620 



THU ftMERICMIf BEE JQURriffil,. 



isted, but they would not hibernate, so 

 ■out they went, only to test their ability 

 to withstand the coldest of weather of 

 last winter, which came in February. 

 This "hibernated" effectually some 

 entire colonies, and from 1 to 2 quarts 

 <.)f each of the remainder. This re- 

 duced my prospects very materially. 

 Considering the poor commencement 

 for the season's work, I cannot com- 

 plain, having taken an average of 100 

 pounds of extracted honey per colony, 

 and 2 pounds of comb honey ; besides 

 probably an average of 20 pounds yet 

 untaken. I find that the profit of a 

 160-acre farm lies chiefly in 31 colo- 

 nies of bees, the honey of which sells 

 readily at 10 cents for extracted. 



Taxing Bees in Iowa, etc. — G. 



B. OIney, Atlantic, Iowa, writes : 



I feel very much indebted to the 

 American Bee Jouunal — and why 

 should I not, when the perusal of one 

 article from the pen of a good, practi- 

 cal bee-man, set me to cogitating like 

 unto, "Why can't I do tliat ?" Yes, 

 that old comb, uneven, the cells half- 

 lilled with bee-bread, the balance with 

 honey, just put it on a warm stove ; 

 no quicker said than done, and the 

 ne.\t day I sold that honey for cash in 

 hand, $2.90. Just send that paper right 

 along all the time. That $2.90 will 

 pay for it for about three years. 



Our bees are being assessed for 

 taxation at a cash value of $2 per col- 

 ony. Some owners claim that bees 

 are a perishable article, and not tax- 

 -able, and thereby refuse to list them. 

 Are bees taxable ? Stock over six 

 months old, on the first of January of 

 ■each year in this State, is subject to 

 taxation. Worker bees are not six 

 ■months old on Jan. 1. Please answer 

 througli tbe Bee Jodrnal, as there 

 are others that are also in the dark. 



[According to that interpretation, 

 the worker bees would not be taxable, 

 but the queens might be. We are not 

 conversant with Iowa laws, and leave 

 the matter to be answered by our Iowa 

 lawyers. — Ed.] 



setting the frames on a metal-rabbet 

 at the bottom of the hive. 1. Would 

 the bees propolize the ends of the 

 frames so that they would be hard to 

 get out (if the edges of the ends were 

 planed smooth), made in the above 

 wa}' ? 2. How close should the ends of 

 the frames come to the ends of the 

 hive ? 



[1. The closed-end frames have been 

 used for many years. The " Quinby" 

 frame was made in that way, but the 

 end-bars, extending below the l)ottom- 

 bars, served as " legs " for the frames, 

 and " stood " on the bottom of the 

 liive. If tliey are planed smoothly, 

 and fit tight, the bees will not think it 

 necessary to propolize them, and the}' 

 can be manipulated with comparative 

 ease ; but if they do not fit tight, there 

 will not be much pleasure in manipu- 

 lating them. 



2. Just leave space enough for rais- 

 ing and lowering them. The passage- 

 ways for the bees should be over the 

 top and bottom bars, if the hives are 

 l)roperly constructed. — Ed.] 



IMaliing Frames for Hives, etc. 



Locke Ferree, Milroy, Ind., on Sept. 

 12, 1889, writes : 



The honey season is about over here, 

 and I have taken about 175 pounds of 

 comb honey. I had 4 colonies in the 

 spring, and increased them to 11. I 

 am going to make some new hives in 

 the winter. I am thinking of making 

 the end-pieces, that connect the top 

 and bottom bars, l.S inches wide, and 

 the top and bottom bars i of an inch. 



Oood Average Per Colony — 



Fayette Lee, Cokato, Minn., on Sept. 

 12, 1889, says : 



I commenced last spring with 41 

 colonies of bees, and have increased 

 them to 76 colonies, and have taken 

 5,300 pounds of honey, 900 pounds of 

 it being comb honey, an average of 

 130 pounds to the colony, spring 

 count. The honey harvest is over for 

 this year. 



which I should fold over loosely, and 

 carry to the hive. If this be repeated 

 until tlie cluster does not return to the 

 tree, you may be sure that you have 

 the queen, and your swarm is safe. 



Next year I sliall try putting one 

 hive above anotlier, leaving the new 

 swarm on the " 1st flat," and the old 

 colony on the "2d flat." That is edu- 

 cating bees to live in " flats." I have 

 never had but one swarm on Sunday, 

 and that was a " bee-atitude " not 

 mentioned in the Sermon on the 

 Mount. 



Bees Did Well W. H. Fowler, 



Jennings, Mich., on Sept. 17, 1889, 

 says : 



My bees did very well this season. I 

 had 2 colonies, spring count, and in- 

 creased them to 5. I took 85 pounds 

 of honey from one, and from the other 

 I got the increase. The " Little Won- 

 der " bee-smoker I find is a "daisy" 

 to handle bees with. 



Hiving Swarms, etc. — Miss Lucy 

 J. Sherman. Hanover, Vt., writes : 



I was much amused by the article on 

 page 521, by W. Hood, especially in 

 his account of climbing the tree, while 

 his wife and son stood by and ridi- 

 culed him. I never climbed a tree 

 after bees, but I know just how it feels 

 to see them swarm, and not have the 

 .slightest notion what to do. If I were 

 in that man's place, the first thing 

 would be some queen-traps, and if 

 there was some mistake about leaving 

 one oft", or there was one hive which a 

 trap would not fit without some tinker- 

 ing, and I had not tinksred it, and tlie 

 first I knew there was the swarm in 

 the tree — I should say : " W^ife, bring 

 me an old sheet. George Washington, 

 climb that tree and tie this rope around 

 the limb that the bees have clustered 

 on." Then I should take hold of the 

 rope, and give the tree a quick jerk, 

 and the bees would fall on the sheet, 



Honey and Increase. — Henry 

 Van Tress, Oakland, O., on Sept. 16, 

 1889, wrote as follows : 



I commenced the season with 36 

 colonies of bees, mostl}' weak, and 

 have taken about 2,000 pounds of 

 honey from them, and increased to 70 

 good, strong colonies. I took the 

 premiums at our Fair, on honey and 

 bee-hives. It was not very well at- 

 tended, on account of there being 

 Fairs around us. 



Best Season Ever Known. — 



Mrs. B. J. Livingston, Center Chain, 

 Minn., on Sept. 16, 1889, writes : 



Old bee-keepers say that this has 

 been the best year for honey that this 

 (Martin) county has ever known. The 

 season has been very drj% but linden, 

 white clover, buckwheat, and now 

 golden-rod and Spanish-needles, all 

 seemed to furnisli honey already ripen- 

 ed, and all ready to seal up, as fast as 

 gathered. It has been my first season 

 with bees, and I dare sav that I have 

 been too much interested in studying 

 them, to make the most of them ; yet 

 my 4 colonies liave given me over 200 

 pounds of comb honey, mostly in one- 

 pound sections ; and I have increased 

 them to 8, with 8 Simplicity brood- 

 chambers hcav}' with honey — and sur- 

 plus still coming in. 



A Favorable Word from any of our 

 readers, who speak from experience, has 

 more weight with their friends than any- 

 thing we might say. Every one of our 

 readers can lend ns a helping hand, in this 

 way, without much trouble. 



