No. 4.] BEE KEEPING. 379 



a "spaced " frame, and where propolizing is heavy, it is a delight. The 

 new frame manufactured to be used with "tin spacers," but used with- 

 out the tins or the "unspaced frame," has been very satisfactory to 

 the writer. 



Section Boxes. 

 In connection with types of hives, we would say that the 4 by 5 

 or other oblong section is promising to market better than the square 

 section. Ask a merchant which of these two sell the better, and his 

 usual reply is the oblong. "It looks larger," say his customers. 

 iEsthetically speaking, an oblong is more pleasing than a square, 

 which doubtless has its unconscious influence on the trade. 



Vigor op the Stock. 



Correlated with the size of the hive are the virtue and value of a vig- 

 orous stock. If you have colonies which are healthy, but unprolific and 

 lacking vigor, the queens had best be killed and be succeeded by some 

 young, prolific blood. But in a cramped hive, say a box or even eight- 

 frame hive, the most prolific queen may fail to bring results in terms of 

 honey, simply because she has not room. Give the same colony ten or 

 more frames to breed up on, and you may not believe your eyes; you 

 may question that it is the same queen. 



Dr. Kirkland, in the "Ohio Farmer," Dec. 12, 1857, upon transferring 

 from box hives three colonies, of which "the first had not swarmed in 

 two years; the second had long ceased to manifest any industry; and 

 the other had never swarmed," says: "Within twenty-four hours each 

 colony began to labor with far greater activity than any of my old 

 stock. ... I have now no stronger colonies than these." 



Where breeding for queens, no pains should be spared in selecting for 

 the most vigorous prolific stock possible. We believe it worthy to dis- 

 regard looks, color, size, markings and even gentleness, if necessary in 

 order to get a race which will have vitality, vigor and prolificness. 

 This will usually mean honey-gathering qualities as well. Select for a 

 strain of honey bees, not, as has been the policy, for "handsome" bees. 



To those who are interested in breeding queens, we suggest that 

 they send to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 

 Office, Washington, D. C., for the fullest account of the methods 

 employed which has yet been published. The title is: Bulletin No. 

 55, Bureau of Entomology, The Rearing of Queen Bees. By Dr. 

 E. F. Phillips. Price 5 cents. 



Wintering. 

 This problem, while not directly pertinent to the progress of bee 

 keeping, has a direct influence on success or failure. Most of the bee 

 keepers of Massachusetts consider the problem only in terms of "luck" 

 and "bad luck," instead of reasoning intelligently the conditions for 

 successful wintering. In our paper in the Crop Report for 1904, 



