234 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[April, 



region the past winter, all that I have seen, of 

 dysentery. Mine have come out all right, and are 

 increasing rapidly in numbers." 



Adam Grimm informs us that he has lost 22 out 

 of 620 colonies this winter, and that about one- 

 eighth of his stocks are weak. They were wintered 

 in-doors. 



Wm. Hazen, of West Hartford, "Windsor Co., Vt., 

 says: — "While many report the last season a poor 

 one, I can report it good with me." 



Albert Bull, of Bloomfield, Province of Ontario, 

 writes: — " I have done very well the past season 

 with my bees. I took from three separate hives, 

 (Langstroth), two-story, nine frames in the lower, 

 and nine in the upper, 125 to 130 pounds each. 

 I took near two thousand pounds from sixteen 

 stocks." 



W. Spedding, of Port Sanilac, Mich., writes: — 

 "Last season I had three stands of bees which 

 yielded over 800 pounds of nice box honey. In the 

 fall I had seven stocks; now I have six. I win- 

 tered them on their summer stands, but would 

 prefer to winter inside if I had a suitable place." 



M. G. Palmer, of Portland, Me., writes: — "I 

 usually keep from 15 to 25 colonies for the pleasure 

 it affords, and to prove that bee-keeping is not a 

 lost art in Maine. Good honey in small boxes 

 usually retails here for 50 cents per pound. 



R. Bristol, of Farmington, 111., writes : — " I have 

 lost over half my bees the last winter, and feel 

 almost discouraged, but will " try again." 



Jno. F. Dipman, of Fremont, O., writes : "I have 

 lost seventeen stocks of bees out of twenty-one this 

 winter, my bees being all in good condition last 

 fall." 



S P. Shipley, (Whistler,) of Olena, Huron Co., 

 Ohio, writes: — " I started in winter with forty-five 

 swarms. I have lost three by starvation. I thought 

 they had enough honey to do till I could feed again, 

 but the winter proved so cold that they ran out. 

 My plan of wintering is as follows : I place my bees 

 along in a row eight inches apart, facing the south. 

 I then set a board at the back of the row, six inches 

 from the hives, and pack dry sawdust between each 

 hive, and at the back between the hive and the 

 board. This sawdust covers the bottom of the hive 

 up to the hood, I then take off the hood and the 

 glass honey board, and lay some strips of wood 

 across the frames, and cover with a piece of carpet. 

 Then I place the hood on top of the hive. I set a 

 board in front of the row of hives about six inches 

 from the hives, and tuck oat straw between the 

 board and hives, so that they can get air through 

 the sti'aw. It breaks the first blast of the wind, 

 and shades the warm sun from the entrance. When 

 the weather will admit of it, I lay down the board 

 in front, and pull the straw away, and let the bees 

 have a flight. They have had but two this winter. 

 I lose but few bees on this plan, though I don't 

 recommend it as better than cellaring them. But 

 it is the best way I ever saw of wintering out-doors. 

 Another thing ; if there is snow on the ground 

 before I let them out, I cover the snow in front and 

 back of the hives with straw for the bees to light 



on, and as soon as they return to the hive, I take 

 up the straw and save it for another time. As soon 

 as the weather will admit of moving them to their 

 summer stands, I will do so, and commence feeding 

 on Mr. Hosmer's plan. As soon as I get one hive 

 full of brood i will set an empty hive on the top of 

 the full hive, which makes a perfect double one, 

 and I can take off one half of the top one and place 

 an empty half in its room, while I extract the honey 

 from the first half. I do not want my bees to do 

 more than to double. I want strong swarms to 

 gather honey, and this plan is a good one to in- 

 crease or strengthen each colony." 



James Bolin, of West Lodi, 0., writes; — "Where 

 bees were properly taken care of and housed the 

 past winter they came through in good condition, 

 with but few exceptions, being strong in numbers 

 and ready for the summer's work. I have mine at 

 work on rye flour, every pleasant day, and although 

 we have had but a few days that were warm enough 

 for them to be out of their hives, yet they have 

 carried in over one bushel at this date. 



Where bees were wintered on their summer 

 stands, they have suffered badly with dysentery. I 

 think that at least half of those wintered out of 

 doors have died with it, whilst mine, that were 

 wintered in a warm house, are nearly, or quite 

 exempt. A neighbor, living within half a mile of 

 me, has lost five out of eight swarms with it. Does 

 not this go to show that, with us, at least, it is caused 

 by cold? I came to the conclusion several years ago, 

 that where bees suffered with it, in this section, it 

 was caused by one or more of three causes, viz: too 

 much honey, too few bees, or cold ; all of which may, 

 with proper care, be remedied by the apiarian." 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Something About Hives. 



"Novice" says that he has had many letters 

 making inquiries about the Bay State Hive, and 

 about several others that he named. Well, what of 

 that? Will "Novice" please tell the readers of this 

 journal how many of the hives he names he has in 

 use ? If he has no more of them in use than he has 

 of the Bay State Hives, he had better tell all those 

 who make such inquiries that he don't know about 

 them, and through the columns of the A. B. J., too, 

 if that suits him. Better not give an opinion about 

 that of which you have had no experience, and of 

 which you know nothing. 



"Novice" further says that we have given the 

 readers of this journal to understand that the Bay 

 State always gives a good quantity of surplus. So 

 they do, when other hives are doing well, if they are 

 managed and treated the same. I don't believe that 

 there is a reader of this journal who is foolish enough 

 to believe that bees will gather and store honey in our 

 hives when they do not in others. Such an assertion 

 is an insult to the readers of this journal, and I don't 

 believe one can be found among them all who so 

 understood me. 



"Novice " acknowledges in his attack on the Bay 

 State Hive that the owner of the hive in question 

 could have realized as much profit from the Bay State 

 Hive as from any, if he had treated it the same — a 

 job he did not undertake, as he supposed the frames 



