THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



23 



The subject being comparatively new, 

 it elicited but little discussion, though it 

 was the general impression among those 

 present, that it was unsafe to invest in 

 House Apiaries from our present knowl- 

 edge of them. 



Pres. Balcii — I think that most of us 

 ■will agree that, in this, as in all other de- 

 lusions, it is better to let well enough 

 alone. 



James Heddon thought it exceedingly 

 imprudent in this Association to question 

 the practicability of the House Apiary, 

 since A. I. Root had built a House Apiary, 

 had talked, run, and photographed it. 

 Thus it will be seen that we are most ef- 

 fectually forestalled in the discussion of 

 this question. 



H. A. BuRCH stated that the problem 

 was a new one, but thought it advisable to 

 consider it, inasmuch as it was attracting 

 much attention among bee-keepers. If it 

 be altogether impracticable as now seems 

 probable, the sooner we know it the better. 



The next topic, " Winter Bee-Keeping," 

 was introduced by a paper on that sub- 

 ject from Rev. A. Salisbury, Camargo, 

 111. Mr. S. considered the philosophy of 

 hibernation at considerable length, the 

 discoveries and teachings of science and 

 their application to the subject so as to 

 secure uniform and complete success in 

 this particularly hazardous field of mod- 

 ern apiculture. 



Pres. Balch— Though I may ride a 

 hobby in the frequent repititions of my 

 views on this subject, j-et I will again 

 repeat them by saying that my experi- 

 ence has been — the less ventilation of 

 the hive during the winter months, the 

 better. Nature guides the bees to seal 

 up the hive perfectly tight as the fall 

 months approach. This is the result of 

 instinct implanted in the bees by their 

 Creator, who is wiser than we. Upward 

 and lower ventilation produces a draft 

 of air through the hive. This disturbs 

 the bees; those on the outside are con- 

 stantly trying to get inside the cluster. 

 This causes them to eat, and the result 

 is dysentery. 'Tis true that a little 

 moisture may accumulate in the hive, 

 but no mould will collect that will not 

 vanish during the first week of warm 

 weather in spring. I never disturb bees 

 so late in the season that they cannot 

 again seal the hive up tight. 



H. A. BuRCH — Mr. Salisbury's success 

 is certainly a point in favor of his theory 

 and practice. Success is the measure of 

 the value of any method. 



Pres. BALCU-^While this is quite true, 

 they might have wintered even better with 

 no ventilation at all. Try it and see. 



James Heddon — Has any one made a 

 careful series of experiments with a view 

 of testing this ventilation business? 



Dr. W. B. Southard — I have done so ; 

 but it wasn't last winter when my bees 



all died. Some years ago I gave nearly 

 all of my bees an abundance of both up- 

 ward and lower ventilation; they wintered 

 well but consumed lots of honey. This 

 winter I removed all honey boards, placed 

 a piece of sacking on top of the frames 

 and covered it witli two inches of bran. 

 By using a double thickness, found the 

 lower one 10 ^ the warmer. Wheat bran 

 is an excellent non-conductor, and absorb- 

 ent of moisture. Very little moisture has 

 accumulated in my hives thus far. With 

 upward ventilation large amounts of hon- 

 ey are consumed — three times as much as 

 with none at all. 'Tis impossible to keep 

 an even temperature in the winter reposi- 

 tory; but we should approximate it as 

 nearly as we can. Bees winter more safe- 

 ly in box hives than in movable combs. 



James Heddon — In the winter of 1871 

 and 1872 two of my neighbors had sixty- 

 five and eighty-five stocks respectively. 

 In the following spring they had but one 

 apiece left. All the other bees kept in the 

 vicinity died. These bees had increased 

 from small beginnings and had been win- 

 tered with no loss in previous years, 

 under precisely the same treatment. All 

 were wintered on their summer stands in 

 box hives. Where this bee-disease pre- 

 vails our bees will die — saltpeter won't 

 save them — which renders the business 

 extremely precarious. 



Dr. Southard — By keeping the hives 

 tight at the top you keep the bees warmer. 



H. A. BuRCH — And foul air accumu- 

 lates in the hive. 



Pres. Balch — Will our medical breth- 

 ren please state whether the air is more 

 foul in a tight room at the ceiling than 

 at the floor. 



Dr. Southard — In the absence of a 

 direct experiment, could not say, though 

 doubtless at the floor. Ventilation at the 

 bottom of the hive will eliminate the foul 

 air. 



A. S. Ranny — The air at the bottom of 

 a perfectly tight living room, is the most 

 destructive of life. 



Dr. A. S. Haskins — The above is in ac- 

 cordance with the teaching of science and 

 is doubtless true. 



James Heddon — In younger years \ 

 supposed there were certain fixed facts 

 applicable to everything, but have found 

 it is a mistake. For generations back it 

 has been supposed that loading a gun 

 heavily will scatter shot; but such is not 

 the case, even though our grandfathers 

 did believe it, and many of the people 

 of to-day believe it still. Years ago every- 

 body recommended upward ventilation ; it 

 was all the go from Langstroth down. 

 Mr. Langstroth relates an instance in his 

 book of a friend wintering seventeen 

 stocks on their summer stands, only one 

 having upward ventilation. The mercury 

 went fourteen clapboards below zero, and 

 the bees all died save the one that was all 



