellar, when, if wintered 

 out-of-doors, they would be quite sure 

 to die. 



But given strong, healthy colonies 

 with plenty of stores, taking into ac- 

 count the vicissitudes of getting through 

 the unfavorable weather of April, and 

 often the first ten days of May, which 

 tell so unfavorabl}' upon the cellar- 

 wintered colonies, that it is a question 

 in mj- mind whether the risk is greater 

 to winter bees out-of-doors than in a 

 good cellar. 



The experience of the past eight 

 years has fully satisfied me that a cold 

 cellar, one in which the mercury drops 

 to freezing and below, unless kept nj] 

 by artificial means, is about the worst 

 place in which to winter bees that 

 could well be selected. 



Another thing is pretty well settled, 

 and that is, that in our Maine climate, 

 where the mercury frequentl}- drops 

 from 15^ to 25° below zero, and con- 

 tinues for days together at zero and 

 below, that some more protection to 

 our hives is needed to winter bees suc- 

 cessfully out-of-doors, than the ordi- 

 nary single-walled hive affords. Per- 

 haps it may not make so much differ- 

 ence whether the hives are so con- 

 structed as to afford a dead-air space, 

 two thicknesses of walls, chaff' or leaf- 

 lined, or encased with some improvised 

 outer covering ; the main thing to be 

 attained is some protection from the 

 intense cold and the sudden changes 

 of the atmosphere. 



In my experience I have settled 

 down to this practice : Strong colo- 

 nies are placed in chaff hives.or single- 

 walled hives, given protection by pack- 

 ing in leaves with an outer board cov- 

 ering, and left on their summer stands. 

 Weaker colonies — those which may be 

 regarded as any ways doubtful — are 

 placed in the house-cellar and kept 

 there as far into April as they can be 

 kept quiet. 



FAVOKABLE WINTER FOR BEES. 



The present winter so far (Jan. 15) 

 may be considered a favorable one for 

 bees in this section of the country. The 



frequent mild days in Novembc^r and 

 December gave the bees, where the 

 liives were on Ihe summer stands, 

 ample occasion to fly at intervals of 

 two or three weeks till the middle of 

 December. 



On the 16th of JJovember, bees were 

 observed entering the hive with pel- 

 lets of pollen upon the legs, the like 

 of which I never saw before in an ex- 

 perience in caring for bees of over 

 forty years. It is somewhat singular 

 that flowers should be found that yield 

 pollen so late in tlie season, but it was 

 evident from the appearance of the 

 substance that it was gathered from 

 charlock, which lias of late years found 

 its waj' to Maine fields from the West, 

 in oats and grass seed. This plant 

 blossoms until snow flies. 



Lewiston, Maine. 



IfeslerUiiy ii« Past. 



Yesterday is dead 



And lies at rest. 

 No breathing stirs 



The white robed breast; 

 The groans and sobbing 



Aj'e hushed at last. 

 Thanks be to heaven ! 



Such pains are past. 



Seek not to rouse 



Its unquiet ghost; 

 Conjure to phantom 



Of what is lost; 

 Come away softly 



And make no moan. 

 Leaving thy perished hope 



Dead and alone. — Scrlbner's. 



BEE-LEARNING. 



Fastening the Bottoni-Boards- 

 Keeping Tally of Colonies. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY HENRY STEWART. 



It is to the investigations and teach- 

 ings of others that we are all indebted 

 for the most of wdiat little we know ; 

 the wisest and most learned in the 

 apiarian sphere have only become 

 such by gathering up the littles which 

 have been first studied out by the 

 myriads, and refuting, improving and 

 weaving these into a net-work which 

 the possessor chooses to boast of as the 

 knowledge of his experience, but 

 which in reality is in the main but a 

 rehash of the experience of others. 

 Each of us should be only too glad to 

 contribute our mites to the great 

 store-house of knowledge when oppor- 

 tunit}' presents itself. 



In my last year's experience with 

 bees, I have learned much from the 

 pens of others, as well as a few things 

 from my own investigations, and a 

 couple of these I will describe. 



FASTENINU MOVABLE BOTTO.M-liOAUlJS. 



About a year ago I purchased a few 

 colonies of bees in hives with loose 

 bottom-boards, which I desired to 

 move five miles by wagon, and how to 

 fasten tliose pesky bottom-boards witli- 

 out driving the hives full of nails, was 

 the question which I soon solved, Ijy 

 the use of the common butter-tub 

 staple, which I found to be just the 

 tiling in the riglit place. Not only did 

 I find tliat staples were useful in this 

 instance, but 1 fastened on all the 

 Ijottom-boards of my new hives with 

 tliem, using one at each corner, thus 

 making a bottom-board which is per- 

 feetlj' solid, and holds the hive true 

 and firm, j-et one that can be easily 

 and quickly removed by the use of a 

 chisel in prying out the staples. 



TALLY' FOR SURPLUS-HOKEY CHAMBER. 



The other discovery is a •■ tally" for 

 indicating the condition of the surplus 

 chambers during the working season. 

 This is a very simple device, but it is 

 practical, and I prize it highly. It is 

 absolutely necessary to become better 

 acquainted with the condition of a 

 large yard full of bees, than the mem- 

 ory of the average bee-keeper will per- 

 mit of. I have tried several different 

 ways of keeping these records, but I 

 found them very unsatisfactory until I 

 found this one, which is simply as fol- 

 lows : 



1 cut a small circle with a lead- 

 pencil on the side or end of the hive. 

 This is the tally-board, and for tallies 

 I use, little, sharp brads, and small 

 bits of diffei'entlj'-colored paper. I use 

 the paper to indicate the date when 

 the hive was last examined, and the 

 position of the brad in the circle. 



To note the condition of the surplus- 

 chamber the first week in the month, 

 I use simply a brad without paper ; the 

 second week I use a brad on which is 

 a small bit of red paper ; the third 

 week the brad with white paper ; and 

 the fourth week, blue paper. 



A brad placed on the circle indicates 

 that the observation was taken in the 

 middle of the week ; on the outside of 

 tlie circle the first, and on the inside 

 of the circle, the last of the week. 



A brad on top of the circle, indi- 

 cates an empty chamber ; at the bot- 

 tom, half full ; and half way between 

 these, either :t or J full. So in walk- 

 ing through m)- apiary the third week 

 in the month, I observe a hive with a 

 red paper at the J point ; I know that 

 chamber was f full, and, if ready, I 

 give them a new case ; I change the 

 paper to a white one, and place it on 

 top of the circle. 



With this method, one has only to 

 glance at a hive to know if it is in need 

 of his inquisitive eye, or not. 



Prophetstown, Ills. 



