1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



253 



not catch in the entrances of the surplus boxes 

 when they are being taken out. 



It might appear that so deep a frame coukl 

 only be removed with difficulty ; but this is not 

 tlie case. The frames are arranged so that they 

 cannot hang out of true at the toi:i or bottom ; 

 and after they have been once removed, they can 

 be handled as easily as the shallow frame. Well, 

 we won't say much more about our hive now, 

 but will say something about how our bees have 

 wintered. 



As it has been said that the Alley hive is not 

 wintering well, I only desire room for the fol- 

 lowing letter : "You asked my opinion of your 

 hive last fall. Not having tried it then in every 

 respect, I could not say how I liked it. But 

 DOW, having wintered seven swarms in them 

 tci h p"rfect success, I can say that it cannot be 

 improved for wintering bees on their summer 

 stands. One swarm was a late second swarm, 

 that did not fill more than one-third of the 

 frames with combs. I had to feed them in the 

 fall, but to-day they are flying lively and in good 

 health ; I simply put a quilt (Bickford style) on 

 top of the frames, and no other pro'eclioii, 

 though the thermometer was at times as low as 

 18'' below zei'o. S. C. Ware, Towanda, Ills., 

 March 2, 1871." 



I have reports equally as favorable from other 

 parties, but as tliis came to hnnd just as I was 

 ready to mail tliis article, I concluded to send it 

 as a sample of what we have on hand. 



H. Alley. 



Wenham, Mass., March 8, 1871. 



[For tlie American Bee Journal.] 



Bees in Alley Hives. 



Mr. Editor : — As others are giving their ex- 

 pei'ience, I would like to say a few words in re- 

 gard to the Alley hive which I purchased last 

 spring. I put a sw irm in it on June 10th, and 

 they verjr soon filled all the frames in the body 

 of the hive aiid began storing honey in the side 

 boxes, and if the weather had not been extremely 

 dry and hot, I think every surplus box would 

 have been filled. As it was, I got sixty pounds 

 of beautiful white honey, without a particle of 

 bee bread in it, and plenty of honey in the frames 

 to winter the stock. I noticed that the bottom 

 boxes were all filled first. 



I took oft' the honey board and placed a piece 

 of old carpet on top, and around the sides I put 

 some clean rags about the end of November. 

 They are in fine condition at this time, having 

 been on their summer stand all the winter. I 

 think it a capital hive for wintering out doors, as 

 the bees keep so quiet. 



I have otlier kinds of hives, but so far the 

 Alley hive pleases me best. I am only a young 

 beginner, and am going to have another style uf 

 hive from a kind friend, who has promised to 

 send me one this spring. I will report to you 

 next fall how I succeed. 



With best wishes for the success of the Bee 

 Journal. 



C. Chesterman. 



Dyersdlle, Iowa, March 17, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Wintering Bees in the Bay State Hive. 



Mr. Editor : — My bees have wintered well. 

 I have several stocks in old fashioned hives, and 

 in them all tlie comb run from side to side, re- 

 gardless of the "natural way," and the rear 

 combs are filled with brood. A large portion of 

 the bees in my Bay State and Langstroth hives, 

 have clustered to the ton of the frames, and 

 above them, under the flannels all winter. I 

 think tliey do better in the Bay State hive. I 

 have thirteen of them and intend to make forty 

 more. Mr. William Noyes, of Sealrook, N. H., 

 has several kinds of hives. Among them are the 

 Langstroth and Bay State. To the latter he 

 gives tlie preference. I have seen in the Bay 

 State the rear combs built first. 



I have had several queens from Mr. Alley, and 

 am satisfied with tliem. AVe like Mr. Alley to deal 

 with, he suits us New England peojile — we being 

 a little behind some of our western brethren. 

 But, never mind, we say long live Mr. Alley, and 

 may he meet with the success he justly merits. 

 Benjamin Osgood. 



Amesbury, Mass., Aprils, 1871. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bees in Alley Hives. 



Mr. Editor :— In the February number of 

 your Journal, page 187, I see an article from the 

 pen of our friend E. Gallup, in which he says 

 that it is almost impossible to get the queen to 

 breed in the rear frames of the Alley hive, and 

 that it is the last frame that the bees fill. Now 

 I have used the Alley hive two seasons, and in 

 every case they filled tlie rear frame first, before 

 they filled some of the front ones, and the queen 

 laid readily in that comb. I have seen both sides 

 of the rear comb filled with brood, while there 

 was yet none in some of the front ones. 



I was not aware that Mr. Gallup had used the 

 Alley hive sufficient to express his opinion in 

 such strong language, but I suppose that a man 

 of his experience can decide as to the good 

 qualities ot" a hive in one season, better than we 

 lesser lights can in half a dozen. 



My bees wintered finely on their summer 

 stands, Avith the protection spoken of heretofore. 

 They began to gather pollen on the 19th of 

 I^Iarch, and are breeding rapidly. Success to the 

 Bee Journal. 



A. GUEEN. 



Amesbury, Mass. 



That the food or jelly administered by the bees 

 to their larvte " must be exceedingly nutritious, 

 may be inferred from its very nature, consisting, 

 as it does, of the virile, energetic, and fertilizing 

 powder of plants in the concentration of their 

 living princii3le." — Schuckard. 



That bees feel pain may be assumed from the 

 evidence we have of their feeling pleasure. — 

 Schuckard. 



