1894. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



11 



say 45° or over. The more damp the 

 cellar the higher must be the temper- 

 ature. 



In the spring, when brood-rearing 

 is wanted, is the time to economize 

 heat. Last year brooding stopped 

 early. In January a warm spell set 

 some colonies to brood-rearing. A 

 few matured their brood, and the 

 young had cleansing flights. Such 

 colonies were the easiest to spring. 

 Others that had very old bees, aud 

 did no breeding until the last of Feb- 

 ruary aud first of March, had hard 

 work to pull through. Some were so 

 much weakened by the death of the 

 old workers that they could not well 

 rear brood, and so just eked out an ex- 

 istence trying to brood but failed. 



Right here is where packing shows 

 its value more than anywhere else. 

 If these weak aud dwindling colonies 

 are hid away so deep as to exclude 

 the solar heat, they are almost as sure- 

 ly doomed as if exposed to the extreme 

 of heat and cold. But if the packing 

 is only two or three inches thick, and 

 so arranged as to receive the heat of 

 the sun aud be warmed through and 

 through, it not only helps the colony 

 during the day time, but also pre- 

 serves a more even temperature by 

 night. A little close observation will 

 show that i)t' two colonies of equal 

 strength, the one packed, and the one 

 not, the former will cover the most 

 brood, the latter being compelled to 

 contract or compactly cluster. 



A large apiary in this county has 

 been packed in chaff now for four or 

 five winters. About three to live in- 

 ches of chaff are above in a hive body, 

 and the cover left partly open to allow 

 moisture to escape. The past two 



winters have been colder than usual, 

 and when the covers were left too close, 

 moisture accumulated somewhat. 

 However, they have wintered with 

 scarcely any loss. The packing has 

 been too deep all around, but when 

 fairly started in the spring, breeding 

 was rapid. — R. C. Aikin, in Hevieiv. 

 (Colo.) 



The nineteenth Annual Convention 

 of the Vermont Bee-Keeper's Associa- 

 tion will be held in the city of Bur- 

 lington on the 25th of January, 1894. 

 All persons interested in apiculture, 

 whether they reside in Vermont or 

 not, are cordially invited to be pres- 

 ent. For programs and information, 

 add i ess the Secretary, H. W. Scott, 

 125 Brooklyn St., Barry, Vt. 



How to manage Bees is the name of 

 a book of 200 pages which we will 

 send postpaid for only 25 cents. 



Ground Cork is an excellent article 

 for packing hives, being light and dry. 

 We will furnish it 8c. per lb., or $4.00 

 per 100 pounds. A bushel weighs 

 only about 8 lbs. 



Dealers in Supplies should get our 

 prices of goods in quantities before 

 trying themselves elsewhere. Our 

 goods are guaranteed to be superior 

 to those of any other manufacturer, 

 and notwithstanding the claims of 

 some of our competitors our Falcon 

 /Sections are ackuowdedged by all to be 

 unequalled. 



65 cents pays for The American 

 Bee Keepee one year and a copy of 

 the 50 cent book, " How to Manage 

 Bees." 



