284 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[June, 



Last fall I prepared these twenty-five hives 

 on their summer stands, simply by covering 

 frames with old clothes, quilts, wool and rags, 

 in some instances leaving the honey-board on 

 and covering it, with holes open, the same way. 

 Thus prepared, I left them exposed to the cold 

 and piercing storms of an unusually cold winter 

 — thermometer on more than one occasion show- 

 ing 18° and 20° below zero; while I sought a 

 warmer in clime (in the South) to winter in. 



I returned here on the 25th of April ; found 

 Only two of my colonies dead; all others in fine 

 condition; lots of bees, etc. Where some of 

 the full, two-story hives had been compressed 

 into one, with a large quantity of bees, they had 

 nearly exhausted their stores, but I did not care 

 anything for that. Did I not remove from them 

 last fall the ten frames of the upper story, all 

 full of honey ? Now how easy to give them 

 four or five of these full frames in exchange for 

 their empty ones. 



The spring has been very cold, rainy, and 

 east winds prevailing, so that there has been 

 but a few days up to this date (May 15th), when 

 the bees eould fly out. Whenever they could 

 go out they found pollen in abundance, and 

 such loads they did bring in. If they had had 

 a week's good weather at one time I think they 

 would have filled every unoccupied cell with 

 pollen. They have increased rapidly; have 

 sealed drones, and in some instances queen cells 

 started, and with a return of good weather will 

 do their duty if do mine. 



Yours truly, 



Thaddeus Smith. 



Point an Pelee Island, Out. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Something More About Hives. 



Well, "Mr. Novice," we have read a part of 

 your article on page 241, May number A. B. J., 

 and we notice that you were careful to give the 

 $1 hive a puff. I must remind you and the 

 readers of the Journal, that Alley made no 

 attack on you until you first attacked him. 

 Still, one reading: your article would understand 

 that we first attacked " Novice." You inform 

 us that your name is not "Hives." Well, we 

 knew it, and that is much like some other in- 

 formation you gave us — something we already 

 knew years ago. " Mr, Novice " intimates that 

 one stock of bees have died in the Bay State 

 Hive. If none have died in the $1 hive then 

 we will drop that part of the subject. 



No, sir; Mr. Alley won't follow Mr. King, 

 and give away rights. We only 1 intend to give 

 rights to those who first purchased the B. S. 

 hives of us, and did much to introduce them. 



We will say once, again, that we never have 

 mentioned the B. S. hive in the Journal, only 

 when invited by the late Mr. Wagner to describe 

 it; and when attacked by parties who have got 



one-dollar hives for sale, and other trash such as 

 will make the purchaser abandon bee-keeping 

 in disgust, in less than one year after he com- 

 mences it. 



What is the "simplicity" hive* Nothing 

 more than the Langstroth hive made in a siniph r 

 form, a cheap style with a thousand and one 

 useless fixings about it. I don't know svhat 

 right he has to sell these hives in territory 

 owned by parties who purchased of Mr. L. 

 " Novice " pitched into all patent bee-hive ren- 

 ders, and, as he says in his last article in May 

 Journal : " Our harmless little circular will 

 spoil the sale of rights, and we meant it should." 

 Now, the only good feature about that $1 is the 

 movable frames, upon which there is a patent, 

 and has been for more than twenty years — L. 

 L. Langstroth, patentee. Does he tell the read- 

 ers in his little circular that this is the case? 

 Has he ever told the readers of the Journal 

 that this is the case ? 



Take the frames from the " Simplicity " hive 

 and how much better is it than any old box-hive ? 



Who should have the credit for all that is 

 worth anything about that hive but Mr. Lang- 

 stroth, the one who gets none of it from 

 "Novice," to say the least? 



We hope " Mr. Novice " has read B. J. B.'s 

 article on page 245. B. J. B. has no interest 

 whatever in the B. S. hive ; all the hives he has 

 got, of that kind, he bought and paid me the 

 cash for, and he has had no pay except my 

 thanks for what he has said concerning it in the 

 Journal. B. J. B. is a good friend of ours, and 

 what he said he considered his duty to do. 

 " Mr. Novice " Ave promise not to mention the 

 B. S. hive in the columns again, and we further 

 say that you provoked this controversy, and 

 that it is our ojunion that all you have said was 

 for the purpose of putting funds into your own 

 pocket and not for the benefit of anyone. We 

 really hope this will be the last time we shall 

 feel compelled to defend ourselves from attacks 

 in these columns. Say what you please about 

 your own wares, we care not a fig about them, 

 only let other people alone. " This gn.at I am, 

 and little you be," might be left out of the quar- 

 rel as well as not. 



" Mr. Novice " give us some of those articles 

 you used to during the first three years you be- 

 gan to write for the Journal. We used to 

 read all of them, but for the past year we got 

 sick of them — some time before you attacked us. 



Wenham, Muss. H. Alley. 



Chicago Honey Market. 



Honey is scarce in this market. Choice white 

 comb is worth 30@35c ; fair to good, 25@30c ; ex- 

 tracted, choice white, 12@16c ; fair to good, 10@ 

 12c ; strained, 8@10c. 



Beeswax, 32@33c. 



