THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



sound. The editor, to my surprise, in- 

 dulges in some very captious criticism of 

 the writer; taking him literally when it 

 suits his (the editor's) purpose. For in- 

 stance, Mr. Poppleton, speaking inci- 

 dentally of moths destroying colonies of 

 bees, uses the word "hives" instead of 

 colonies of bees. The editor snaps him 

 up in this style: " Then the idea of moths 

 trying to kill ' hives ' made of wood ! Of 

 course they couldn't. " I'll try not to be 

 so harsh — unless it is with the editors. 



A HANDY REAR-ENTRANCE. 



The Editor ( Gleanings, 42 ) wants spec- 

 ifications for a handy rear entrance to the 

 hive. This suits me: Make the front en- 

 trance by fastening strips of any size de- 

 sired on the bottom board under the sides 

 and rear of the hive, then when a rear en- 

 trance is desired move the hive forward 

 on the bottom-board an inch or more and 

 you have it. 



L.VrE BREEDING C.\N BE INDUCED BY 

 FEEDING. 



As Dr. Miller says, (same reference) it 

 is (juite generally supposed tliat late feed- 

 ing induces late breeding, but both the 

 doctor and the editor are thrown into a 

 slate of doubt because G. de Layens says 

 "this is a mistake according to some cases 

 he has noted, the intensity of the layirg 

 fading out toward the close of the season 

 not to be rekindled again even by a late 

 natural flow." It hurts me terribly to see 

 such old heads in apiculture put all at sea 

 by so slight a ])nfT. May we not have 

 some stal)le ground to stand on ? Lay- 

 ens is right, except when he says, if he 

 is correctly quoted, that the general su]> 

 position is a mistake. " The intensity 

 of the laying " r/t^r.s" fade out toward the 

 close of the sea.son and may not be " re- 

 kindled by a late natural flow" because 

 such a flow is apt to be very short, but 

 that it will invariably be "rekindled," 

 though not with the intensity of early 

 sunmier, by continued feeding so long as 

 the bees can comfortably take the food, 

 I abundantly proved to my satisfaction in 

 the early years of my bee-keeping. 



SURPLUS INCREASED TEN-FOLD BY AL- 

 LOWING ONLY ONE SWARM INSTEAD 



OF TWO FROM EACH COLONY. 

 But I am not disposed to be hard on 

 the doctor for see what a revelation he 

 makes to bee-keepers (Gleanings, 125) 

 viz., one " might increa.se his surplus ten- 

 fold by allowing only one swarm instead 

 of two from each colony." I only hope 

 that he has given the subject such ma- 

 ture consideration before reaching this 

 conclusion that nothing can occur to make 

 him think that "possibly this point needs 

 fre.sh investigation," .since, as yet, / am 

 on the ragged edge of doubt. I would 

 ever so much like the handsome income 

 that that revelation, if it is well founded, 

 will bring me. I can safely count on 

 fifty pounds of comb honey in a good 

 year from each good colony and allow 

 two swarms from it. With only one hun- 

 dred good colonies that would amount to 

 5,000 pounds; and, by allowing only one 

 swarm from each, which I could easily 

 manage, that would be increased ten-fold 

 or to the amount of 50, cx» pounds; which, 

 at ten cents a pound, would amount to 

 fc.DfKi. This is, I hope, a point in which 

 location is not going lo make any serious 

 diflference. Hut what a poor .season the 

 doctor nuist have had last year; getting 

 onlv 17,150 ])ounds froni, I infer, about 

 250 colonies. 



THE PROFITS OF HEE-KEEPING. 

 This reminds me that, on page 43 of 

 Gleanings, the same writer discusses the 

 question, "Do Ikes Pay ?" and with the 

 help of the editor it is made out that I5.C0 

 net was received for each day devoted to 

 the bees durino- the year 1897. This is 

 indeed a very satisfactory showing. Bees 

 certainly pay. But, let's see, didn't I 

 read somewhere something about his 

 considering this a somewhat better year 

 than some of the previous ones ? May- 

 be that would make a difference. 

 Couldn't the doctor be induced to write 

 an article on the question, considering 

 the outgo and income of the year 1896, or 

 of the year 1S95, or of the year 1894 ? If 

 the doctor leaves us to draw wrong con- 



