188 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



October 



A NEW QUEEN CAGE AND 

 NURSERY. 



BY M. F. KEEVE. 



DR. C. J. MASSENGER, Collings- 

 wootl, N. J., exhibited his Perfec- 

 tion Separable Queen-rearing 

 Nursery at the outing of the Philadel- 

 phia Bee-keepers' Association, at the 

 apiary of H. Horner, on the outskirts of 

 Mt. Holly, N. J., on June 29th. It con- 

 sisted of a bar having fourteen holes, in 

 each of which was fitted a turned hollow 

 wooden plug, having a shoulder on 

 which could be slipped a spiral flexible 

 wire cage, double in the upper portion and 

 about four inches long, tapering to a 

 point. In this could be slipped a pistol 

 cartridge shell, capable of being with- 

 drawn to release a queen after hatching. 

 Each cage being seperable, could be 

 taken out by itself and inserted in any 

 colony by pressing a long wire point 

 projecting from the upper end sideways. 

 The entire sti-ing of fourteen cells could 

 be placed in a hive at once. He said, the 

 wax cells were made by warming wax 

 and pressing it into the wooden cups 

 and using the ordinary forming stick. 

 The larv£e could be transferred by any 

 method. He claimed 50 to 7.5 per cent. 

 would be accepted. 



After the cells were drawn out the 

 cages were put over them. The cartridge 

 cup was used as a feeder by being filled 

 with honey and sugar. Another advan- 

 tage claimed was in the double spiral. 



President Townsend exhibited the cups 

 and cells used in " Swarthmore's " sys- 

 tem and explained his separate cage for 

 young queens. 



Dr. Massenger said there was no dan- 

 ger of bees stinging through the wires 

 of his cage and that the purpose of 

 having the cells so long was to give the 

 young queens plenty of room. The cost 

 was $1.50 per frame. 



Mr. Horner exhibited a frame of cells 

 and wire cage used in the Pridgen plan 

 of queen-rearing by artificial cup sys- 

 tem of extracted larvaj, with cocoons 

 and also samples of the cup used. He 



used his nursery altogether in his busi- 

 ness of queen-rearing. He had nine 

 out of eighteen cells accepted, and his 

 best record was twenty-nine out of 

 thirty-six. He preferred to use only 

 one strip of cells to each frame, although 

 two or more could be put on. He showed 

 the process of shaving down very old 

 brood-comb containing larvae which he 

 preferred to other and newer comb, ex- 

 tiacting the larv;B and depositing them 

 in the bottom of each cup. He said 

 there was no necessity for using royal 

 jelly. The bees attended to that. The 

 objections by tlie members present to the 

 Pridgen cage were that the cells were 

 immovable and that Dr. Ma«senger's 

 were superior in being separable. It 

 was suggested that the taper in the wire 

 cells might be dispensed with and the 

 same size wooden plugs be inserted at 

 the bottom as at the top. 



Mr. Horner's apiary consisting of 

 ninety colonies, located on three ter- 

 races, many having two hive-bodies and 

 two supers, was inspected. He expects 

 to get a ton of extracted honey. He re- 

 queens every year; uses no oilcloth 

 covers, thereby avoiding propolis on the 

 frames, and no division boards, spacing 

 by hand. He prevents swarming by 

 giving plenty of room. Had only one 

 swarm this season. Most colonies W(>re 

 golden Italians. 



The visitors agreed that this was a 

 model apiary in every respect, particu- 

 larly neatness. 



Rutledge, Pa. 



There is no merit where there is no trial: 

 and till experience stamps the mark of 

 strength, cowards may pass for heroes and 

 faith for falsehood. — A. Hill. 



AUTUMN PASTURAGE. 



KY HESSIE L. PUTNAM. 



THE economical stock-rai.'^er makes) 

 use of the fresh growths in- 

 duced by autumn rains, thereby 

 saving his stored fodder and hay 

 until this supply is cut off, or at least 

 damaged. The skillful bee-keeper,while 



t 



