THE GENESEE FARMER. 



145. 



rubbing, the collar and leather might settle it between 

 them as best they could. So having procured paper and 

 scissors, I cut out a pattern for my havelock. I cut the 

 pattern so that it could be sewed together on top of the 

 neck and in front of the breast, and at the same time fit 

 the neck neatly without creasing. They were made con- 

 siderably wider than the collar, say from ten inches to one 

 foot. I then applied my patterns to a piece of leather, 

 and cut out their counterparts, and sewed them together, 

 and after soaking them over night I applied them to the 

 horses' necks, taking care to keep them smooth and nice. 

 Since then my horses have never had sore shoulders ; and 

 any one seeing the havelocks after three months use 

 would not wonder that the horses' shoulders were sore, or 

 rather would wonder that all horses' shoulders were not 

 sore. 



" I have cured the shoulders of horses with the follow- 

 ing compound : Good brandy, 1 qnart ; \ lb. alum well 

 powdered. The brandy and alum should be placed iu a 

 bottle, and when used should be well shaken. The mix- 

 ture should be rubbed on with a sponge, and a pad (an 

 old stocking leg stuffed with straw) should be placed be- 

 low the gall, and I will insure a cure if the collar is as 

 soft as it should be. I have cured shoulders with this 

 mixture, even when the skin was broken, without taking 

 the horse from his work. But use the havelocks, and you 

 won't want the mixture." 



MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 



I now propose to make a few remarks on the Lang- 

 stroth Movable Comb Hive, in regard to which a good 

 deal has been published in the agricultural papers. I do 

 this, [as I write all other matter here, for the benefit of 

 the readers of the Genesee Farmer. If others think dif- 

 ferently from what I shall say, it is only what takes place 

 on all subjects. There is not, probably, a single article 

 that appears in this paper in a year, which does not evince 

 a disagreement iu opinion with many of its readers. 



In the Langstroth hive, each comb is attached to a sep- 

 arate moveable frame, which may be removed at the 

 pleasure of the apiarian. It is alleged that the advanta- 

 ges of such combs are : that weak stocks may be quickly 

 strengthened by supplying them with maturing broods 

 from stronger ones; queenless colonies provided with 

 the means of obt?ining another queen, and the ravages 

 of the moth prevented by the removal of combs, and 

 the moth worms destroyed. It is also said that new 

 eolonies may be formed with this hive in a very expedi- 

 tious manner, and the surplus honey taken from the 

 combs. I quote "Mr. Langstroth' s own words. He says : 

 "Colonies may be safely transferred from any other hive 

 to this, at any season of the year from April to October, 

 as the brood combs, honey and all the contents of the 

 hive are transferred with them, and securely fastened to 

 the frames." 



Here we have about all the alleged benefits that are 

 claimed for this hive. 



In the first place, the hive costs considerable more than 

 most other hives. It was said, when they first came out, 

 that they could be constructed for about $4, and Mr. 

 Langstroth has since stated that the price has been re- 

 duced in some measure. The price, however, would not 



be objected to, if such hives were really necessary in or- 

 der to obtain the greatest degree of success in bee culture. 

 But a serious difficulty in the way of the successful 

 working of this hive, exists iu the frames becoming glued 

 fast to the sides of the hives by the bees; it being natu- 

 ral for them to close up every crack and crevice with pro- 

 polis. When this occurs, aud it is frequent, all the al- 

 leged advantages are unavailable. Even if these obstruc- 

 tions did not occur, it is very doubtful, in my mind, 

 whether the extra time spent in performing operations, 

 with the extra cost of hives, will " pay" in the end. 



If I had a weak colony of bees, I would sooner strength- 

 en it by transposition with a stronger family, than by the 

 movable comb system. 



In regard to queenless colonies : when discovered, which 

 is known by the inactivity of the bees, very few of such 

 families are sufficiently populous to recover on being sup- 

 plied with brood comb, from which another queen may be 

 reared. In most cases, the first intimation we have of a 

 family having lost its queen, is the desertion of the hive ; 

 the bees having made a forced entrance into the adjoin- 

 ing hives. This occurs generally in the spring of the 

 year, on the first, few mild, sunny days that take place — 

 more queens being lost in winter than in any other sea- 

 son. I, therefore, consider the facilities offered in the 

 Langstroth hive for supplying larvae to queenless hives, 

 as worth but very little in a practical point of view. 



The alleged benefits in affording an opportunity to des- 

 troy the bee moths in the combs, I consider wholly worth- 

 less, because no strong family of bees was ever known to 

 become badly infested with moths, and when a weak one 

 was in such a condition that it is necessary to remove tho 

 combs and cut out the worms, it is scarcely in a savable 

 condition— the moths having got the upper hand, and the 

 bees so reduced in numbers as to be of little value. 



Mr. Langstpoth, I believe, lays considerable stress on 

 the alleged advantages of his hive to form new colonies — 

 to make artificial swarms. 



Avery attractive theory can be written out on this basis, 

 'but when we come to practice on it, we find a very differ- 

 ent matter. I have tried artificial swarming, by attach- 

 ing brood comb iu a hive, and then forcing bees to occu- 

 py it, ;which is Mr. Langstroth's system, without his 

 hive, and I have become convinced that natural swarming 

 is the most advantageous. The chief disadvantages of 

 this plan are : the bees do not work with the same activ- 

 ity as when swarmed naturally, and considerable time is 

 lost in rearing a queen. This artificial swarm theory 

 is an old one — one that was exploded long before Mr. 

 Langstroth invented his hive. In some cases, where the 

 season is favorable, artificial swarms made early will do 

 well; but, as a general rule, it is not destined to be fol- 

 lowed by the bee keepers of the United States. 



In my remarks I refer more particularly to the interests 

 of those who are compelled to count the cost in all they 

 do. Any person who has leisure, time and money to 

 spare, may very properly use the Langstroth hive, if for 

 nothing more than as a matter of amusement. But for 

 farmers, who can not spare time to "fuss" with movable 

 bars, and supply brood to a queenless family, I think 1 

 am correct when I say it will not pay. t. b. miner, 



Clinton, tf. T. 



