The American Apiculturist. 



% Journal bcbottb ia gradual ^wlictprng. 



EXTKRKD AT THE POST-OFFICE, WKNHAM, AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER. 

 Published Monthlj-. Henry Alley, Maxager. 



VOL. VI. WENHAM, MASS., MARCH i, 1888. 



No. 3. 



We deal in flrst-clnss npiari- 1 Established in 18S3. Terms : I Any yearly snbscribev is en- 



an siipiilies ol";ill kinds, lowest | 75 cents per rear, 50 cents per | titled to one of our selected 



prices. Prompt -Uipment. six months, 25 cents i)er three I rpieens anytime between June 1 



I months. Cash in advance. | and Oct. l", by remitting 75 cts. 



Address all communications, AMERICAN" APICULTITRIST, 'Wenham, Mass. 



For the American ApicuUurist. 



PRACTICAL HINTS TO 

 BEEKEEPERS. 



By R. L. Taylor. 



GENERAL REMARKS LEARN BY EX- 

 PERIENCE HIVES CONTRAC- 

 TION CHAFF-HIVES A FAILURE 



WINTERING BEES IN-DOORS 



SPREADING BROOD EARLY PREP- 

 ARATIONS, ETC., ETC. 



As our copy book used to have 

 it, " there are many men of man_y 

 minds," so while we ma}' liave 

 "hints" from numerous experi- 

 enced beekeepers, no one can be 

 debarred from using his own judg- 

 ment. One must please himself, 

 but to d© that he must think for 

 himself. The ablest and most ex- 

 perienced differ among themselves 

 in all departments of bee culture 

 and they are liUely to do so to the 

 end. Their different mental char- 

 acteristics and different circum- 

 stances are suited only with hives 

 and other ap{)liances of different 

 sizes and patterns, and as one kind 

 of hive pleases only a portion of this 

 class it is not to be supposed that 

 any one kind is best for all who are 

 as yet without extended experi- 

 encfe. Nevertheless, the recommen- 

 dations and reasons of the former 

 class are of great value to the lat- 

 ter. Let these consider the recom- 

 mendations, study and compare 

 the reasons of those and then de- 



cide what is best for themselves 

 individually. 



LEARN BY EXPERIENCE. 



The novice in beekeeping should 

 beware of attempting at first to 

 manage many colonies. Two or 

 three are enough. There are many 

 things in the business that can on- 

 ly be learned satisfactorily by ex- 

 perience ; and the fruit of experi- 

 ence is profitably garnered only 

 amid comparative leisure. Thus 

 the requirements of the right man- 

 agement of bees are well learned in 

 detail and the operator reaches a 

 position where he may intelligently 

 decide what must be the character- 

 istics of the hive which will best 

 suit his turn. 



HIVES. 



With many colonies to manage 

 for the production of comb honey 

 I find best for my use a hive tliat is 

 light, easily handled without disar- 

 ranging the combs, and admitting 

 of ready contraction both for early 

 spring use and also for securing 

 the white honey in the sections and 

 for this latter purpose the contrac- 

 tion must be effected without shut- 

 ting the bees out of a part of its 

 top surface. These requirements 

 can be satisfied only by a sectional 

 brood-chamber. A double-walled 

 hive for suumier use is, in in}- judg- 

 ment, out of the question. 



So far as m^' experience goes, the 



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