THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



17 



half the low chamber on to the other and 

 start the extractor with the increased 

 swarm. Usually in this form they do not 

 swarm, but this season most of tliem 

 swarmed. I would state that I had the ad- 

 vantage of between three and four hun- 

 dred empty cards. I think it is safe to say 

 that I obtained four thousand pounds more 

 honey than I should if I had not had 

 them, thus showing the value of good 

 empty cards to work with. I shall have 

 about the same number to work with 

 another season if all is well. The ten 

 young swarms I spoke of in my report I 

 do not remember whether they were all 

 from those I run with the Extractor or 

 not. I only know that most of them 

 swarmed once, some of them twice but I 

 put back the second swarms. The 38 

 swarms averaged about 135 fts each ; from 

 one swarm I took three hundred fcs, and 

 three swarms of increase ; another 2'S9% lbs 

 and two swarms of increase. I suppose it 

 will be borne in mind that I am some 

 nearer the north pole than any other that 

 reported, and in not a very good honey 

 district at that; considering that no honey 

 was extracted after July, I think I did 

 well. I am now preparing my bees for 

 winter quarters, taking off my upper 

 story of cards and can verrify what I said, 

 that I shall get some four or five hundred 

 pounds more when putting up for winter. 

 A. H. Hakt. 

 Appleton, Wis., Oct. 23, 1875. 



For tbe American Bee Jourual. 



The New Idea Hire. 



Under the head of " Notes and Queries" 

 an the July number, Wm.'Herring asks 

 how the New Idea Hive is constructed. 



I ought, perhaps, to state how mine was 

 made, so that Mr. H., or others, may not 

 be misled by my former communication. 

 Mr. Gallup said his were made double on 

 the sides with one-quarter inch air-space ; 

 this being a colder climate than Iowa, I 

 thought it only prudent to make mine a 

 little warmer, so I made it of three thick- 

 nesses on the sides and two on the ends, 

 with quarter inch air-spaces. In prepar- 

 ing for winter take off the honey-boards 

 and cover the frames with cotton cloth; 

 then have a frame three inches deep, with 

 bottom covered with cloth and large 

 enough to cover the top of the hive; fill 

 this frame with saw dust and they are all 

 right. I hold that bees are the best judges 

 of the proper temperature of the hive, and 

 they will maintain that degree of heat, 

 if you will enable them to do so. My 

 hives set quite low and the snow drifts 

 around them, if necessary I bank up the 

 snow some, not caring even if they are 

 completely buried. Bees used to winter 

 in this climate in single-wall hives and 

 did well ; why don't they now ? I don't 

 believe in the theory of bad honey, cold, 



&c. Honey, is probably as good as it 

 ever was, and the winters just as variable 

 and no more so. I am one of the many 

 who think that the cause of the bee dis- 

 ease is, that an epidemic has passed over 

 the country impurinsr the constitution of 

 the bees, and rendering them more liable 

 to disease from causes that did not here- 

 tofore afiect them. 



My bees wintered well, but the cold 

 spring, I thought for a while would ruin 

 them, they run down so in numbers, and 

 before I was aw!<re of it, more than half 

 became queenless. It was late in the sea- 

 son before the loss could be made good. 

 They are all now in fine condition ; I have 

 not increased the number of swarms any, 

 and took honey only from one hive, (about 

 one hundred pounds). White clover, the 

 only source this season, lasted about 

 three weeks. B. L. Taylor. 



I Minneapolis, Minn, 



» ■ ■ 



For the American Bee Jourival. 

 Foul Brood— Artifleial Feediuff, 



Salicylic acid, a new discovered chemi- 

 cal substance has been successfully em- 

 ployed in the extermination of foul brood 

 in Germany. I find the latest report 

 thereon in the July number of the Bienen 

 Zeitung. Mr. Mayer reports that he has 

 conquered the disease in stocks where 80 

 per cent, of the sealed cells were diseased. 

 The manner in which Mr. Mayer uses the 

 acid is very simple; he t-prinkles the 

 combs with the acid diluted with warm 

 water and at the same time washes the 

 sides, top and bottom with a rag moistened 

 with the diluted acid. He likewise feeds 

 the diluted acid in the food in " rather 

 strong doses;" but what he considers a 

 strong dose, or how much he dilutes 

 the acid, Mr. Mayer sayeth not. The 

 year before Mr. M^yer melted down 

 all empty comb to prevent the disease 

 from spreading; he now makes use of 

 them, first sprinkling them with the di- 

 luted acid. 



Salic3'lic acid was formerly quite dear, 

 but it is now manufactured in America 

 by a chemical laboratory in Baltimore, 

 so that it can now be obtained for less 

 money. 



I also noticed in some of the back num- 

 bers of the German bee magazines that 

 persons have greatly stimulated breeding, 

 and consequently strengthened their 

 stocks, by feeding milk and also eggs to 

 bees. Not having seen any notice of such 

 practice among American apiarists, I take 

 the liberty of adding the following details 

 as to the method employed : 



In one litre (a little more than a quart) 

 of boiled milk, dissolve a pound of sugar 

 and feed to bees, in shallow troughs, at 

 any time of day, without fearing robbers, 

 as the sugar does not attract bees. Mr. 

 Hilbert, who has practiced this kind of 



