1907.] THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 215 



fire. Take two combs out of one than perpendicular. This variation 

 side of the brood chamber and hang from an exact circular form may be 

 these cans in the vacant place. Make influenced slightly by the stores of 

 a hole in the upper edge of the cans honey being above but it is caused 

 to hang them by. Hang them on a mainly by the attraction of gravita- 

 tack driven into the side of the top tion causing their warmth to rise un- 

 bar of the brood frame which is next til it strikes the amassed bees at the 

 to the vacant space. When the cans upper edge of the cluster and this 

 hang on these tacks their sides will causes the warmth to drift in a side- 

 rest against the comb with the open wise direction, since the lower part 

 top of the can a little lower than the of the cluster of bees is not compact- 

 upper edge of the brood frames. Lay ed but loosely festooned. The colder 

 two or three one-fourth inch sticks the weather is, the longer and more 

 on top of the brood frames so that the slim this ellipse will be, and the warm- 

 bees can pass over the top bars, under er the weather, the more circular. If 

 the quilts, to reach the cans of feed, the cluster was an ellipse with its 

 Before pouring in feed put in each longest diameter standing perpendic- 

 can eight to ten sticks the size ot ularly the brood at the lowest part 

 slate pencils and long enough to would be very much colder than that 

 stand up endwise in the can. Do not in the upper part and in consequence 

 use excelsior or any similar material, the shape of the cluster of bees 

 else bees will get tangled in it and changes so as to hold and distribute 

 drown when feed is poured in. In the warmth as though it was confined 

 this feeder bees will work all night, beneath an umbrella, thus rendering 

 no matter how cold the weather is. close clustering unnecessary over the 

 They will cluster in the cans also, lower half of the sphere of bees and 

 keeping one another warm, while re- brood. Under ordinary conditions 

 moving the feed. The feed should be in full colonies, we find this ellipse 

 warm when put in. By pushing the to be about one-fourth longer than it 

 cover a small distance and raising the is in depth, which, computed in inches, 

 quilt slightly feed can be given with- is about 12 inches in lateral dimen- 

 out the least disturbance to the bees, sions and 9 inches in perpendicular. 

 If the cover sticks to the quilt scrape or depth. 



all the propolis ofif and put a little As I said in the fore part of this 



butter on it. article, if the feed we give our bees 



We may place feed on the bottom causes them to make much headway 

 board of the hive and the bees will there must be a crowded condition 

 be slow to take it but on the combs produced to an extent that they will 

 above the case is dififerent. This realize that there is need of their do- 

 season at a time when honey was ing some expanding in both brood 

 very abundant in the flowers I spilled rearing and comb building. Likewise 

 a quantity of thick honey on the bot- we seldom find a man making addi- 

 tom board of a hive and it was there tions to his graineries and corncribs 

 undisturbed two or three days later, while his supplies only promise to be 

 But where I had broken several large sufficient for daily needs. When 

 burr combs and released a large breeding up early in the season, the 

 amount of thick honey on the top of bees and queen are careful and per- 

 the top bars it was gathered up in a sistent in not overreaching this 12- 

 few minutes. It indicates that there inch length of brood circle or brood- 

 is more advantage in arranging a nest proper, and in case a frame is 

 feeder at the upper part of their used which has a length of 17 inches, 

 combs and in close proximity to their as in the Langstroth hive, the vacant 

 stores. space must be occupied with honey. 



Although a colony of bees will form Four combs will require about 12 



its cluster more or less after the shape pounds to be used in dummylike fash- 



of a globe the space occupied with inn before the feed given can exert 



brood in each comb is more elliptical the necessary stimulative effect upon 



than circular and its greatest diameter the bees. For one colony, 12 pounds 



lies in the horizontal direction, rather is not a great amount, but when ap- 



