36 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



thing connected with their surroundings 

 should be in accordance with tlieir nature 

 and instinct; they should be protected 

 from the heat in the summer and cold in 

 the winter; an even temperature should 

 be kept as much as possible, that they 

 may be at all times in a prosperous con- 

 dition. 



Bees should never be divided or allowed 

 to swarm, so as to reduce the animal heat 

 or weaken materially their working ca- 

 pacity during the honey harvest. Tiie 

 hive should be so constructed that the 

 new colonies will be composed of young 

 bees, too young to go to the field to labor, 

 and if placed in proper condition with 

 necessary material, will rear themselves a 

 young queen, that will be matured and 

 prepared to deposit eggs as soon as they 

 are needed in the new cohmy. Dividing 

 and swarming, as now conducted, is the 

 cause of more loss than the cold winters. 

 Making two poor swarms out of one good 

 one is not judicious management. In 

 your next number I will explain how I 

 manage my bees. Edgar. 

 » ■ * 



For the American Bee Journal. 



House Apiary. 



The article entitled "The Apiary House 

 Question," on page 12, last month's Jour- 

 nal — if it means anything — is intended 

 to convey the impression that "Novice" 

 is in no way indebted to me for any 

 knowledge he lias of the House Apiary 

 metliod of bee culture. Those who have 

 reiid the American Bee Journal and 

 " Gleanings " the past six months — par- 

 ticularly what has been said by " Novice " 

 in " OleaningSy'' could not have failed to 

 receive the impression that he wishes it 

 to be understood that the system owes its 

 origin and developmentthus far to himself 



Indeed, I am credibly informed that 

 one of our most prominent bee-keepers, a 

 man who has an utter disgust for any- 

 thing mean, having a knowledge of the 

 facts in the case, advised " Novice " as a 

 friend to abandon his unwarranted pre- 

 tensions, and give honor to whom honor 

 is due. Previous to the appearance of 

 my article in the American Bee Jour- 

 nal of May last — written in haste from 

 Toledo, Ohio, and published by you with- 

 out my solicitation — the House Apiary 

 question had not been generally discussed, 

 and very little was known regarding it. 



In 186(5, having then kept bees for many 

 years and having learned, by experience, 

 the precarious nature of the business as 

 usually carried on, I was led to seek for 

 "some better way," and after giving the 

 matter a good deal of careful thought, I 

 drew my first plan of a House Apiary — 

 which was octagon. After changing and 

 modifying my plans many times, and 

 after innumerable experiments, I sub- 

 mitted the matter to Doctor Kirtland, of 



Cleveland, Ohio, whom I knew to be a 

 thoroughly practical and scientific bee- 

 keeper. The Dr. was rather favorably 

 impressed with the system and advised 

 me to get it patented. But wishing to 

 test it still further and make any neces- 

 sary modification in the plans, I filed a 

 caveat in the Patent Otfice in order to 

 secure the matter. This was in 1869 and 

 I did not procure letters patent till Janu- 

 ary', 1875. Then wishing to have the sj's- 

 tem thoroughly tested by disinterested 

 persons, before offering it for sale, I made 

 arrangements to erect "trial Apiaries " in 

 difl;erent parts of the country ; particularly 

 desiring to have it tested by the Agricul- 

 tural Colleges of the various States. 



In carrying out this plan, I built 

 one last April in Wooster, Ohio, and 

 that place being near Medina, the resi- 

 dence of "Novice," I wrote him enclos- 

 ing a description of my apiary and 

 invited him to come over and examine it, 

 and if favorably impressed, make some 

 arrangement to give it a practical test, 

 "Novice" being the publisher of a bee 

 paper and withal, a champion humbug 

 extinguisher, I very naturally concluded 

 that he woukl give the thing a pretty 

 severe test, and that the interests of bee- 

 keepers would be quite safe in his hands. 

 His answer, which is copied below, shows 

 very clearly I think, that up to that time 

 at least, he had no well defined notions of 

 a House Apiary. 



COPY OF MR. root's LETTER. 



" Mkdina, Ohio, April 30, 1875. 

 I have read and re-read paper sent, and would 

 be very glad indeed, to think it even possible that 

 bees could be kept in such a house as you allude 

 to. I have been experimenting considerably in 

 that same directi n and am driven to one ol two 

 conclusions, riz.." that you have not tested the 

 plan fully or that you are willl'iilly misreprefent- 

 ing, and that my lime and money would be lost 

 in makine the trip. However, I am open to con- 

 viction. If you can come and see me or pay the 

 expense of such a trip, I will carefully examine 

 the matter. Yoa know best what you can afford. 

 Signed, A. I. Root." 



In the course of three weeks I visited 

 Mr. Root, taking a model of the Apiary 

 with me, and explained the wliole matter 

 to him, as minutely as possible. But as a 

 House Apiary is one of those things 

 which cannot be fully understood or 

 appreciated without seeing it in opera- 

 tion, I renewed my invitation to him to 

 visit tlie house at Wooster, which he 

 accepted and came over the following 

 week. He seemed quite charmed with 

 tlie House, calling it a "perfect gem"; 

 said it was far aliead of what he expected, 

 even after he liad examined the model and 

 had my description of it, and that the 

 system was an entirely novel one to him. 



In Gleanings for last month, page 7, 

 " Novice " says " he is not able to discover 

 anything in Coe's House Apiary that has 

 not been in use." Now, I am heartily 

 sorry that he said so; not that it will 

 injure me in the least, but for his sake. 



