AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



503 



Do not write anything for publication 

 on the same sheet of paper witn business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Curing Bee-Diarrhea. 



I have read in various papers that bees 

 were subjected to a disease known as " diar- 

 rhea, and that no remedy for it thus far 

 had been discovered. I have been inter- 

 ested in bee-culture for 20 years or more, 

 and not until ' recently did I know what to 

 call this disease, although my bees have 

 frequently been infected with it. The win- 

 ter of 1892 it attacked one colony, and by 

 spring they were all dead. This winter it 

 entered another hive, and the bees began to 

 die until two-thirds of them were gone. 

 Thinking that they would all die anyhow, 

 if left in this condition. I resorted to an ex- 

 periment, to see if there was any cure for 

 it; the experiment proved a success, and 

 the bees are as free from it now as if they 

 had never been attacked by the loathsome 

 disease. John K. Rbger. 



South Branch, N. J. 



[We should be pleased to have Mr. Reger 

 describe his cure for bee-diarrhea, for the 

 benefit of the readers of the Bee Journal. 

 —Ed.] 



Packing-Case Method of Wintering-. 



I make packing-cases 6 feet long, 30 inches 

 wide, and 3 feet high in front, and 2 feet at 

 the back, with roof of good shingles, and 

 separate from the case. The boarding in 

 front extends to within 6 inches of the bot- 

 tom, at which point a shelf 4 inches wide 

 extends inward, against which the hives 

 are placed. 



Each case will contain three hives, which 

 rest upon 4 bricks placed on the ground. 

 The cases have no bottom, and are set over 

 the hives and rest on bricks. The hives are 

 put 6 inches from the end, and the center 

 one in the middle. This arrangement leaves 

 a space of 4^o 6 inches on every side, and 

 12 to 16 on top. I pack it full of di-y leaves. 

 and place the roof on. when it is ready for 

 winter. 



This method of packing leaves 6 inches of 

 the hive in front open to the weather, and 

 nothing to obstruct the entrances, which 

 are 4 inches wide. All moisture will con- 

 dense on this side and run out. leaving the 

 rest of the hive dry at aU times. Each case 



is made of good pine boards, and No. 1 

 shingles are used. I give them two coats of 

 paint. The total cost is $1.50 each, and they 

 are good for 20 years. 



About June 1st I remove the packing, and 

 raise the case 6 inches, by means of bricks 

 placed under the bottom, and leave the 

 cases on all summer. In hot weather I 

 raise the back of the roof 4 inches for venti- 

 lation. I am successful in wintering bees 

 this way, and lose none. 



In the winter, during storms, I set up a 

 board in front for a storm-door, and keep 

 all ice out of the entrances. I allow 30 

 pounds of honey to each colony, including 

 bees and comb. I wintered 10 colonies last 

 winter, and all came through safely, the 

 hives full of bees, and all wide-awake. 



Dearborn, Mich. C. W. Learned. 



Bee-Keeping in "Egypt." 



My bees are doing well, gathering pollen 

 and some sweets from maple. Elm is in 

 full bloom, and peach trees will be in a few 

 days. I have young bees hatched out 

 already. All my colonies are strong this 

 spring. If there is a good honey-flow, I 

 will reap a rich reward. 



Allen Springer. 



Rose Bud, His., March 20, 1893. 



Long and Cold Winter. 



We have had a long and cold winter this 

 time, but it seems to be about broken up 

 now. Several of my colonies froze to 

 death, leaving behind them plenty of stores 

 — something that has not happened in my 

 apiary since I have been in the business, 

 which is about 25 years. I think it was 

 caused by insufficient ventilation. I always 

 winter my bees on the summer stands, but 

 they are roofed under, and otherwise well 

 protected. Elisha Cart. 



Doylestown, Pa., March 19, 1893. 



Over-Stocking and Over-Production. 



During the earlier years of the present 

 system, of bee-keeping, when the demand 

 for comb honey in sections was invariably 

 in advance of the supply, the product 

 readily brought from two to three times 

 the present price ; but this condition was 

 too good to last. Every pioneer in the new 

 system, who was fairly skillful, awakened 

 scores from their Rip Van Winkle slumbers, 

 and as visions of speedy wealth rose before 

 them, there was a rush for movable-frame 

 hives and the necessary accompaniments. 

 And no wonder, for with honey selling at 

 from 30 to 40 cents per pound, a large api- 

 ary well managed was a bonanza. 



With such brilliant prospect in this line, 

 the number of bee-keepers was greatly mul- 

 tiplied, all discontinuing the practice of 

 killing the bees for their honey, and giving 

 the business the advantage of whatever 

 knowledge or skill they possessed. It is 

 needless to state that one result has been 



