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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec, 



Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

 Don't let us stop our journal, nor let our Bee 

 Conventions go by. But rather make two blades 

 of grass grow, where only one grew before. 



Seseaye. 



The B. S. Eive, and more about wintering bees. 



Mb. Editor : My attention has just been 

 called to the article on page 74 (Oct. No.) of 

 the Journal, from the pen of "Novice." Had 

 a friend not written me in regard to it, I proba- 

 bly would have remained in blissful ignorance 

 of such an article or that certain part of it re- 

 lating to the Bay State hive. 



It seems that a friend of Novice has one of 

 the B. S. Hives in use that has not yielded 

 any income to its owner for two seasons, but he 

 does say that this stock of bees in this hive "was 

 one of more than average strength," a fact going 

 to show that it was the owner and not the hive 

 that was in the fault. Let this be as it may, 

 are not there hundreds of all kind of hives in the 

 same fix all over the United States? And the 

 fact that this one hive gave no surplus or swarms 

 proves nothing, and no fair minded beekeeper 

 will consider it a test, and I am surprised that 

 "Novice" should select one hive and with the 

 intention of having the readers of the Journal 

 understand that that one hive is a sample of 

 what the B. S. Hives are doing throughout the 

 country as a general thing. 



Have those who have given their experience 

 through the Journal of the B. S. Hive made 

 wrong statements, and I think not, their word so 

 far as known is as good as that of " Novice's," I 

 have letters received from persons, this fall, 

 using the B. S hive, who say that all the honey 

 they have obtained was taken from the Bay 

 State hive, and I ask those same persons to send 

 the same statements to the Journal that they 

 sent me— there are thousands of hives, and 

 "Novice's" favorite among them, that gave no 

 surplus this nor last season, and Novice knows 

 it as well as I do. 



Had Novice six or more of the B. S. hives in 

 use, with good stocks, all in good condition and 

 four out of the lot failed to do anything, as did 

 his friends, there might have been some reason 

 for saying what Novice did on page 74. — The 

 fact that "Novice" has none of them in use, 

 and there is only one in his vicinity that he knows 

 anything about, we hope, that his experience 

 with that one may turn out to be worth no 

 more to the public than his method for feeding 

 sugar syrup to bees — I did not read that article, 

 but I did read the one on page 91, (Oct. No.) 

 from the pen of one who "spent the greater 

 part of his life in the confectionery business." 

 However, Novice has a good way of getting over 

 such mistakes, and I have no doubt he will get 

 over this one all right. 



About the frames being too large in the B. S. 

 hive, I will just remind the reader that those 

 "large frames" are smaller than those used by 

 Novice in his Langstroth hive, and will also say, 

 that the frame 1 now use in the B. S. Hive, 

 are not so large or deep as those in the hive 



Novice speaks of. I have just the best frame 

 for the honey extractor that can be got -up. 



So long as " Novice " has the L. hive "on the 

 brain " it can't be expected that he will speak 

 well of any other kind, but the readers of the 

 American Bee Journal know that there has been 

 a great deal said against his favorite hive — as 

 well as much in its favor — in fact most all prom- 

 inent hives have had more or less said in their 

 favor as well as against them — When a bee- 

 keeper has a hive that suits him he knows it, 

 and he don't ask any one to tell him of it. 



But the idea that too much has been said in 

 favor of the B. S. Hive because one and only one 

 that Novice knows anything about has not done 

 well, should not have much weight as it proves 

 nothing. 



The American hive has very often got a "rap 

 across the knuckels" from Novice, but those 

 who have read the Journal for the past four 

 years know well that there has been a great deal 

 said in its favor. — I never had a good opinion of 

 that hive, but I know from my correspondence, 

 that there are thousands of them in use, and 

 probably as many as of any patent hive invented. 

 When we all think alike, then it will be easy 

 enough to name the best hive, and not till then. 



Moke about Feeding asd Wintering. 



If those who fear that the sugar syrup feed to 

 bees will crystallize, will add one pound of honey 

 to ten pounds of syrup, they will have no trouble. 

 1 will guarantee but I never found any trouble 

 when prepared by the directions I gave in the 

 Oct. No. of American Bee Journal. I have fed 

 a number of stocks entirely,/with sugar syrup — 

 All hives that have straight combs should have 

 winter passages made through them. I make 

 them in this way. Bore an inch hole in the 

 side of the hive, not quite half way down, then 

 take a stick three-quarters of an inch square, long 

 enough to go through all the combs, make one 

 end sharp, and slowly work it through the 

 combs to the opposite side of the hive, the bees 

 will soon clean up the honey that runs, and 

 leave a very clean round hole to pass through 

 during the winter. This should be done on 

 some warm day in October or November, when 

 the bees can move out of the way of the stick. I 

 have practiced this way for ten years and never 

 have killed a queen or any bees in the opera- 

 tion. I have used a honey board made of corn- 

 cobs, but prefer one made of woollen cloth 

 when they can be had, — make a frame similar 

 to a windowgscreen the size of the honey board 

 and nail the cloth to it, then place it over the 

 frames, — upward ventilations should be given, 

 by making a few, (say 2) inch holes in the cap 

 one front and one rear. 



I shall winter all my bees on their summer 

 stands, and I shall protect them from the cold 

 north winds by a high board fence. 



I am satisfied that bees winter better on the 

 summer stands when protected as above, than 

 they will in cellars, sometimes they winter well 

 in cellars but not well enough to pay for the 

 trouble of putting them in and taking them out, 

 Mr. Eliphalet Eames of So. Framingham, Mass., 

 put twenty stocks in the cellar and left twenty 



