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8 frames well tilled, and are ia good 

 condition. 



I have 2 colonies of hybrids, which 

 are very cross. 1 shall take the heads 

 off from the queens in the spring, and 

 give them queen-cells or queens from 

 my best colony. I am not prepared to 

 pass my opinion upon the Carniolans 

 yet, but I think that I shall like them. 

 I shall use them next season to rear 

 queens from. 



I did not see a bee on sumac or 

 golden-rod this season ; heart's-ease 

 gave us our surplus. I am well pleased 

 with my success with bees. 



Campbell, Nebr. 



UNITING. 



Simple method of Uniting 

 Colonies and Nueiei. 



Written for the Amerimn Bee Journal 

 BY JOHN CRAYCIIAFT. 



The foregoing is my method, and 

 the kind of hive that I find that suits 

 me best ; and any hive that will not 

 admit of all these working changes, is 

 not the hive that practical honey-pro- 

 ducers are looking for. 



Altoona, Florida. 



The ways of uniting weak and 

 queenless colonies of bees, recom- 

 mended by many correspondents, differ 

 from my method. 



I open the hive of the colony to 

 which I wish to give the queenless 

 one, and turn the enameled cloth cover 

 up at one corner furthest from the 

 entrance, sufljcient for a small passage 

 for the bees ; then about dark, or at 

 any time when all the bees are in, I 

 place the queenless colony over the 

 other that I had prepared, which 

 makes it a two-story hive. If this is 

 not enough, I put on the third colony 

 that I wish to unite, making it then a 

 three-story hive. 



The small passage way allows the 

 bees to unite, and in two or three daj-s 

 all the bees will be with the queen, 

 and where the brood is. Then I can 

 arrange the combs to suit the season — 

 if for winter, or for the spring, or for 

 honey work. 



I have practiced this method of 

 uniting successfully for several years. 

 I use this all through the queen-rear- 

 ing season in uniting nuclei when 

 queens are taken out. 



My hives are the Simplicity stj'le, 

 only I use a small hive, and 10 frames, 

 each DJ.xlSJ inches, outside measure; 

 also loose bottom-boards. I often use 

 these hives four stories high for ex- 

 tracting, and for comb honey I have 

 light trays that hold 18 one-pound sec- 

 tions, which sot inside the hive, and I 

 can place, on as many of them as I 

 may desire, or the colony can use. 



I have all fixtures about the hives so 

 made that any bottom, roof, hive, tray 

 or frame will tit in any place, so that I 

 can divide, unite, rear queens, or make 

 any change that I may desire — use one 

 story or six of them, if I wish to do so. 



ITnder tlie Wliispering' Leaves. 



Written for the Illustrated Home Jourudl 



BV .MAH.\I..i B. CHAUDOCK. 



In my old hammock hanging: low. 

 Near where the golden lilies grow, 

 I'm swinging, swinging to and fro. 



Beneath the Whispering Leaves. 

 Sweet flowers are blooming all around— 

 While virgin suowflakes strew the ground ; 

 All life is full of scent and sound. 



Of flowers, and birds, and bees. 



The scarlet tanager sings in glee 



From the swaying bough of the elm-tree. 



And then with wing so bright and free. 



Seeks his more timid mate. 

 And far away the lark soars high, 

 As if he sought his love in the sky. 

 To woo her to the nest in the rye 



Beyond the orchard gate. 



The yellow bees hnm a gladsome tnne — 

 A song of joy for the royal June, 

 With a sad note that she dies so soon — 



Ah ! happy honey-bees. 

 And as their busy world moves on— 

 Their tiny world, with its working throug— 

 I listen to their jojous song. 



As I swing beneath the trees. 



The swallows fly to the sheltering eaves ; 

 The chittering wren its rough nest weaves, 

 And overhead are the Whispering Leaves, 



That whisper all the day. 

 I look abo\'e at tlie changeful blue. 

 With dancing sunlight glancing through. 

 And wonder if the words ai-e true, 



That these still talkers say. 



And what they find to talk about. 

 Week after week, day in, day out ; 

 And if they'd like to laugh and shout— 



These restless Whispering Leaves, 

 The reaper's noise seems far away. 

