Tllb: AMERICAN BKK JOtJJlNAL. 



157 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY, 18G8. 



SI^^TiiE Ameiucan Bee JouKNAii is now 

 pubiishcd monthly, in tlic City of Washington, 

 (D. C.,) lit $3 per annum. All communications 

 should bo addressed to the Editor, at that place. 



E^°Though we have given up nearly all our 

 space in this number to our correspondents, we 

 have still a large supply of communications on 

 hand unused, v,iiich shall have early attention. 

 There is manifestly a rapidly growing interest 

 in bee culture being developed in almost all sec- 

 tions of the country. We trust it may conduce 

 to a corresponding increase of our subscription 

 list, so that the Bee Journal may be adequately 

 and permauentlj' sustained. Yie should have 

 not only correspondents, but subscribers also, 

 in every town or township in the Union. 



tWWe greatly regret to state that a return of 

 the disease with which he has been for many 

 years sorely afllictcd, will prevent Mr. Lang- 

 stroth, for the present, from furnishing our read- 

 ers with the account of his experiments in win- 

 tering bees in the ope a air, which his article on 

 that subject, given the last number of the Bee 

 Journal, led us to expect. » 



NEW PUBLICATIONS.- 

 We have received from the author, D. L. 

 Adair, of Hawesville, (Ky.), a copy of his "-New 

 Syatera of Bee-keeping^ adapted to the TiahiU and 

 cliaractcrisiics of the Honey Bce^ loith descriptions 

 of and directions for managing bees in the Section 

 Hive.'''' From the cursory examination we have 

 been able to give it, it appears to contain, under 

 distinct heads, much information serviceable to 

 beginners in practical beeculture; but we have 

 not had leisure to examine the "new system," 

 or acquaint ourselves with the peculiarities of 

 the "section liive." Mr. Adair is known to 

 our read(!r3 as a contributor to the Bee Jour- 

 JTAL. See advertisement. 



A copy of the '■'Illustrated Annual Registr of 

 Rural Affairs for 1868," has been sent to us by 

 the publishers. Luther Tucker & Son, of the 

 •'Country GentlemaV;^'' Albany, N. Y. It con- 

 tains a large number and great variety of amply 

 illustrated articles, interesting and useful to 

 Farmers, Fruit Growers, Gardeners, and House- 

 keepers in general. This annual has now been 

 published fourteen years. A complete set would 

 be a valuable addition to any farmer's library. 



We have, also, received from the Prairie Far- 

 mer Company, Chicago, 111., a copy of the 

 '■'■Prairie Fanner Annual for 1808," being the 

 first of an intended Western series of this class 

 of publications. It is well printed, handsomelv 

 illustrated, and presents some new features — 

 such as the Agricultural and Horticultural Di- 

 rectory — which enhance its value. 



[For tho AmnriCHn Bee Journal.] 



Patent Hives. 



Mr. Editor: — T suppose that as I am not sel- 

 ling queens, or in the patent hive business, I 

 have a right to say what I clioose about patent 

 hives, ice. To begin, v/e have the Lee hive, the 

 Langstroth, the American, the Kidder, tlie Flan- 

 ders, d'c., A:c. Each agent says that his is the 

 best. The Lee agent is selling rights at live dol- 

 lars, with every part of the patent left out. But 

 people must be humbugged; so I suppose he 

 thinks he must do his share. The Langstroth 

 agent has not been in the business for quite a 

 while Why Mr. Langstroth does not furnish 

 his agents witli some other form of hive, besides 

 the broad shallow things that I have seen, is 

 more than I can understand. He certainly 

 ought to know by this time that they are good 

 for nothing in the hands of most becskecpers. I 

 have examine.d any quantity of those hives, and 

 I never yal found a single colony with the combs 

 ])uilt right; and moths by the thousand in them. 

 The American or King hive has i'fs slanting bot- 

 tom board, which is out of date j-ears ago; the 

 nucleus swarming apparatus, which takes tliree 

 or four days to perform what any person ought 

 to perform in tifteen minutes; and then the 

 fram-es fixed permanently at equal distances — a 

 verj^ bad feature in any hive, thrown aside by 

 practical bee-keepers years ago; and then a cross 

 liar in the centre of each frame, oceup\'iug spaca 

 that ought to be occupied by brood in the breed- 

 ing season. The Kidder hive, too expensive al- 

 together, with fixtures about it tliat are of no 

 earthly use whatever. The Flanders hive is of 

 the same stripe. 



I give Mr. Langstroth the credit of introducing 

 the movable comb hive, and he ought to be paid 

 for it. 



What I Avant to tell new beginners is this— 

 you want a cheap, simple, movable comb hive. 

 (If anj- one is entitled to pay for using the frames, 

 it is Mr. Langslroth.) One and a half inches 

 from centre to centre of the frames, is the right 

 distance for the Italians. Black bees will allow 

 the frames a little closer. Let all the other hive 

 men whistle. Don't give tlicm your monc}'- for 

 nothing. This advice will cost you nothing. Of 

 course those who have got bit will hate to own 

 it; bul that neither makes it true or false. 



The reason whj' I %>"rite articles on the bee 

 i question is because.' my particular knowledge on 

 said ciuestion ouglil to l)e Avorth something to 

 [ the inexperienced towards helping them along; 

 I and T presume the editor is so posted that any 

 ; article that is not of some use he w.ll not insert 

 \ in the Journal. I certainly shall not be of- 

 ! fended if any of my articles are rejected. 



