1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



131 



blank represents a word. Well, that word in 

 the writer's manuscript was Hone other than — 

 *' Novice. " And yet, Mr. King, in his magnanim- 

 ity, substituted a dash, that Novice might not 

 be exposed. Before leaving this subject, we'll 

 simply " echo " the sentiments of many of the 

 most prominent aijiarians of our own state, by 

 saying that they fully concurred in President 

 Bingham's remarks. 



Novice's idea of Mr. Bingham's hive is about 

 as accurate as — well, as many of his "fact" 

 ideas, concerning things he knew nothing of. 

 This is by no means the first time he has ex- 

 pressed an opinion upon subjects of which he 

 was " totally ignorant." 



Novice ridicules Quinby's idea relative to 

 the cause of loss in wintering, and then turns 

 square about and advises all who practice " out 

 door wintering," to protect hives from those 

 same north winds. Can he tell us why '? O ! 

 isn't it laughable? 



Kind reader, did you ever follow Novice in 

 an argument ? Then you are conversant with 

 his manner of getting out of tight places. Friend 

 Alley caught him last spring, but Novice said 

 he " called names " ; Gen. Adair cornered him, 

 and the charge of " recklessness " followed ; Hos- 

 mer got him foul, and he cried out " savage." If 

 asked a question that doesn't suit, he is reticent 

 or evasive. 



Speaking of the " New Idea " system. Novice 

 says if it gives more honey, " we shall all learn 

 it in due time." Perhaps so. Yet we venture 

 the prediction that he will never ascertain the 

 fact, (judging from his articles on these pages,) 

 so long as he can sell "dollar hives." Isn't 

 that the height of disinterestedness ? 



Mr. Editor, we frankly acknowledge that 

 the task of going over all the (patent) ground 

 which Novice has so faithfully tilled, with the 

 expectation of " results " of an hundred fold, is 

 so arduous that it seems that the limits of a sin- 

 gle article would hardly suffice to do it justice. 

 A second thought convinces us that we don't 

 care to extend our castigation farther, unless 

 Novice *' gits right down and howls " over this. 

 For, to tell the truth, there is no task so un- 

 pleasant for us to perform, as to speak ill of any 

 one, even though he be an uncompromising foe. 

 We do love to commend honest effort, and noth- 

 ing would please us better than to be able to 

 write the reverse of what this article contains. 

 But there are times when duty demands that 

 the truth shall be spoken boldly and fearlessly. 



The time has been when the perusal of Nov- 

 ice's articles was a real pleasure. We sincerely 

 wish that we could say the same now. What- 

 ever he may do in future, Novice deserves great 

 credit for persistently endeavoring to bring the 

 American people to a realizing sense of the value 

 of the Mel-extractor in the management of the 

 apiary, as, also, that of sugar syrup as a means of 

 its healthy maintenance during the polar blasts 



of winter. But since he has got his fingers into 

 the " patent " pie, his judgment has become 

 fearfully warped, and, at times, he is a complete 

 cynic, whose moroseness is gratified by hurling 

 anathemas at all who cross his path. 



One word more. If Novice wishes to discuss 

 any of our " theories " with us in these columns, 

 and will agree to confine himself to the topic 

 under discussion, we shall be pleased to gratify 

 such a desire. But if, on the contrary, he choos- 

 es to deal in invectives, abuse and epithets, 

 why, Mr. Editor, just tell him for us to "pitch, 

 in." Herbert A. Burch. 



South Haven, Mich., Nov. 20, 1873. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



"Wintering Bees. 



A successful wintering of our bees is one of 

 the most essential requirements to justify an 

 expectation of a good honey harvest. Our bees 

 must be strong when the honey harvest begins, 

 or we cannot expect a full crop. We all know 

 this. Now, Mr. Editor, as wintering is of great 

 importance to the beekeeper, allow me, if you 

 please, on this question, a little more space in 

 the columns of the Journal. I was, perhaps, 

 not plain enough in my statement in the October 

 number in regard to my straw-mat arrangement. 

 At least brother Novice, I know did not quite 

 understand me. In the last number of the 

 American Bee Journal, he says : " Muth has 

 had no experience with dysentery in his local- 

 ity, and his bees winter precisely as they did 

 with us before its advent," «&;c. 



My bees had the dysentery, and mouldy 

 combs ; not within the last two years, but more 

 or less every other year. I think it was five years 

 ago when I lost just fifty per cent of my bees 

 with dysentery, the same disease which we all 

 have so often seen described, the combs being 

 bedaubed all over with excrements, as was also 

 the whole inside of the hive and the flyboard, 

 and thousands of bees sticking dead in the 

 cells. I don't think this will ever happen to 

 me again, as long as I use the straw-mat in a 

 proper manner. Mr. Root says, in a private 

 letter, " The straw-mat has failed where the 

 disease was common." This is exactly my _ ex- 

 perience. Last winter, a friend in my neigh- 

 borhood lost eight hives from twelve, and the 

 remaining four hives were poor remnants, 

 indeed. He had his bees covered up with the 

 same kind of straw-mats as I had mine, and 

 with the same kind of woolen blankets below 

 the mat as my own, but he had the second 

 story on the hives with tight covers. His hives 

 were much more protected than mine, but his 

 bees died of dysentery, although they had the 

 same winter stores as mine, and his combs were 

 mouldy, for the want of proper upward venti- 

 lation. Now, then, if I would take a patent, 



