AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



347 



sections and crate. Have the outside 

 rows as good as any, but endeavor to 

 have the crate throughout as even as 

 possible in quality, color, etc. 2. Ask 

 some railroad man, but exercise your 

 own judgment about his answer. — Mrs. 

 L. Harrison. 



1. Pack them so they will not rattle 

 around " like a handful of peas in a 

 quart cup." The case should be just 

 large enough to hold the sections, what- 

 ever the number. A pan made of wrap- 

 ping paper to catch any leakage, and a 

 thickness or two of newspaper over the 

 sections, is an advantage. — C. H. Dib- 



BERN. 



1. To set them in a neatly fitting crate 

 is as good a way as to use packing, in 

 my opinion. 2. What I regard of more 

 importance is, that every crate be prop- 

 erly labeled, so that freight men may 

 know the nature of package at a glance. 

 The right word to print on the label is 

 " Fragile," and the letters should be 

 about 1%-inch block letters. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



1. As 1 never shipped comb-honey in 

 sections, I do not know ; however, I 

 would not use a crate holding more than 

 24 one-pound sections, and pack them 

 so that there would be no shake to them. 

 2. I think the kindest request we can 

 make the better, and always begin it 

 with a "Please;" for by experience I 

 have found that we can persuade or lead 

 our railroad men better than to drive 

 them (or almost any one else). If I 

 should ship honey, I would say some- 

 thing like this: "Please handle this 

 honey with care, for it is very tender. 

 By so doing you will greatly oblige your 

 friend — Jennie Atchley." — Mrs. Jennie 

 Atchley. 



Pack the sections bottom upwards, 

 close together in single tier, parallel 

 with the glass, so as to show what it is. 

 Label the covers of the crates " Handle 

 with Care — This Side Up," with a re- 

 quest to have them placed securely in 

 the car, with the combs parallel with 

 rails. Send by freight. It is much 

 cheaper than expi-ess, and will be just 

 as carefully handled. — The Editor. 



Topics of Interest. 



Temperature of Bees in Winter Qnarters. 



C. W. DAYTON. 



Open ye everlastins g'ates, swing wide ! 



Here comes a soul, a woman of sad face ; 

 She was a servant, did tier best and died. 



A loving benefactor of her race. 

 Then came the love and joy the blessed win, 

 And more than conqueror did she enter in. 



— jAJtES B. WiGGIN. 



Last October I prepared 4 colonies for 

 Winter by contracting the brood-cham- 

 ber to 6 combs, and putting on a solid 

 inch thick honey-board, and letting the 

 bees seal them down tightly. The latest 

 flight the colonies had was on Nov. 16, 

 and they were carried into the cellar on 

 Nov. 20, where the temperature ranged 

 from 32° to 40°. Fifty thicknesses of 

 paper were spread over each honey- 

 board. 



After they were placed in the cellar 

 they remained very quiet, but towards 

 the last of January the honey-boards 

 began to become concave on the upper 

 sides by warping, and there came cracks 

 between the lines of pi-opolis at the 

 edges so that I could look in and watch 

 the actions of the bees. The bees re- 

 mained absolutely quiet. I could see 

 their bodies projecting above the top- 

 bars, but there were no bees clinging to 

 the cover boai'd. 



There were indications of moistui'e 

 present in the form of large drops of 

 water here and there on the cover, and 

 also on the combs. This was the cause 

 of the warped boards. By inserting the 

 bulb of a thermometer into the cracks, 

 and letting it drop down amongst the 

 bees at the top of the cluster it indicated 

 61°. When the crevices were entirely 

 stopped with paste so that no air could 

 escape, the temperature remained at 64° 

 in one colony, and 61° in another, and 

 another 65°. 



By the 10th of February, with the 

 paste removed, I saw moisture attached 

 to the honey-board the whole width of 

 the hive, just over the cluster where the 

 bodies of the bees could be seen project- 

 ing above the frames, bringing the bees 

 and moisture within % inch of each 

 other. 



Here were the tightly-sealed covers, 

 and comparatively no covers to the 

 brood-chambers, with a difference be- 

 tween the two modes of only 3°. If this 

 is the real temperature of healthy bees, 

 I wish to inquire where the force is to 

 come from that produces a circulation 

 outward through the entrance situated 

 at the bottom of the hive. The idea 

 that a healthy colony will keep the in- 

 side of the hive warm and dry from 

 their natural warmth is a mistake, and 



