78 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Langstroth hive ; and it still remained a Lang- 

 strotli hive, even with such change of arrange- 

 ment. 



We do object to making the movable frames 

 laterally a fixture, for nothing is gained by it. 

 Why tie together the fingers of your hand when 

 whatever can be done with them thus tied, can 

 be done with them separate, and many things 

 in addition utterly impracticable otherwise ? 

 Originally both frames and bars were thus per- 

 manently fixed, but the advantage of liberating 

 them was soon perceived, and the marvel now 

 is that thej'" were not at first made free. Boys 

 may use bladdefs when learning to swim, but 

 will never become experts in the natatory art, 

 if they adhere to those supporters permanently. 



As regards hives, the more simple they are the 

 better. All you really want is a box — whether 

 square or oblong, flat or tall — to receive, enclose, 

 and support the frames. The top, the honey- 

 board, and the frames should be movable. The 

 bottom may fie movable or not, at the option of 

 the operator. All beyond or beside this only 

 complicates matters, without superadding any 

 advantage. We have observed, however, that 

 fancy and habit have as much to do with fixing 

 preferences in bee-culture as in other pursuits ; 

 and that assiduous practice afterwards, even 

 with ill-adapted means, enables the bee-keeper to 

 get along very satisfactorily to himself, and often 

 with tolerable success. IJives, too, are frequent- 

 ly contrived or selected in accordance with pre- 

 conceived notions, in the expectation that the 

 bees will conform to our whims. This has al- 

 ways been a general error Avith those who aimed 

 at producing something superior to the common 

 cottage hive, instead of studying the natural 

 habits and wants of the bee, and then set king to 

 adapt their inventions or modifications thereto. 

 A large majority of the model hives in the Patent 

 Office plainly indicate that of their authors, many 

 really knew little about bees, and others resorted 

 to ingenious efibrts to evade or circumvent the 

 patented claims of meritorious inventors. In 

 this regard, however, demonstrations of inge- 

 nuity are by no means confined to the sphere of 

 bee-culture. 



Another Bee Plant. 



The plant named below groAvs plentifully in 

 the marshy grounds on the borders of the East- 

 ern Branch of the Potomac (the iVnacostiii) at 

 Washington, and furnishes most valuable fall 

 jsasturage for bees, as it remains in full bloom 

 several weeks. Our bees are now busy on it, 

 and frequented it last year till the firet week in 



October. It is unfortunately an annual, and 

 may not furnish eciually abundant supplies 

 every year. The honey it jaelds is excellent 

 and well flavored. We enclosed a specimen 

 of the plant to Prof. T. C. Porter, of Lafay- 

 ette College, Easton, Pa., and have from him 

 the following in reply. 



" The plant you enclosed is Blclem; clirysniu 

 themoides, Michx. (Bur-Marygold). You will 

 find it in Gray's Manual. It is common in 

 swamps and along the muddy borders of 

 streams throughout the United States. I did 

 not know before that bees worked on it, and 

 will add it to my list of honey-bearing plants. 



If all the bee-keepers of the country were to 

 observe the plants frequented by bees, and 

 what they gather therefrom, and dry flowers 

 and leaves, however rudely, and send on those 

 specimens to the Bee Journal with their notes, 

 I could readily identify the plants ; and thus 

 very valuable material for a bee flora woidd 

 accumulate in a short time. Dried specimens 

 of plants, unaccompanied by writing, can be 

 sent by mail for a trifle." 



For the Ameiieaa Bee Journal. 



Swarms Deserting Brood. 



Mr. Editor : It has often been asserted that 

 a colony of bees would never desert a hive w'hen 

 brood was present in its various stages. Indeed, 

 I have always laid it down as a rule that sure in- 

 ducement for a new swarm to stay in their liive, 

 was to take a card of brood comb from a full hive 

 and put it in the new hive at the time of swarm- 

 ing. But I have a case in point to the contrary. 

 On the 10th day of July, I forced a swarm into 

 a new hive, and as I always do, inserted a card 

 of brood comb. At the time there were matur- 

 ing queen cells in the parent stock, and every- 

 thing appeared to be in the best condition. But 

 on the tliird day while a natural swarm A\'as in 

 the air, this forced one left its hive and joined the 

 one on the wing. Subsequently they both left 

 lor the woods. On examining the deserted hive, 

 I found new comb commenced, but almost wholly 

 destitute of bees. 



Has any other had like experience, and how 

 will we account lor the occurrence V 



B. S. HoxiE. 



CooKSviLLE, Wisconsin, Sept. 10, 1867. 



STW Inserting brood comb alone is not always 

 a preventive of desertion, especially if the brood 

 is nearly mature. Select a comb with unsealed 

 brood, add another containing honey, (or take 

 one containing both unsealed brood and honej^, ) 

 and supply the swarm Avith vrater, and it is not 

 at all Ukeiy to forsake its hive. — Ed. 



A Singular Case. 



I have a queen bee laying eggs Avliich do not 

 hatch. She is forty-eight daj's old, and cannot 

 fly. jAMEfc' M. Marvin. 



St. Charles, III. Sept. 9th, 1807. 



