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NO BURR-COMBS. 



While 'Mr. Ehvood was examiQiug 

 the hives I was pleased to note that 

 tliere were no burr-corabs ou the tops 

 of the frames. No, I do not believe I 

 saw a single small spur. When I came 

 to inquire into the matter. I found he 

 used top-bars fully an inch wide and 

 five-eighths of an inch thick — perhaps 

 in some cases' one-half inch thicli with 

 /ixed distances. I emphasize this pur- 

 posely, because I believe that this is 

 one of the secrets. I could not dis- 

 cover that any of the bee-keepers who 

 had used tixed distances with top-bars 

 live-eighths of an inch thick and an 

 inch wide, in that section of country. 

 had used honey-boards. No, a honey- 

 board was a thing that none of them 

 liad ever tried. With no burr-combs, 

 what need had they of them ? Now, 

 if I am able to judge correctly, with 

 lixed distances we can have thinner 

 top-bars ; but with hanging-frames and 

 no arrangement for automatic spacing, 

 ill order to do away with burr-combs, 

 there must be thicker top-bars. I ex- 

 amined into this matter very carefully 

 all through this trip ; and since my re- 

 turn liome I feel confirmed in what I 

 have said above in regard to the pres- 

 ence or absence of burr-combs, their 

 cause and prevention. 



I am very well aware that I have 

 given some flattering testimonials for 

 tlie Quinby system. I am not sure, 

 liowever. that bee-keepers generally 

 would not like the open or movable 

 sides. The hive looked a little top- 

 heavy also, and a good many bee- 

 keepers incline toward the shapely 

 appearance of a thing as well as its 

 practical utility with the two com- 

 bined. 



After leaving this yard we visited 

 two or three others. All that I saw 

 were located in spots that were pecul- 

 iarly picturesque. The scenery — per- 

 haps a big hill on one side, a valley 

 beneath, mountains over in the dis- 

 tance, all combine lo make many of 

 the locations grand in their outlook. 

 As our time was limited we did not 

 vi.sit all of tlie yards, for one yard is 

 largely a repetition of the others. 



elwood's mammoth bee-cellar. 



The ndxt morning, as we expected 

 to visit other bee-keepers, I took a 

 walk around the premises. "Oh, yes," 

 I said, 'there i.s that enormous bee- 

 e(dlar that I want to see."' Mr. Elvvood 

 conducted me to his mammoth reposi- 

 tory under his large bank barn. If I 

 remember correctly, it was divided 

 ei|ually into two compartments, cacli 

 one capable of holding perhaps 5U() 

 colonies. Just think of it — 1,000 col- 

 onies, practicall}-. in one cellar ! We 

 bee-keepers who talk about wintering 



50 or 60 colonies in a cell.ar snccess- 

 fuUy, might find it another thing to 

 bring through alive 1,000 colonies in 

 a single repository ; and yet, if I un- 

 derstand correctly, our friend is gen- 

 erally successful. 



In this part of York State the}- have 

 ver\- severe winters ; and, as a general 

 rule, I found that bees are wintered 

 in-doors. I noticed that Mr. Elwood 

 uses a sub-earth ventilator, and he be- 

 lieves it to be a good thing at times. 

 He does not, however, use it with its 

 mouth out-doors open full width most 

 of the time, but only occasionally. 



■'What do you do," I said, "when 

 it becomes too warm, and the bees get 

 to roaring — that is. uneasy ?" 



He took me out to the mouth of his 

 sub-earth ventilator, and showed me 

 how he could, by enlarging the open- 

 ing, let in enough cold air to reduce 

 the temperature enough to accomplish 

 the desired end. The winters being so 

 cold, he generally has no trouble from 

 a too high temperature in the cel- 

 lar. 



