THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



67 



check several pieces in the different pa- 

 pers coming to my deslv for a second 

 and very often a tliird reading or re- 

 view. 



A gentleman lias ordered of me one 

 dozen swarmers, saying, •■' If the 

 s warmers aid me one-half as much as 

 Alley's traps have they will do all 1 

 ask." More will be tempted to start 

 ont apiaries now that we have a de- 

 vice tliat will relieve onr minds of the 

 " pesky " swarming bnsiness. 



Very often one man's hatred for an- 

 other will cause him to'' run down " a 

 device or method, or implements of 

 real practical merit. We slunild re- 

 member that from the enemy we learn 

 tactics. " Patience is a virtue." One 

 must possess a generous amount of 

 that commodity in a queen-rearing 

 yard at times. 



Come to think of it, my bees were 

 sipping snow water from off the caps 

 some three weeks ago, undoubtedly 

 for the purpose of brood-rearing, as I 

 had not fed them anything before that 

 time. By the way, Bro. Alley, your 

 rebuke about "rock candy feed" is 

 refreshing. If beekeei^ers want to 

 starve their bees in that wa^^ let them 

 do it. 



This life is a constant warfare. If 

 it isn't over swarmers, it is over some- 

 thing else. Why can I not put in a 

 claim also for your swarmer, Brother 

 Alley. If you remember, I sent you 

 a swarming device sometime ago. But 

 for goodness' sake don't rake it out. 

 It would make me shudder to behold 

 its skeleton-like form. 



Few breeders seem to realize that 

 we have mating ever under con- 

 trol by manipulating the entrances. 

 There should be no drones in the air 

 while young queens are flying, but 

 those selected from the best stocks, 

 either distributed through the nuclei 

 or all in one hive. Of these there 



should be great numbers, both strong 

 and healthy. 



I shall practise feeding flour inside 

 the hive this spring after the Russian 

 plan, viz. : sift flour into the cells until 

 about one-fourth full, till up one-fourth 

 more with powdered sugar and run 

 syrui) of sugar and hone}' into the bal- 

 ance. After the flour and sugar are 

 well saturated, place the comb close 

 up to the brood-nest. Renew the 

 operation in a few daj's. 



'■'•Queen Restrictor" is the inven- 

 tion receiving attention by Mr. Chas. 

 W. Dayton of Bradford, Iowa. By 

 the use of strips of excluding metal 

 attached to end, top and bottom bars, 

 the queen is confined to as many 

 combs as desired without the use of 

 regular divisions or honey-boards. 

 Two or more frames being attached, 

 reversing can be easily done. It is 

 contraction in itself. 



Perhaps we could suggest a few im- 

 provements in your nursery cage, 

 Brother Alley. Send us one and see 

 if we can. I have in mind an entirely 

 new device for nursing. After an- 

 other season I shall publish it, if of 

 enough note. Can't you remember 

 how 3'ou used to sit up nights waiting 

 for queens to hatch by the old meth- 

 ods? There is yet chance for ira- ' 

 provements. 



We doiil)t it. Have exi)eviniented in the queen- 

 nnrseiy line lor twenty-five years. So far as we 

 need a nursery, ours is a perfect one.— Ed.] 



Wide top-bars and drone-traps. 



Jjancaster, Mar. 

 Mr. Alley: 



10, 1890. 



I am now using the Langs- 

 troth hive with portico. I wish to try 

 your Langstroth frames. I am using 

 the common narrow top-bar frames 

 and I do not hke them. You will find 

 enclosed twelve cents in postage for 

 which please mail me a sample of 

 your Langstroth frames. 



