26 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



number of such hives can be packed in 

 little space. 



I do not think it practical to use 

 closed-end frames inside of box-enclos- 

 ures, the way we use the hanging frame. 

 We want the closed-end frames so tliat 

 we can separate any two frames by run- 

 ning a knife between the end-bars. This 

 cannot be done so readily where the 

 frames are inside of a box held by 

 thumb screws or wedges. 



The advantages of such a hive need 

 no comment. I should like to hear 

 from others who have experimented in 

 this line. Let us go a little slow before 

 we make kindling wood of our ''Simplic- 

 ity" frames. 



State Line, Ind. 



P. H. ElwooJ says " closed end frames 

 have come to stay."' So they have — a box 

 to insert closed end frar.ie? for the purpose 

 of holding them in place is a nuisance. 

 The frames in tlie closed- end Bay State 

 hive are held in place by bojirds at side 

 of frames and two iron rods with thumb- 

 nuts at each end bind them firmly. — Ed.] 



MEMORY IN BEES. 



I was living in a town where I knew 

 some few bees were kept, and I chanced 

 to have some comb from which the 

 honey had drained ; and so, instead of 

 being greedy, and squeezing out all I 

 could get, I determined to give a feed 

 all around to such bees as chose to 

 accept my invitation to dinner. Thi s 

 invitation I gave by opening the window, 

 and putting the honey on the sill. In 

 about hay an hour some foragers found 

 it out ; they helped themselves, and 

 carried back the good news to the 

 sisters in the hive. In the course of the 

 morning my room was literally swarming 

 with bees, and I need not tell you, as 

 they are grateful creatures, that they 

 did not meddle with me, but, as I sat 

 at my books, repaid me for my treas- 

 ure with their sweet music. 



In the afternoon, they were satisfied, 

 at least for the day, and dropped off, 

 one by one, without doing any injury. 



There is nothing strange in all this ; 

 but now comes the interesting part of the 



story : I myself got up the next morn- 

 ing, sometime before the bees are 

 usually stirring, and,*as I went to my 

 window (it was in Sei)tember) to see 

 the first rays of tlie sun in the eastern 

 sky, I was much surprised, and not a 

 little delighted, to see a number of bees 

 wIto had remembered and been grate- 

 ful for the dinner tiie day before, wait- 

 ing for me to let them in to a similar 

 breakfast. 



As some of the honey was left, you 

 cannot doubt but that I complied with 

 their wish, wliich was clear enough to 

 me, though they had no tongue to ex- 

 press it. I opened the window ; the 

 room was soon filled ; they cleared the 

 combs of honey, and then went orderly 

 away. 



They haunted my windows for several 

 mornings after, though I had no more 

 honey to give them. This is, I think, 

 a pretty strong instance of memory in 

 bees. — Spare Moments. 



Tlie above illustrates how easy it is to 

 set a wliolu apiary to robbing. We have 

 often had rea.son to reuret the fact that 

 bees have a ijood memory. Carelessness 

 and forjietfulness in leavini; small pieces 

 of honey near the apiary, have caused us no 

 little trouble. One ounce of honey left 

 where the bees will have access to it af- 

 ter the harvest is over, will sometimes 

 set the bees crazy. — Ed.] 



NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. 



I cannot refrain from saying that this 

 meeting was one of the best, if not the 

 best, in enthusiasm, good-natured ban- 

 ter, in attendance, in the practical cXvax- 

 acter of the discussions, in the character 

 of the men and zvomen who went ; and 

 last, but not least, in the business done, 

 and recommendations made — in the 

 history of the Association ; and I hope 

 this is only a side-show of the good 

 titnes coming, when the Association 

 shall be incorporated under the laws of 

 Illinois, and when the membership, in- 

 stead of its present floating character, 

 shall be permanent, with a long list of 

 life-inembers and annual members, who 

 will keep up their dues, whether pres- 

 ent or not. — R.J. Root, inGleanings. 