 And stiller grows the children's play. 

 The rain-crow calls his plaintive lay. 



Above the Whispering Leaves, 



And then I hear them high aloft, 

 In rustling cadence whispering soft. 

 Say " Husli," as a loving mother oft 



Will soothe the babe at her hieast. 

 And then in tones of tender grief. 

 They spoke of the sin of unbelief. 

 In the power of love to bring relief. 



To mortals sore depressed. 



And in an ardent lover's tone. 



They spoke of one who was all our own — 



Whose eyes as blue as the heaven's dome 



Looked oft at the Whispering Leaves. 

 The fair maid whom our hearts enshrined. 

 Whose loving arms around us twined, 

 And bound us, as only love can bind. 



We laid 'neath the Whispering Leaves. 



I am swinging again in my hammock old. 

 And I look awaj' to the hills of gold. 

 Where the reaper binds with ruthless hold. 



And gathers the golden sheaves. 

 'Tis meet that ripened grain should fall. 

 And the Heavenly Father watches all ; 

 But o'er our Ii\'es there hangs a pall — 



She sleeps 'neath the Whispering Leaves. 

 Vermont, Ills. 



WINTERING. 



Plan of Preparing Bee§ to Pass 

 the Winter Safely. 



Written for theAmcricaii BceJininial 



BY A. M. VANNOV. 



Send Us tlie IVanie!« of bee-keepers 

 in your neighborhood who sliould take and 

 read the American Bee Jouknal, and we 

 will send thera a sample copy. In this way 

 we may obtain many regular subscribers, 

 for thousands have never seen a copy, or 

 even know of its existence. This is one 

 way to help the cause along. 



In the bee-papers and apiarian de- 

 partments of several agricultural 

 papers, I see enquiries as to the best 

 methods of wintering bees. This de- 

 pends somewhat upon latitude (or 

 climate) ; on tliese wind-swept prairies 

 of Iowa, Northern Illinois and Ne- 

 braska, cellaring of some kind is almost 

 indispensable to success. For the last 

 four years I have kept from 10 to 20 

 colonies as follows : 



After selecting a location wliere 

 water will not rise or stand, I drive 

 four posts into the ground, all in a line. 

 the two outside ones lb feet apart, and 

 the other two equal distances between. 

 Eight feet from, and exactly parallel 

 with this line, I drive four others in 

 line also ; these posts are all stout ones, 

 and are driven in the ground 2 feet or 

 more, leaving 2 feet above the ground. 

 To these posts on the outside of the 

 line, I nail barn-boards, IG feet long, 

 and 1 foot wide, two to each line, 

 making a solid board fence 2 feet 

 higli ; the ends are closed Ijy boards of 

 the same width, and half the length, 

 one post being sufficient between the 

 end posts of the sides. 



After all is boarded up as before, I 

 dig two spade depths and throw the 

 dirt outside and against the boards, 

 for an embankment. After I have dug 

 all out to within 4 inches of the bo.ird 

 wall, and two spades' depth, I lay two 

 poles (fence-rails will do) about 16 

 inches apart, on each side of the bot- 

 tom of the pit, anil place the liives on 

 them (the poles), as close together as 

 I can get them ; of Langstroth hives I 

 \ can place a double tier on either side. 

 After all the hives are in, I take 2x6 

 inch scantling, 8 feet long, and spike 

 the ends fast to the middle posts of the 

 side lines, and parallel with the end 

 wall, and all im a level with the upper 

 edge of the boards in the side aiul end 

 walls, I cover the whole with IG-foot 

 barn-boards, without breaking joints, 

 being careful to leave no cracks large 

 enough through which mice can enter. 

 Then I cover tlic whole top with two 

 moderate loads of straw, hay or prairie 

 crass. I use sorghum bar/agse, as I 

 have plenty of- it handy. This gives 

 the required ventilation, and keeps off 

 sudden changes. 



I used to think that some kind of a 

 ventilator was a necessity, and last 

 winter, after putting away 16 colonies 

 in the hole, it kept so warm that I tun- 

 neled into the hole, and put in 4-inch 

 tile, connected with a 6x6 inch box 4 



