86 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[August, 



le<;itimate aim of bee-keeping ; but there is sel- 

 dom an article to that eft'ect. Thanks to Mr. 

 Gallup for his excellent paper in the March num- 

 ber, read before the National Convention. 



It is very easy to multiply stocks and rear 

 queens, but there is soon a limit to that busi- 

 ness ; honey is the real object, and how to get 

 the most of it. Let the experienced ones look 

 back to their own beginning, and they will un- 

 derstand what I (and others) want. 



Quite a number of persons of my acquaint- 

 ance are taking a very lively interest in the 

 business. I send you the name of a young lady 

 who teaches school, but says she is going to try 

 some other means of support ; so she has bought 

 six stands of bees, is putting them all in mova- 

 ble frames, is going to transfer the old stocks 

 after swarming, intends to Italianize them, and 

 has subscribed for the Journal. So please help 

 her in her endeavor. 



The old theory of having a capped cell before 

 swarming is entirely exploded with me ; for this 

 season my bees have very rarely had one, or any 

 preparation for one, when tliey swarmed. I at- 

 tribute it to the Italians— they are all of that 

 kind. My black ones never did so. My first 

 swarm came off on the 2d day of May — "Lat. 

 41"." It cast a swarm on the ISth of June. 

 Mrs. L. Hollingsworth. 



Sandusky, loica. 



It is only on a thorough mastery of theory that &\k- 

 cessf\x\ practice can be based — all short of that is mere 

 empiricism. The thne is past for trusting to luck in 

 bee culture. 



The young lady has made choice of what, properly 

 managed, will be a more pleasing and more remuner- 

 ative pursuit than that which she is about abandon- 

 ing ; yet it requires study, though it will amply repay 

 it. She begins, too, at the right season, and with the 

 right number of colonies. She will not now be likely 

 to be over elated by the flattering, thousli ofttimcs 

 delusive, promises of early spring; and have colo- 

 nies enough to engage her attentitm and occupy her 

 leisure, till she can qualify herself and has time to 

 superintend a larger number. 



As successful wintering is confessedly one of the 

 masterpieces of bee-keeping, preiKiriiuj her colonies 

 for that should be among \\\g things first in order 

 even now ; and to that end, it should be borne in 

 mind that plenty of bees is as essential as a large 

 store of honey— the latter bein<r, in some cases, a 

 decided disadvantage. We think many more stocks 

 perish in winter from paucity of numbers than from 

 deficiency of stores. 



A swarm from a prime swarm the same season is 

 rarely a desirable acquisition, unless it be in localities 

 well favored with fall pasturage. The parent colony, 

 deprived of its queen, becomes much depopulated 

 before it can have its working force replenished from 

 the eggs of the young queen (if indeed she be not 

 lost or become a drone-breeder). Nearly sixty days 

 will elapse from the swarming before the young 

 bees enter on active outdoor labor, and by that time 

 there is usually little for them to gather. The swarm 

 too — seldom a large one — unless immediately fur- 

 nished with empty combs and well fed perseveringly, 

 enters on the winter campaign as a feeble nursling, if 

 not as an actual starveling. The proper course, when 

 the thing does occur, is to reunite the two bodies on 

 the second day, after destroying the queen cells ; or 

 killing the queen if she is an old one, and giving the 

 colony a fertile one, if practicable. — [Ed. 



[For tho American Beo Journal.] 



A few Apiarian Devices. 



Dear Bee Journal :— As Novice has given 

 the Bee-journalers many good hints and devices 

 (not as many, though as I know he might have 

 done), I thought it well to add somewhat to the 

 list. 



And, first, I will mention a frame-holding box. 

 This is very convenient for holding frames of 

 surplus honey, either when we want to cut out 

 or uncap. The size I use will hold about seven 

 frames. This, when filled, is heavy enough to 

 lift aboirt. The top and front side are each 

 hinged. When in use, the top opens backwai'ds 

 and the front downwards. In the bottom of the 

 box is a tin ]y<m, the size of the bottom and one 

 inch deep This catches the dripping honey. 



I sometimes find another device useful to hold 

 a single frame. Take an inch thick board as 

 long as the frame, and three or four inches broad. 

 Bore an inch hole in the center, through which 

 insert a hard wood pin that is shouldered, and 

 set vertically in a hard wood block. At each end 

 of the board nail an upright, which should be 

 some two inches lon;;er than the height of the 

 frame. Now pitt this right-angled on the top of 

 the shouldered pin and it is ready to hold the 

 fr.!;ne, which yon can then revolve and examine 

 eitlier side without having to lift it. A tin pan 

 sliould be made for this also, to catch the drip- 

 ping. 



Every hive should have a glass, through which 

 to see the condition of the colony ; and on the 

 inside of the shutter should be tacked a piece of 

 white paper, on which to keep a record of the 

 history of the hive. 



A good pocket looking-glass, also, is useful for 

 throwing the light of the sun or of a candle into 

 the hive, to enable you to make a more satisfac- 

 tory examination. A large spatula is very con- 

 venient, to scrape up the loose liquid honey. 

 Have a good sized, flat bottomed, square cornered 

 basket, in which to carry tools when at work. 

 Have a memorandum book, too, in which to note 

 what should h' done for any hive or colony — all 

 of which should be numbered with a zinc label. 

 (Here is the receipt for the zinc ink. It will last 

 forever, as I have tried it twice. One drachm 

 each of verdigris and sal ammoniac, half a drachm 

 of lampblack, and ten drachms of rain water. ) 



To get the bees out of removed honey boxes, 

 have a small box set over the honey box hole or 

 holes, through wliich the bees can pass out, but 

 cannot return. They can go out either under a 

 light tin or brass valve or door, so made as to 

 swing a little above the center, or under a small 

 varnish brush fastened nearly horizontally over 

 the exit hole. 



The best smoker I have tried is made of paper 

 and cotton rags. Cut off half of a paper flour 

 sack (a 25 or 50 pounder), spread it out fiat, and 

 on it lay two heaping handfuls of cotton rags ; 

 roll all together tightly, and tie at every two or 

 three inches with good hempen twine. To keep 

 it from burning too much when in use, put a 

 brick or stone over the burning end. We, (that 

 is "we-uns," all of us) are apt to use too much 



