CEntered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.) 

 Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



QBORQB W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, MAY 31, 1906 



VoL XLVI— No. 22 



=\ 



Cbitoriai Hotes 

 anb Comments 



j 



Doolittle's Out-Apiary Management 



Mr. G. M. Doolittle, in a series of articles in Gleanings, 

 gives in detail the plans he used in 1905, in the management 

 of an out-apiary of 19 colonies in 10-frame hives, by which 

 he secured an average of 114^2 pounds of section honey in a 

 poor season. He practised shaking swarms, but with some 

 modifications that he considers of the utmost importance. 



April 14 the hives were put on the summer stands. 

 There were 11 good colonies, 5 fair, and 3 weak. 



April 24 a visit was made, and any colony not having 

 20 or more pounds of honey had the deficiency supplied. 



May 20 a frame of the most nearly matured brood was 

 taken from each colony having only 6. This made 13 of 

 the 19 colonies with 7 brood each, and to each of these 13 

 colonies an upper story was given over an excluder. This 

 upper story contained 10 of what Mr. Doolittle calls reserve 

 combs, saved over from the previous season, with more or 

 less honey in each. Before putting on this upper story, 

 however, the 2 outside combs of the lower story exchanged 

 places with the 2 reserve combs that were the third from 

 each side in the upper story. 



The fourth visit was made June 16, when black locust 

 was out of bloom, many heads of white clover were in full 

 bloom, and two neighbors reported that swarming had be- 

 gun. Each upper story was found to contain SO pounds of 

 honey or more, and this upper story was placed on the 

 stand, the lower story having been removed. In the center of 

 this broodless story, now on the stand, was put a comb half 

 or two-thirds filled with brood, most of the remaining cells 

 in the comb being empty. This comb would allow the 

 queen to continue laying without interruption. If neces- 

 sary, such a comb was obtained from one of the weaker 

 colonies. Two supers of 44 sections each were placed over 

 the lower super containing 12 bait-sections, the cover put 

 on, and then the bees shaken and brushed from the brood- 

 combs in front of the stand. Care was taken not to handle 

 the combs so violently as to shake the nectar out of them, 

 and they were held low so that the queen might not be in- 

 jured in falling. Excluders were put over the 6 weaker col- 

 onies, and over these were piled the 13 stories of brood, 

 some of them having, of course, as many as 3 stories of 

 brood over the excluder. 



It will be noted that Mr. Doolittle does not wait to see 

 whether a colony has begun to make preparation for swarm- 

 ing, but begins operations at his own convenience, taking 

 all at the same time, paying no attention to the matter of 

 queen-cells till the bees are off the combs, when any cells 

 that are found present are destroyed. 



For many it will not yet be too late to put in practise 

 the most important parts of Mr. Doolittle's plans, which 

 have much to commend them. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Association 



We understand that in two or three of the States certain 

 would-be leaders among the bee-keepers are attempting to 

 induce members of the National Association to drop their 

 memberships, or at least have tried to prevent local associa- 

 tions from rejoining in a body at the SO-cent rate. We 

 trust that in all such cases bee-keepers will continue their 

 individual memberships, by renewing direct to the General 

 Manager, N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis., even if it does 

 cost each one dollar. It is worth it for the defense feature 

 alone. There is no telling when a member may get into 

 trouble with some jealous or spiteful neighbor, and so will 

 need the help of the National. 



The National Association has done, and is doing, too 

 much good work for bee-keepers, to allow a few dissatisfied 

 members to interfere either with its membership or success- 

 ful efforts. There will always be a certain few among 

 large memberships of organizations, who, if they can not 

 rule, will try to ruin. But such can not do much damage, 

 for their true motives are soon discovered, and so their in- 

 fluence counts for little. 



Taxing Bees In Wisconsin 



We have received the following concerning the taxing 

 of bees : 



Must bee-keepers pay taxes on bees here in Wisconsin? If so, 

 how much should a colony be assessed — what valuation ; 



I enclose an assessor's blank, on the back of which it says 5 colo- 

 nies are exempted. Peter Vanish. 



We referred the above to Mr. France, of Platteville, 

 Wis., General Manager of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, who answers thus : 



All other personal property except such as is exempt from taxa 

 tion in Wisconsin is subject to assessment and taxes. This will in- 

 clude bees, except 5 colonies kept for the use of the owner and his 

 family. About two-thirds of the Wisconsin bees are not assessed. 

 Valuations vary with assessors, all the way from 50 cents to $3 per 

 strong colony. Generally it is $1 a colony. 



My home apiary has been taxed for 25 years, and as many years 

 some of my out-apiaries have not been taxed. Live poultry, not ex- 

 ceeding $25 worth, is also assessable, but no poultry in Wisconsin is 

 assessed, as I know of, or in any other State. N. E. France. 



Followers in Brood-Chambers 



Referring to what is said by Mr. Pettit on this subject on 

 page 367, Dr. Miller says : 



I am glad of Mr. Morley Pettit's views, and although still left 

 with some degree of wonder why he 6hould so dislike a dummy, he 

 has given light that I am glad to get. I know now why he prefers 

 staples to nails for spacing. With the room given by the removal of 

 the dummy, I have no trouble with nails catching. If I had no 

 dummy, I am pretty sure I should prefer staples, as he does. 



The point, however, which most earnestly excites my interest, is 

 his first " reason :" " No wax built to fasten top-bars to their neigh- 

 bors." Now, my lengthy friend, how could you be so viciously tanta- 

 lizing as to leave that bald statement without a word of explanation 

 as to how you accomplish the feat. I have decidedly more building 

 between top-bars than I like, and if you will give me the secret of pre- 

 venting it, I'm ready to be on speaking terms with you aL'ain. I've 

 studied carefully what you say, and and two things having a direct 

 bearing: One is that you have exact spacing, and the other that your 



