]2 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



January. 



WHY IS SPRING FEEDING UN- 

 PROFITABLE. 



Cuba, N. Y., Nov. 13, iQoi- 

 Editor American Bee-Keeper: 



One page 206 American Bee-Keeper, 

 for Nov., Mr. L. E. Kerr says that no 

 good arises from feeding bees in ^he 

 spring to stimulate brood rearing. Mr. 

 Kerr, will you please tell the beginners 

 why, and what were the practical dem- 

 onstrations, as I am but a beginner, my 

 observations may not be correct, but 

 does not a queen lay better during a 

 slow honey flow than through none at 

 all? even if there is honey in the brood 

 chamber? 



The colonies that produced the most 

 honey for me this season were the ones 

 that were fed in the spring. I feed with 

 a Boardman entrance feeder for I do 

 not think colonies fed for stimulative 



till the section-holders would touch the 

 top of the frames, and when you take 

 off the super you lift up the frames and 

 so disturb and often kill the bees. 



Mr. J. S. Calbreath, in May 15th 

 Gleanings described a plan which 

 worked so well with me that I am at 

 work fixing all my supers that way. I 

 will here try to explain in American 

 Bee-Keeper how it was done and those 

 who try the plan I believe will be 

 pleased with it. 



Take a galvanized iron strip the 

 length of the super-end, and bend it 

 in the shape of an L, making about one- 

 half inch for the section holder to rest 

 on and about one inch for the nails to 

 be nailed to the end of the super. Cut 

 across the super-end at the bottom one 

 inch wide and one-sixteenth deep so as 

 to let the iron go back far enough so 

 the section holders will not bind when 

 you put them in as one cannot bend the 

 iron just square at the corner. I used 

 No. 26 iron, though lighter may do as 

 well. 



I have used little blocks of wood 

 nailed on the top of the end blocks of 

 the section-holders, but as some supers 



purposes should be fed over the cluster, ^^ ^^^ j^^^^ 3„y groove for the blocks 

 as they will be distributed in placing the 

 feeder and will take the syrup when it 

 is too cold, which induces them to f^y 

 when they should not, but with the en- 

 trance feeder, they seldom do so. 



Now, Mr. Kerr, when you are giving 

 advice to beginners, please tell us why 

 you would or would not do these 

 things, as they are apt to mislead us. 

 Yours, 

 T. L. Powers. 



to hang in and the blocks are apt to 

 loosen and drop ofif, the L iron, or 

 angle tin is much better. 



Yours truly. 



W. E. Head. 



JUST A CHAT. 



1901. 



L TINS FOR SUPERS. 



Paris Station, N. Y., Nov. .30, 1901. 

 Editor Bee-Keeper: 



Those who have used the dove tail 

 supers may find the flat tins supporting 

 the section holders, too frail to 

 stand the strain. I have had them bend 



Walker, Mo., Dec. 10, 

 Editor American Bee-Keeper: 



Have just read a very interesting 

 letter in the Bee-Keeper, from Mrs. 

 Smith, away down in Florida, where I 

 have always th(iught bee-keepers had 

 no troubles, but I guess location does 

 not make much difiference. When one 

 thing does not interfere, some other 

 does, so I guess there is about a stand 

 off as to location. Down in Florida, it 



