34 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[August, 



The next thing was to oi>en one of Alley's new 

 style Langstroth movable comb hives. He had 

 in it a fine stock of three-banded bees, hard at 

 work, having been put in only a few days befoi'e. 

 I must here say that it is a splendid looking 

 liive as it sets in the yard and I thought it 

 would be more in place in the house, as it would 

 make a splendid western bureau. 



Then he opened one of Dr. Conklin's Diamond 

 Frame hives, this also had a good stock of Ital- 

 ians, hard at work. They had also Leen in only 

 a few days, but I could not see that they had 

 built comb faster or straighter than those in the 

 Langstroth frames, whether deep or shallow. I 

 must say that I do not like the appearance of 

 the hive as it sets in the yard. It looks as though 

 it had been u^ set and wanted squaring up with 

 the woi Id. I do not think you could pile them 

 three deep in the ceUar very well. 



I will not describe Gallup's hive which he 

 uses most, as he has done so hhnself several 

 times, and is often called on to do so through 

 the Journ;il. He calls it the Langstroth hive. 

 The frames run the same way, only they are 

 shorter and de per than those of the shallow 

 form of the Laagstroth hive. I think it is a 

 good hive in his hands, or rather in a good bee- 

 keeper's hands. But only tiiink of a hive you 

 have to pull in front over the movable bottom 

 board to let in air and for the bees to enter, 

 except only a half inch round hole through the 

 front. This is used for the bees to enter, and 

 through it they 1 ave the hive, and when one 

 comes in loaded and misses this entrance, he 

 drops doAvn and goes in at the bottom. I fear 

 that this hive in the hands of most bee-keepers 

 (class No. 3, I guess he calls them) who seldom 

 examine their hives, will find too much air and 

 a few worms in this style of hive. I told Gallup 

 that when he visits me next fall, to attend our 

 County Fair, I woidd convince him that I had 

 the best hive — which is the Langstroth deep 

 frame two story hive, with frames above, or 

 boxes, as made by the "National Bee-Hive 

 Company "' at St Charles, Kane county, Illinois, 

 M. ]\I. Balbridge, Secretary. This hive is so 

 simple, the upper story may be removed and the 

 same cover fits the toj) of the hive, the size of 

 frames is the same above as below, they may be 

 nicely packed in a cellar, examined with ease, 

 and you have matters entirely under your con- 

 trol. Besides mak ng a beautiful appearan<;e in 

 the apiary, if you keep them well painted, as 

 you should do, they v/ill last a lifetime. 



We were now called to drive out, but as soon 

 as we were well seatt d, a stand of bees informed 

 us that they were intending to swarm. So out 

 we went, and Gallup was somewhat disappointed 

 as he did not expect that hive to sAvarm. This 

 is about all you can tell as to when bees will 

 swarm, unless you open the hives every few days. 

 1 have had bees to swarm and go back to their 

 hive again ; I would then open the hive, destroy 

 the queen eel's and give them plenty of room, 

 and the next day out they would come again, 

 be hived all right, and go to work — leaving the 

 old stock to raise another queen from eggs after 

 their departure. And all this, when the queen 

 that did leave was one that I raised late last 

 season, young and prolific. 



But I will return to our swarm that is in the 

 air. The queen did not come out, and the bees 

 returned to their home stand without clustei'ing. 

 Gallup called it a foul, I called it a fizzle. 



The next exhibition was his Peabody honey- 

 flinger, as he called it. It was the first I ever 

 saw, and as he considers it the best in use, I 

 promised to treat myself with one, as I think it 

 a great improvement in bee-culture. 



The next thing was one of Davis' queen nui-- 

 series. This he had not yet tried, but would in 

 a few days set it a going. 



We were soon seated in his' carriage, with his 

 family, on our way to Osage to attend to Sunday- 

 school Association riding over one of the finest 

 countries the sun ever shone ui^on — and this 

 can be said of all Iowa, especially the valley of 

 tlie R'.'d Cedar. Here, neai'ly every quarter sec- 

 tion of land is improved ; while there is heavy 

 timber on the river, and beautiful groves scat- 

 tered over the prairies. 



At about 5 o'clock the train from the North 

 reminds me that I must turn my steps home- 

 ward, and if ever any one felt satisfied with his 

 day's work, though it had been hot, dusty, and 

 dry one, it was your corresiiondent. 



My bees are doing well. Most of my Italians 

 have given me two or three swarms, and are now 

 at work in boxes. I have some thirty stocks ; 

 am a beginner ; commenced with three stands in 

 1868, and have raised three generations of queens 

 this year. I will only add, should you, or any 

 of the corre.spondents of the Journal, be as near 

 me as I was to Gallup's, call by all means and I 

 will try to entertain you, if I do not keep a 

 hotel. 



Thus ends the account of my visit to Gallup's 

 and what I saw there. 



H. K. SWETT. 



Waverki/, loica, July r>, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Looking-glass Theory played out! 



On page 2)2, Vol. 5, A. B Journal, Ignoramus 

 tell us of decamping bees being stopped by the 

 rays of a looking-glass being flashed among 

 them. 



Just after reading- his article I saw another in 

 one of my scientific agricultural journals, that 

 tells us by the aid" of a looking-glass we can see 

 everything in a deep well, cistern, &c , and that 

 the looking-glass will keep the birds out of the 

 cherry trees, &c., &c. Well, sir, as seeing is 

 believing, I procured a piece of a looking-glass, 

 went to the well, and threw the reflection down 

 to the xoater, but no further. I could not see a 

 thing below the surface of the water. But to 

 try the thing further, I went out to my apiary, 

 took my station by a favorite cherry-tree full of 

 hirds, but almost minus the (-berries. I darted 

 the bright reflection of the looking-glass in their 

 eyes, and what do you thiiflc the result was? 

 They eat the fruit faster. Well, I thouglit, here 

 are two lailures, I wish I had an opportunity to 

 try an absconding swarm of bees. Just then I 

 heard the buzzing of a swarm starting. I looked 

 at all the hives in the direction from whence the 



