TUm JRMERlCJtlH BE® JOUKlHaiLr. 



841 



tlio invention of tlu; donblcvwallcd or 

 cluiff-liive, vvliicli was dcsij^ncd to win- 

 ter bees more safely. The original 

 pnrpose in making donble-walled Idves 

 was aeliieved.and along witli it another 

 result that does not seem to have been 

 anticipated. This result was the ftict 

 that larger colonies could be developed 

 earlier in the Spring in these double- 

 walled hives, tliroiigh the incidental 

 protection giveii, than could be de- 

 veloped in the old-time single-walled 

 hives. The fact was made clear that 

 protection to the brood, by providing 

 a warmer hive, resulted in more ex- 

 tensive brood-rearing, and at last it 

 became apparent that the average 

 queeu, through the protection given, 

 was able to till more than 10 standard 

 Laugstrotli frames, with brood oecui)y- 

 iug !^,000 cubic inches of space. 



The inference followed that with 

 favorable conditions the 10-frame 

 Langstroth hive was too small for 

 breeding up of a full colony in the 

 •Spring ! Since, as a matter of fact, 

 the average queen is capable of filling 

 13 standard Langstroth frames with 

 brood in the protected hives, when 

 ■only S frames, not whoUy full of brood 

 in the 10-frame, single-walled Lang- 

 stroth hive, is possible before the first 

 of June in all Northern localities. 

 Now a dift'erence of five frames of 

 _brood in everv colony at the beginning 

 of the white-clover bloom is quite an 

 item in the way of getting a crop of 

 honey. But such is the result of 

 proper protection to a colonj- of bees 

 well provided with stores in the 

 Spring, and hence there is no mistak- 

 ing the fact that 2.000 cubic inches of 

 breeding room in a double-walled hive 

 is insufficient for the best results. 



Another improvement in hives re- 

 <juiring a modified brood-chamber is 

 the invention of the ipieen-excluder. 

 When used in working for comb-honey 

 it affords advantages, and efi'ects re- 

 sults superior to every other known 

 system of management, with a brood- 

 chamber of the proper size. In this 

 fact we have abundant and ample evi- 

 dence to warrant this assertion, so we 

 have another reason for modifying the 

 old style of brood-chambers. 



In connection with the queen-e.v- 

 cluder we have an improved manage- 

 ment known as •' the contraction sys- 

 tem." It has the sanction of nearly 

 all of our ablest bee-keepers, and in 

 all white-clover districts yon can hardly 

 find an old and expert bee-keeper who 

 will not saj- that he cannot succeed in 

 producing comb-honey without con- 

 traction of the brood-nest. It may be 

 and is carried out on nearly all kinds 

 of frame-hives by means of division- 

 boards, etc.. that, though very trouble- 

 .some and taking much time, is yet 

 practicable. Birt with a brood-cham- 



ber of the proper .size, all the contrac- 

 tion that is advantageous or ever nec- 

 essary is ihme by means of the queon- 

 excluder. No division-boards or other 

 troublesome clap-trai) being necessary. 

 So tliat here again we have an urgent 

 need for a moditied brood-chandjer. 



The position of several well-known 

 writi'rs on the question of large vs. 

 small hives is well known to the read- 

 ers of the Bee Jouunai- ; but the cir- 

 cumstances atiecting these difiering 

 conclusions of our modern apiarists 

 have not been made as (dear as they 

 might be. In certain localities there 

 is almost a continual fiow of nectar, 

 from the opening to the close of the 

 season. All experience seems to 

 prove that in snt-li localities no con- 

 traction is necessary, and that a large 

 brood-chamber is of the greatest 

 utility. On the contrary, in most 

 localities (sayO!) out of 100) where the 

 season for surplus closes with the 

 white clover or basswood bloom, a 

 large brood-chamber is only required 

 to bi-eed up a suflicient force of work- 

 ers, after which, and during the bal- 

 ance of the season, a contracted brood- 

 chamber gives the best results. 



