THB: AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



115 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Honey Season at Tolcno, 111. 



Please allow me to iaform j^ou what we have 

 been doing in the bee line, in this place, this 

 season. 



I wintered thirty-two stocks, and have had 

 twenty -two increase. One colony swarmed three 

 times, and in seven weeks swarmed again. 

 Swarms all very large. The bees of these are 

 Italians. Tlie same colony has stored over 60 

 lbs. of nice box honey. My stocks were very 

 weak in the spring, as last year was a very poor 

 one for honey — young swarms starving to death 

 on their stands in October, 1888. But this year 

 has been the best I ever knew. Bees swarmed 

 until August, and some second swarms yielded 

 swarms. All of my stocks, except about ten, 

 stored honey in the boxes, giving me in all 2,200 

 lbs., nearly all from white clover, as there is no 

 timber nearer than four miles, too far for the bees 

 to fly to it. 



1 iiad in the spring fourteen stocks of black 

 bees, and eighteen Italians — some pure and some 

 hybrid ; I could see no difference in these. I got 

 more honty from the Italians, and not one of 

 the black colonies swarmed. I have now Italian- 

 ized all, except eight, and will Italianize the rest 

 soon. 



We hear a great deal said about the Italian 

 bees not being superior to the blacks, and I know 

 a man who says so. He got two or three queens, 

 and no more. They soon ran out, and so he 

 condemns them. I think if his bees were all 

 Italians, he would soon see the diflFerence. 



Bees do not commence to swarm here as early 

 on the prairies, as they do near the timber ; but 

 afterwards I think they do better ; and I think 

 the honey is better, as we never have any bitter 

 honey here. 



I will describe the hive I use. It is one I crot 

 up myself, and is used by nearly all in this vici- 

 nity. The lower part is made of li inch lumber, 

 planed on both sides. It is fifteen inches square 

 inside, and has ten frames. The inside is rabet- 

 ted down at top | inch, so that when the frames 

 are in, and the frame that the boxes set on, the 

 edge comes up so as to keep the little boxes in 

 place. I make a frame ^ inch thick to go on the 

 top of the frames around the edge and across the 

 middle each way, so the boxes will rest on it and 

 it will be tight. I do not nail the bottom board 

 to the hive. I use four boxes each 5 inches high 

 and 6f inches each way, so it is square. The top 

 and bottom of the box is wood J-inch thick, with 

 four corner posts | inch grooved for the glass to 

 set in. The bees begin to work in the box soon, 

 as there is no honey-board, and the passage is so 

 direct that they keep up the heat early in the 

 spring and late in the fall. If you do not wish 

 to have the bees go into the boxes they can be 

 turned over. The top of the hive is made of 

 inch stuff, and the body of the hive is rabbetted, 

 so the top part sets on and the rain cannot get 

 in. When the hive is all complete with hooks, 

 handles, and painted, it costs about $1 50 for 

 material, and a carpenter can make two per day. 

 The frames are Langstroth's. Bees will winter 

 first rate in this hive, as the frames are 11^ inches 



deep. The frames are, top with rib to guide the 

 bees to build straight combs ^ inch wide and ^ 

 inch tluck ; sides ^ inch wide and ^ inch thick; 

 bottom J inch wide and ^ inch thick. In open- 

 ing the hive, take off" top and boxes, then the 

 frame that the boxes set on ; then push the 

 frames, and they are easily taken out. 



The honey with the box I have described, sells 

 in Chicago at thirty-five cents per pound. 



I have wintered my bees on their summer 

 stands for a number of winters, and they always 

 came out all right. 



I have taken the Bee Journal from the com- 

 mencement, and think it a great help. 



H. Chaffee. 



ToLONO, Oct. 3, 1869. 



[For the American Bee .Journal.] 



Letter from New Hampshire. 



Mk. Editor : — I like the suggestion that we 

 are to have ages, pursuits, and other facts of in- 

 terests in regard to prominent beekeepers, not 

 only of the present period, but of past times'. It 

 would no doubt be gri^tifying to many to have 

 short biographical sketches, from time to time, 

 until the leading apiarians of the past are record- 

 ed in a prominent form in the Journal. 



Enclosed is a photograph of your humble ser- 

 vant, who bought his first swarm of bees on the 

 day he was eighteen years of age, sand has been 

 in the bee business thirteen summers since that 

 time. And, by the way, I wish to remark that 

 most of those of my acquaintance, who are 

 largelj^ interested in bee culture, are young men; 

 and those who do not see any improvement or 

 undervalue the Italian bee, are generally older 

 men. A few weeks ago I encountered a man 

 apparently fifty years of age, who said he be- 

 lieved the Italian bees were all a humbug, and 

 no better than the natives ; that they would turn 

 out like the Rohan potato ; with other similar 

 disparaging remarks. I told him that ten years' 

 trial had only served to establish their reputation 

 and increase the demand for their dissemination; 

 that I had this season sent one hundred queens 

 to one man in Pennsylvania; besides numerous 

 others to parties throughout the northern and 

 some of the southern States. "Yes," said he, 

 "distance lends enchantment to the view'; any- 

 thing seems to be better, if you have to send a 

 good way for it." I soon learned that he com- 

 menced beekeeping a few years ago with great 

 expectations of profits, with a small outlay of 

 time, money, or talents. This has been a poor 

 season, and he has become discouraged. 



In this section, and so far as I can learn, 

 throughout New England, there has been but 

 little surplus honey stored this season. Cold 

 weather has been the cause of this. There was 

 a great abundance of white clover, but when in 

 blossom the cold prevented the secretion of honey. 

 I managed to get about twenty-five pounds of 

 honey per colony, by using a machine and pre- 

 venting the production of new swarms. If those 

 of our friends who have too many bees, and too 

 little honey, will follow the suggestion on page 

 88 of the October number of the Bee Journal, 

 and use a machine for extra<;ting the hofney, they 



