106 



est in bees, I began a course of experi- 

 ments to see whether bees could be 

 compelled to build worker comb only be- 

 tween the patterns. As they were not 

 getting sufficient natural supplies to in- 

 duce them to build new combs, the colo- 

 nies were plentifully fed. Some frames 

 with starters of foundation were given 

 to them, being placed between the pat- 

 terns. These were filled out with new 

 comb, every cell of which was of worker 

 size. Some frames more than two-thirds 

 filled with foundation were given, but 

 without being placed between the pat- 

 terns, and quite a large number of drone 

 cells were built. While these experi- 

 ments were not made upon a sufficient 

 scale to fully settle the question that 

 bees will always take kindly to frames 

 placed between patterns, if furnished 

 with artificial comb foundation starters, 

 they strongly point that way, and seem 

 very nearly to prove that bees will never 

 build any but worker combs between 

 such patterns. 



It is evident that they have no room 

 to build between the patterns drone 

 cells of the proper depth, and they seem 

 unwilling to build cells with drone 

 diameter, unless they can also give them 

 the drone depth. Mr. Robert Bickford 

 recommends, in the Journal, this plan 

 for making bees build only worker comb, 

 and gives the same distances between 

 the patterns (which he thought might be 

 made of wire-cloth) as I gave many 

 years before for the wooden ones. He 

 does not seem to have been aware that 

 the device had been used for securing 

 straight combs, and that the wire-cloth 

 patterns were first suggested by Mr. 

 Nesbit. Wooden patterns are far 

 cheaper, and every way more desirable. 

 Made in the way I gave in 1861, they will 

 always retain their proper shape. Some 

 of my old ones were used last summer 

 as playthings by my grand children, and 

 after being left out for months in the 

 sun, rain and dew were as true as when 

 first nailed together. The time spent 

 in putting them in and taking them out 

 is small when compared with their ad- 

 vantages—and not as great as what must 

 be spent on any other plan to secure, per- 

 fectly straight combs — to say nothing of 

 the vexations experienced in trying to 

 prevent the bees from building drone 

 combs, or in utilizing them after they 

 are built. 



It is a curious fact, that I cannot re- 

 member that I ever associated the pat- 

 terns with the building of worker combs 

 •only. As far as I know, the merit con- 

 necting the two ideas belongs to Mr. 

 Bickford. Is this another instance of 

 •' building better than he knew V" 



Oxford, O., January, 1879. 



For trie American Bee Journal. 



Two Old Books on Bee Culture. 



BY PROF. A. J. COOK. 



I have just read with much interest 

 and pleasure what I suppose were among 

 the first American books treating of 

 apiculture. The earliest by James 

 Thatcher, M. D., Plymouth, Mass., en- 

 titled "Management of Bees, 1 ' published 

 in 1829. The other, by Jerome S. C. 

 Smith, M. D., "Essay on the Honey 

 Bee," appeared in 1831. This last was 

 the first book on apiculture owned and 

 read by Mr. Langstroth ; the other was 

 the first valuable work possessed by this 

 greatest American apiarist. The style 

 of both books is admirable ; the spirit 

 greatly to be admired ; while not the 

 least interesting part, is that which 

 shows how many of the leading facts 

 of apiculture were well known even 

 sixty years ago. 



The preface of Thatcher's work is 

 copied verbatim, without credit, by E. 

 Townley, in his book on bees. This 

 is suggestive in view of the fact 

 that Townley was one of those who de- 

 posed that he anticipated Mr. Langstroth 

 in the invention of the movable frame 

 hive. 



This work of Thatcher's in style, ac- 

 curacy, and the real scientific ability 

 displayed, is superior to many modern 

 works. The author seems well ac- 

 quainted with the works of Huber, 

 Huisch, Schirach, Reim, Bonnet, etc. 

 The use of pollen, the function and de- 

 velopment of the queen, the fact of fer- 

 tile workers, are all accurately given. 

 He tells how to stop robbing, speaks of 

 various bee plants, and praises migno- 

 nette, as long in bloom, rich in nectar, 

 and as furnishing superior honey. By 

 experiment, he found that worker bees 

 would fast five days, then die, while the 

 queen would live a little longer. He 

 also proved that bees would build comb 

 with no food but honey. He said cells 

 are always same size (?) and that the 

 edge of the comb is always towards the 

 entrance^?) He found that giving room 

 was not enough to always prevent 

 swarming, and repeats the old stereo- 

 typed error that the queen leads in 

 swarming, and that young bees at once 

 repair to the field to gather stores. 

 Light is made of the ringing of bells, 

 etc., to detain absconding swarms, and 

 the applying of nostrums to make the 

 hive agreeable to the bees. Detailed 

 methods are given for uniting, driving:, 

 and making artificial colonies. He 

 states that large colonies, good and suf- 

 ficient stores and uniform temperature, 

 are the requisites to safe wintering, and 



