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'J HE AMERICA* BEE- REEFER. 



Editor Am. Bee-Keeper, Dear 

 Sir: Our honey crop has been almost 

 an entire failure in this section of 

 Pennsylvania. This arose more from 

 tha fact that bees were not in a condi- 

 tion to take an advantage of the locust 

 and fruit bloom of which there was an 

 abundance and not a lack of nectar. 



But March kept exceedingly cold, 

 as did also the fore part of April. 

 This prevented breeding to a great 

 extent. Another thing I have experi- 

 enced here, viz: Bees breed faster 

 when new honey is coming in than 

 .when they are obliged to draw on 

 their sealed stores. Hence, in order 

 to get bees in the best possible condi- 

 tion for the fruit bloom, which comes 

 about the last week in April, lasting 

 until about the middle of May, and 

 the locust which follows suit, and last, 

 but not least, the white clover, which 

 comes on about June 1st, the past 

 season has proven most conclusively 

 to my mind, as well as to some others 

 in this vicinity, that we must resort 

 to stimulative feeding and protection, 

 the latter being best accomplished by 

 simply an outside case slipped down 

 over the hive proper. This case can 

 be made so as to be removed easily 

 and quickly, when it is warm or dur- 

 ing the day, and replaced when it is 

 cool or during the night. Thus the 

 hive is warmed up by the sun, and 

 the case when slipped on retairjs this 

 warmth, where, as in the chaff packed 

 hive, the sun does not usually shine 

 long enough to warm it through until 



the cold air coming on the outside 

 conducts it away again, and the aver- 

 age colony of bees do not generate 

 sufficient heat in the spring to pro- 

 mote early breeding to the greatest 

 possible extent, consequently heat 

 must be applied to them, and this is 

 not leasable with a chaff packed hive, 

 and here I think is where the mistake 

 is made, in trying to retain heat that 

 actually is not there, instead of letting 

 it in from the outside, when the sun 

 is shining, and retaining it by slipping 

 on a case. Lowry Johnson. 



Maspntown, Pa., Xov. 9. 



[We consider your points very well 

 taken, Friend Johnson. It was with 

 these ideas in view that we determined 

 to consti net our Thin Walled Hive 

 and Winter Case, and they fulfill 

 every requirement that you suggest. 

 The case is easily and quickly removed 

 and the Thin Walled Hive allows the 

 heat of the sun to quickly penetrate 

 to the interior. — Ed.] 



Editor Am. Bee-Keeper, Dear 

 Sir : You have sent me the Bee- 

 Keepei several times without any pay, 

 and I like its contents very much and 

 enclose herewith 50c for a years sub- 

 scription. 



I would like to know what kind of 

 bee would make the most honey? I 

 have had the Italians and they ale not 

 as good as the bumble bees, for they 

 will make enough during the summer 

 to keep them over winter. The Ital- 

 ians make a great show, but they didn't 

 make honey enough to last them a 

 month. Are the Carniolans any 

 better ? Please answer in the Bee- 

 Keeper. 



I bought $100.00 worth last year 

 and lost the whole lot, and then I 



bought $60.00 worth of . I 



sent for Italians and he sent me every- 



