THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



149 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Straw Cover. 



Three years ago I succeeded in con- 

 structing a fine straw cover for my hires, 

 which answers well for all purposes, and 

 gives better satisfaction than any other I 

 have seen. They are made as follows: 

 Take strips, 1% inches wide, and make a 

 frame to fit the size of the hive; in the 

 side pieces I make }^ inch holes, 3 inches 

 apart, commencing ^^ inch from the ends; 

 from the hole to the inside, I grub out a 

 little, to sink the canes I stretch across 

 this frame. Now, fill up finally with 

 clean straw, and draw the cane over the 

 upper side, which I afterwards bind ott" 

 with waxed twine. This cover is as 

 smooth and solid as a honey board, and I 

 put it on early enough to allow the bees 

 to fasten it with propolis. The following 

 illustration will show what I mean. This 



cover may cost a little more than a mat, 

 but will hold out any wooden honey 

 board, and pays four times its cost every 

 j*ear, for bees breed much faster under it, 

 in spring, and winter better, because they 

 keep diy and warm, without any cur- 

 rent of air through the hive. I have over 

 fifty of these covers in use now, and can- 

 not say too much in their praise. 

 JeflFerson, "Wis. W. Wolpp. 



For me American Bee Journal. 

 Success and Failure. 



Having just looked over the April num- 

 ber of the Journal, I see friend Heddon 

 trying to show that there is no profit in 

 bee culture, especially with the extractor; 

 and friend Bingham seems to be close up- 

 on his track. Burcli agrees with him so 

 far as comb-honey in glass boxes are con- 

 cerned. I differ with them both, so far as 

 the comb foundations are concerned, and 

 agree with Bingham that the bees should 

 build their own foundations if to be eaten. 

 I do not want the comb foundations on 

 my stomach, nor on that of my customers. 

 My experience, generally, accords with 

 that of friend Dadant, page 107. 



The above four men, all my friends, are 



all honest, and it is not my purpose" to 

 dispute what tliey say, but merely to give 

 my own experience. 



I have never had anything for sale but 

 as advertised, " Pure Italian queens and 

 full colonies," nor have I been a pur- 

 chaser of hives and fixtures, bee-feeders, 

 etc. Here I would state that I forgot to 

 say at the start, I consider myself success- 

 ful, and it is my aim to show how I suc- 

 ceeded, even in a poor location as this is. 



I commenced with the Langstroth hive, 

 trading bees for hives, thus making it a 

 rule to go slow and make my bees pay 

 their own way as they went, — thus, " Pay 

 as you go." I also improved my bees un- 

 til I had, or thought I had, the best in the 

 U. 8., but never have depended upon bees 

 a single season for a living. I carry on 

 the saddle and harness business, and my 

 apiary is right back of my shop, so I can 

 just step out of the back door and walk in 

 the apiary any time. It was bad health 

 and want of out-door exercise that caused 

 me to start an apiary. I will here say I 

 started it with two gums, before I had ever 

 heard of a book being written on bees. I 

 started in 1857. I well knew, when I 

 started it, if the bee business was a sure 

 business, it could not be so in such a 

 locality as this, where we only have about 

 one good season in every five. My rule 

 has been never to keep over 80 stands, 

 and to reduce them by sale every spring 

 to about 36 or 40, my wintering being a 

 success every winter. No disease ever 

 known in my apiary. 



I have generally sold comb-honey at 30 

 and 35 cents, until I, like Dadant, created 

 a demand for the extracted. I can now 

 sell three pounds of extracted to one of 

 comb, even at the same price, 20 or 25 

 cents, never less than 20 yet. My market 

 is at home. Before the Extractor, I 

 had to beg a market in the cities. I sent 

 C. O. Perrine two crates of comb-honey, 

 in caps, some years ago, and will here 

 state, to his credit, he dealt fairly with me . 



If novices with the Extractor would 

 wait until the combs are fully sealed over, 

 they would get an article of thick, rich 

 honey, cheap at 25 cents any where. This 

 is the article I give my customers, and it 

 has at last made the sale of mv cap honev 

 dull. ^ 



On account of the sale of bees I have 

 had every spring, I have never had an 

 opportunity to give my bees a fair run for 

 honey gathering, as yet. They being re- 

 duced to about 40 every spring, had to be 

 increased to 80, and raise about 200, or 

 more, queens besides, and to do this in 

 this locality, I have never got over about 

 (3,000) two thousand pounds besides. 



The great damage to the bee business 

 is so many novices pitching in with a 

 patent hive, fixtures, farm-rights, etc., ex- 

 pecting to make money on a pack of 

 fools who will buy their chattels. The 