In these localities of limited honey- 

 How it has been the practice with most 

 bee-keepers to hive all swarms in large 

 brood-chambers, like the 8 or 10 frame 

 Langstroth and Simplicity hives. 

 Thousands of such hives wei-e sold the 

 past season, and the larger number 

 will be used to hive swarms without 

 contraction, and the result will be the 

 same as it always has been in working 

 for comb-hone\' — with these old style 

 of hives — a great loss of surplus, and 

 no surplus worth mentioning except 

 on the verj' early swarms. The colony 

 casting the swarm, and also the swarm 

 making no surplus except the season is 

 an unusually favorable one. There is 

 simply the increase and the demand, 

 ^•ear after year, for more hives of the 

 same worthless pattern that has 

 blasted the hopes of bee-keepers all 

 over this countr}-, until it is no wonder 

 that the vast majority consider bee- 

 keeping a small business with no 

 money in it. It will be understood 

 that these remarks apply only to the 

 production of comb-honey. No one 

 questions the value of the Langstroth 

 and Simplicit}' hives in the production 

 of cxtracted-honey. 



Now. I should not care to write in 

 this way without a remedy in sight, 

 but all of these difficulties in the way 

 of hives and hive management may be 

 overcome by the use of the queen-ex- 

 cluder and a brood-chamber of the 

 right capacity ; and the right capacit}- 

 for a brood-chamber is one made just 

 one-half the size of that required for 

 the most successful Spring breeding, 

 which has a capacity of 1. GOO square 



inches of brood-comb instcail of only 

 1,350 as in the 10-frame Langstroth, 

 and al)out 1,050 in the common 8- 

 frame hive. 



Now it so happens that the above 

 small brood-cliamber is the best size 

 in whicli to hive all swarms in working 

 for comb-honey ; and again, a two- 

 story hive of such brood-chambers is 

 far safer for out-door wintering in 

 double-walled hives than any of the 

 old style of hives, and with the return 

 of Spring it is in the best possible 

 shape for Spring breeding, the matter 

 of spreading brood-combs to facilitate 

 breeding being entirely superfiuous. 

 The brood-chamber recommended is a 

 shallow one, made 7'^ inches deep to 

 carry a 7-inch brood-frame, and the 

 capacity should be for 830 square 

 inches of brood-comb. Two of these 

 stories make a hive of almost the ex- 

 act capacity of Dadant's large hive 

 that is now so popular in all localities 

 where a continuous honey-flow during 

 the season is the rule. The manage- 

 ment of storifying hives for extraordi- 

 nary results in comb-honej- production 

 is given in many new books, and will 

 be further considered in forthcoming 

 articles. 



New Philadelphia, O. 



AMUSING. 



]nr$. IBrieklo|t^!i Firsit Experience 

 IV i 111 Bec!i. 



I had an improved back-yard. I 

 went through a seed store, and bought 

 a sample of everything that would 

 grow in this climate. The result was 

 a perfect tangle of flowers and things, 

 from an overgrown sunflower to a for- 

 get-me-not. Mrs. Bricl<top is very 

 proud of our garden, and while gush- 

 ing over it the other morning a happy 

 thought worked its waj' imder her 

 black hair. 



"What a very delightful thing it 

 would be to have a hive of bees and 

 raise our own honey, as well as every- 

 thing else." I have always thought 

 that woman inspired ever since she con- 

 vinced me that I couldn't do better 

 than to marry her. This was an orig- 

 inal, bold idea-a happy thought. I 

 promised her a hive of bees, and 

 went to business with a lighter heart 

 and firmer' belief in the genuineness 

 of home comforts and amusements. I 

 bought a hive of honev-bees. and 

 brought it home with me that very 

 night. It was one of those patent 

 hydrostatic, back-action hives, iu which 

 the bees have peculiar accommodations 

 and all the modern improvements. It 

 was a nice little hive — none of j-our 

 old-fashioned barn-size affairs. It even 

 had windows in it. so that the bees 