Before I forget it, perhaps I had liet- 

 ter explain that, instead of removing 

 the bottom-board after putting the bees 

 into the cellar, the boards have a hole 

 six or eight inches square in the cen- 

 ter, and this hole is opened or closed 

 by means of a convenient slide. When 

 contracted it acts as an entrance dur- 

 ing the summer season ; and when 

 opened wide it gives ample bottom 

 ventilation wliile in the cellar. While 

 we were discussing these things, we 

 slowly emerged from the cellar, and 

 tinall}' entered the shop, or honey- 

 room, partitioned oft' from one end of 

 the barn. I discovered here that Mr. 

 Elwood uses the section-holder that we 

 use on the dovetailed hive. When we 

 first introduced it I was not aware that 

 such extensive bee-keepers were al- 

 ready using it. and liked it, although 

 I knew that the idea was by no means 

 new. The fact that such a man as 

 Elwood uses them, in preference to 

 even the T super, confirms me in the 

 belief that they must be one of the best 

 comb honey arrangements made. 



I noticed in this honey-room that 

 friend Elwood uses a four-piece section 

 with flaf^bottom foundation. The sec- 

 tions are put together with a machine 

 of his o)vn invention, and thej' are 

 glued solid togetlier. I tried to break 

 several of the sections when so put 

 together. They certainly were very 

 secure, and no ordinary amount of 

 hauling, even over rough roads, would 

 jar them out of true. 



"There," said Mr. Elwood. pointing 

 to a few crates of honey, in one corner 

 of the room, "is all the ■«'/((<(.■ honey I 

 have obtain«<l this year." 



"That will not be your entire crop ?" 

 I said. 



"Oh. no!" He replied, he would 

 get perliaps 2o pounds per colony of 

 mixed and buckwheat honey. The 

 basswood had been almost a failure 

 with him during the past season, and 

 the clover was but little if any better. 

 It was the worst season he had experi- 

 enced in maujr years. 



" What is your average per colony?" 

 I asked. 



" If we get 50 pounds we are satis- 

 fied," he said. 



Let us see — 50 pounds multiplied by 

 1.300 — 65.000 pounds. It seems as 

 though he ought to be "satisfied." If 

 Capt. Hetherington (and I presume he 

 does) obtains in a fair j-ear a propor- 

 tionate amount, his crop would make 

 the " eyes" of some of us bee-keepers 

 stick out prctt}' prominent!}'. 



HYBRID BEES AND BUCKWHEAT HONEY. 



Speaking of buckwheat honey above, 

 reminds me of tlie fact that Mr. El- 

 wood keeps hybrid bees almost ex- 

 clusively. He rather prefers them 

 because they are a little better for 

 working on buckwlieat. Through my 

 trip in York State on the bicycle. I be- 

 lieve I do not exaggerate when I say 

 that I must have seen thousands of 

 acres of buckwheat. 



The farmers, instead of confining 

 their crops to the proceeds of a single 

 acre, raise it by the ten-acre fields ; 

 and I believe it is usually a paying 

 crop. I was pleased to notice, also, 

 that the Japanese buckwheat was being 

 introduced very largely. The bees 

 work on it just as industriously as they 

 do upon any kind of buckwheat. Sev- 

 eral fields that Mr. Elwood and I 

 passed were fragrant with the aroma. 

 In fact, I passed on the bicycle so 

 many buclvwheat fields that the odor 

 became sickening to me, as I do not 

 like buckwheat honey. 



But the people in York State, I am 

 glad to know, are not like me. At 

 most of tlie hotels where I stopped, 

 they had this black looking honey on 

 the table. By making inquiries I 

 learned that some of the guests pre- 

 ferred it. They like that rich, dark- 

 looking honey of their fathers. I per- 

 sonally came across a great many peo- 

 ple who prefer buckwheat to any 

 otlier they had ever eaten ; but I am 

 afraid I should have to go a good way 

 in Ohio before I could find one who 

 had this preference. 



CROSS HYBRID BEES. 



Mr, Elwood's hybrid bees I found 

 were cross. Let me relate a little 

 incident. 



I told Mr. Elwood I should like to 

 make some detail photographs of one 

 of his hives. We accordingly pro- 

 ceeded to the yard. He pointed to 

 one that showed well, and was about 



