THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



improvements that are being made 

 in bee-culture every day in the year. 



At a convention held in Kansas 

 a few weeks ago, the subject of re- 

 versing hives, etc., was discussed. 

 One speaker stated that he had tried 

 re/ersing the lower story and found 

 it a bad practice, and a neighbor who 

 had tried reversing met with like re- 

 sults, and so a vote was taken which 

 " resulted unanimously " against the 

 practice of reversing hives and 

 frames. 



Why should a few persons condemn 

 a practice, of which they know noth- 

 ing, on the mere statement of the ex- 

 perience or inexperience of only two 

 persons ? All but one member voted 

 against a practice of which they knew 

 nothing as far as personal experi- 

 ence goes. Don't go too fast, friends. 



"It is just as natural for bees to 

 swarm as it is for birds to build nests 

 and to I'ear their young. Tliis is the 

 vfVKj Providence provided for bees that 

 they might not become extinct. But 

 I know by experience that bees placed 

 in a rightly constructed hive, with a 

 certain number of cubic inches to fit 

 its colony in the brood-chamber, and 

 plenty of surplus room on top (never 

 at the side), will not swarm." 



Our friend who wrote the above 

 is thinking of getting up a boom for 

 his non-swarming hive. Certainly his 

 experience is very different from all 

 other beekeepers. Bees will swarm 

 even if they are in a hive as large as 

 a meeting-house. But don't our 

 friend rather contradict himself just 

 a trifle, if we compare the first two 

 lines with the last one ? 



GLEANINGS FROM CORRE- 

 SPONDENCE. 



Longlij, Wood Co., 0. 

 Mk. Alley : 



I cannot speak too highly of the 

 $3.00 queen I bought of y^u. Would 

 not take ^25.00 for her. 



Ira Witmore. 



Sheboygafi Falls, Wis. 

 Mr. Alley : 



Back numbers of the "x^pi" at 

 hand and I am more than pleased 

 with them. Like the "Handy Book" 

 they seem just as original and com- 

 pact and practical as possible, both 

 form and matter. 



Mrs. H. Hills. 



Milledgeville, III. 

 Henry Alley : 



The "Api " is an excellent Jour- 

 nal, and is filled with solid instruction 

 for the novice and the older ones, too. 

 I have been a beekeeper for eight 

 years. 



F. A. Snell. 



Barrington, B. L, Jan. 6, 1887. 

 Dear Sir : 



I wish to congratulate you on the 

 excellence of tlie " Api" for Jan., '87; 

 it is the finest specimen of a bee peri 

 odical I have ever read. It is needless 

 to say that I would not miss its visits 

 for a good deal. I only wish they 

 were more frequent. 



A. C. Miller. 



PaiotucJiet, li. I., Jan. 8, 1887. 

 Friend Alley : 



The January number icas a surprise 

 to me. There have been many good ar- 

 ticles in the past numbers that it 

 would be hard to equal, but the las 

 number, taken as a whole, is the best 

 number of the " Api" I have ever seen. 

 In luy opinion the Questions and An- 

 swers are the most important part of 

 any bee journal, even when but short 

 answers are given ; but as you now 

 conduct this department, it is the best 

 tiling of the kind in the bee periodi- 

 cals. 



Samuel Cushman. 



Woodstock, Va. 



Mr. Henry Alley : 



You recollect that I com- 

 plained of the queen you sent me. I 

 will now say that the bees from that 

 queen are the most beautiful in my 

 bee yard. 



My way of introducing queens is to 

 take out "tlie old queen, put the frames 

 all back in the hive except one, and 

 leave that space in the centre of the 

 hive ; then the introducing cage is hung 

 down in the centre space with the at- 

 tendant bees and left there thirty-six 



