198 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[March, 



On the other hand, Mr. Mona writes in the Italian 



Bee Journal, " L'Apicoltore (Milan, July, 1871), 

 " p;ige 205, whatever have been the defects of my 

 " hive and methods, four years ago, I am not responsi- 

 " ble, if they were not superior to the level of bee- 

 " culture in Europe. This vertical hive (Berlepsch 

 " fashion) with 24 frames arcipropoUsabili, placed on 

 " top of the other, with diaphrairms and small comb 

 " covers, with insufficient ventilation, and other 

 " delizie, was soon replaced by another system, that 

 " was altoijether easier, cheaper, better, and more 

 " productive." 



In the ^' Journal des Fermes," Varis, AngnstlGth, 

 1869, pafie 324, Mr. Mona writes — "An American 

 " beekeeper, Mr. A. Grimm, visited me in Septem- 

 "ber, 1867. He advised me to adopt the American 

 "form of hive (Langstroth's), which he himself 

 •'used on a large scale. He asked for some boards, 

 " some nails, and a few tools, and after a short time 

 " he presented to me a pattern of his hive. I found 

 " the length of the frames disproportionate, but I 

 " soon recognized the advantage of the movable cover, 

 "and after a few weeks of hesitation, I resolved to 

 " make a hundred hives of the same kind, with 

 " shorter frames. I used them for the last two years, 

 " and I acknowledge that they are very useful for me, 

 "the handling of the frames being very speedy." 



The reader will notice that the date of the con- 

 struction of these hives is in accordance with the 

 four years of which Mr. Mona speaks in V Apicoltore. 



It appears from the above that while the disciples 

 of Debeauvoys in France abandoned his hive, and 

 the disciples of Berlepsch and Berlepsch himself 

 groped to improve their own hive, L. Laugstroth 

 gave to the American beekeepers an easily constructed 

 and easily managed hive, which, from the beginning 

 until now, rendered the best services to bee-culture. 



I do not know whether these facts can have any in- 

 fluence on the law suit now pending, but I owed to 

 Mr. L. Langstroth, I owed to truth, I owed to the 

 history of bee-culture, the publication of the above 

 facts. 



I send one copy of this to each of three American 

 bee journals. They will publish it, if they think 

 proper. 



Ch. Dadant. 



Hamilton, Ills., January, 1872. 



[For the American Bee Jouroal.] 



Novice. 



Deak Bee Journal :— We really believe we 

 have got at something. Just listen ! It may 

 not be new to some of our bee friends, but it is 

 new to us. You remember how we fed our bees 

 in October last, on cottee-sugar syrup, and sold 

 our honey for twenty cents per pound. 



Perhaps we did not tell you, but it is a fact, 

 that three-fourths or mole of twenty-five pounds 

 we made them weigh was the sugar syrup, and 

 we decided to risk the experiment, being sure 

 that all other conditions were complied with. 



Well, to-day (Feb. 12th) being very bright 

 and warm, we put out one stock, just to hear 

 bees buzz once more, and to see them fly. 



Our "better-half" had just finished hanging 

 out her morning's washing, when we announced 

 our determination, and the white linen (or cot- 

 ton) was flapping largely in the breeze. 



" Now, Novice ! Please don't put the bees out 

 to-day. My white clothes (they are white, Mr. 



Editor, if we do say it), will be all spoiled with 

 their nasty work, and I shall have to wash them, 

 all over again." 



We argued that we would only set out a few 

 hives at the fui'ther side of the apiary. 



"But they will fly all over, you know they 

 will, as they always spot the snow for acres 

 around ; and you will get your coat spoiled 

 too." 



"We will take it off," we suggested, suiting 

 the action to the word. 



"But your shirt will be worse yet." 

 We were near to the bee-house by this time, 

 and (Mr. Editor she isii't difficult; she knew 

 where the old coat hung, and so did we, but 

 old coats are too much bother. (Ours are all old 

 enough, we thought.) We would be careful. 

 We are always careful, unless something inter- 

 ests us very much, and then we sometimes for- 

 get. No. 61 was on its summer stand in a 

 trice, and out came the yellow pets just as tame 

 and just as we used to handle them in Octobc r. 

 Out they pour as we raise their quilt, and in our 

 haste to see who should see the queen first, our 

 white shii't sleeves {Monday morning, you 

 know), were forgotten, until we made the pleas- 

 ant discovery that there were no spots on the 

 snow, nor anywhere else ; and there isn't a spot 

 yet. though they have flown freely. We have 

 read in the Journal of some such occurrence, 

 but have always had a little doubt about their 

 first flight in the spring not showing some dis- 

 colored spots on the clean snow ; but now we 

 have it verified sure. 



They have wintered unusually well, and we 

 really begin to think sugar-syrup safe for win- 

 tering, if for nothing more. 



Still further. A neighbor just came in, who 

 borrowi d our "tea-kettles" after we had finished 

 feeding, and fed sugar-syrup to a part of his 

 bees that needed it — all wintered in the open air 

 in a row. Before we had time to ask, he men- 

 tioned that those stocks fed had not discolofed 

 the snow at all ; while the old box hives, heavy 

 with honey, had stained the ground and their 

 hives as well, badly. 



If the "tea-kettles" were a patent-right arti- 

 cle, what a testimonial in their favor this would 

 be! 



This forenoon a gentleman called to get our 

 opinion as to the cause of his bees dying in a 

 hou.se made like ours, and brought one of the 

 combs for us to examine. We at once pro- 

 nounced it "that bee disease" of the spring of 

 18GS; and on looking carefully, we found the 

 honey thin, with occasional small bubbles, and 

 a taste that was not just right. He said his 

 bees had worked quite late in the fall, and in 

 some of tlie boxes the honey had soured. 



Now, is the cause of that "bee disease" not 

 apparent? It certainly is tons, and before we 

 lose again all but eleven out of thirty-eight colo- 

 nies, we will give them clear comb and coffee- 

 sugar syrup. If any one else has had a like 

 experience, please give it to us in the Journal. 



If bees will always winter safely on sugar 

 syrup, why not remove all the honey in the fall, 

 and feed them up with sugar and the tea-kettle 

 feeders? (TAveuty-five pounds in nine hours you 



