THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



283 



board will, in most cases, store pol- 

 len in sections. I suppose the 

 honey-flow has much to do with it, 

 I believe it both profitable and de- 

 sirable to let bees build their own 

 brood combs at swarming time ; 

 and, with a contracted brood-nest, 

 and a young queen I do not appre- 

 hend any trouble from getting 

 more drone comb than I wish. But 

 in the future I do not expect to 

 put on sections until brood combs 

 are partlj^ built or (with the shal- 

 low hive) place a case of empty 

 brood combs above honey-board 

 between sections and brood-nest. 



SIMMINS'S NON-SWAUMING SYSTEM. 



We have managed fifty colonies 

 on the above plan and although 

 this has been a poor season for 

 swarms Ave are as favorably im- 

 pressed as at first. Have had two 

 swarms from the fifty and in both 

 cases the extra room was given 

 above and only an empty half story 

 placed beneath. These colonies 

 were very powerful and built combs 

 in centre frame clear to the bottom 

 before swarming. The hives from 

 which I wanted swarms that I 

 might get queen cells were man- 

 aged as usual and with one excep- 

 tion threw out strong swarms. I 

 never kept so raan}^ in one hive or 

 had all my swarms so powerful. 

 Some colonies occupied same as 

 three and four Langstroth hives. 

 Large entrances were given and ex- 

 tra room added before it was quite 

 needed. I have taken both comb 

 and extracted honey from these 

 hives. When full depth frames 

 vf'xih. starters were placed under- 

 neath brood-nest, and boxes given 

 as required, combs were not built 

 below. Unless sections contain 

 drawn out combs, or at least a few 

 are given, bees prefer to work out 

 new combs in empt}' brood frames 

 to working in sections even when 

 full sheets of foundation are used. 



This non-swarming plan 'if a suc- 



cess, and I do not see wh}'^ not with 

 a young prolific queen, will be a 

 great help to comb-honey pro- 

 ducers. 



Mr. Cowan by tiering-up and 

 giving plenty of empty combs be- 

 low prevents swarming and takes 

 honey in sections. Much of his 

 yield is removed in brood combs 

 and extracted however ; and in 

 working solely for comb honey 

 the empty space may increase the 

 amount stored in sections and still 

 prevent swarming. 



I believe there is no hive better 

 suited to follow this s^ystem than 

 these shallow hives nor any system 

 so in accordance with the Simmins' 

 plan as that given by Mr. Heddon 

 and advocated and followed by Dr. 

 Tinker, myself and many others 

 with various moditications in the 

 hive used. 



PawtucTxiet, R. I. 



For the American Apicvlturlst. 



''AN EMPTY BAG WITH A 

 CHEESE IN IT." 



J. W. Porter. 



The above w\as the amusing de- 

 scription of a "lost" article adver- 

 tised b}^ an honest countryman. 



Friend Demaree's explanation of 

 his empty hive in the last number 

 calls it to mind. But he must not 

 think my letter did no good. It 

 certainl}^ brought out his letter 

 which is good and suggestive. 



Now a word as to the "exploded 

 idea" as he calls it, of l)uilding u[) 

 the weak colonies "at the expense 

 of the strong," as he styles it. No 

 wise manager would do it at the 

 expense of weakening unduly 

 strong colonies. But there are 

 hundreds and perhaps thousands 

 who do not wish to increase their 



