THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



55 



writer predicts that this trade will 

 largely increase for many years to 

 come. 



As to the best race of bees, the sub- 

 ject has been largely discussed, every 

 writer having his favorite; but so far, 

 the Italians, by a large majority, 

 have claimed the greatest number of 

 admirers. 



Now, friends, as the successful 

 mailing of queens over long journeys 

 is now a surety, so should they be as 

 safely introduced. The introduction 

 of queens is seemingly a hackneyed 

 subject; but so long as we lose, just so 

 long must we try to evade that loss. 

 With the editor's permission, I will 

 £reat of that subject in a future 

 article. 



Lavaca, Ark. 



Box Hives in Florida. 



BY MRS. L. HARRISON. 



In reference to the advantages of 

 plain and modern hives over box 

 hives, a little experience from those 

 who have used them for many years 

 may not come amiss. In visiting a 

 neat little apiary of 40 colonies, the 

 owner said: "I have been a bee- 

 keeper for 40 years, but my bees 

 never increased from four or five col- 

 onies until I got the patent hives." 

 The reason no doubt was that by using 

 the modern hives he had control of 

 the combs and could see into the in- 

 terior of the hives and find out what 

 was necessary to preserve the life of 

 his colonies. It is customary for 

 those using box hives to lift them in 

 the fall and those not having sufficient 

 stores to last them until spring are 

 "taken up." In this way many young 

 and vigorous queens are destroyed; 

 and as it is the old ones that leave 



with the swarms aud die of old age, 

 before the following spring many 

 colonies perish and no increase is 

 gained. 



Where I have been residing in 

 Florida, I have visited all apiaries 

 within reach, and yesterday I saw 

 one of a dozen colonies, all in tall aud 

 narrow box hives made from the 

 heavy pitch-pine. The proprietor 

 stated that he tried movable frame 

 hives, but they were too much trouble 

 and he had abandoned them. The 

 honey was taken from the top of the 

 hives or secured in a surplus box of 

 the diameter of the hive. There is 

 no available market for the honey 

 thus obtained and they have all they 

 want for family use. They have some 

 now that is two years old. It was St, 

 Patrick's Day (March 17th) and the 

 bees were working upon fruit bloom, 

 and I never saw heavier loads of 

 honey and pollen carried in — they 

 fairly tumbled over one another to 

 gain admittance to the hive. Peaches, 

 pears and dewberries were in full 

 bloom, and in wet lands the tie-tie 

 bush. 



Since January I have been visiting 

 many points in and around St. An- 

 drews Bay in search of apiaries, and 

 though I found a few colonies here 

 and there, I have not seen an Italian 

 bee, but I have seen movable frame 

 hives in a number of apiaries. 

 St. Andrews Bay, Fla., March 18. 



We are in receipt of a copy of the pro- 

 ceedings at the tenth anniversary of the 

 Philadelphia Bee Keepers' Association, held 

 January 23. . The present officers of the 

 association are Dr. H. Townsend, president; 

 Henry M. Twining, vice president; F. Hah- 

 mann, secretary and treasurer; Miss Dora 

 Davidson, librarian. 



