THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



[79 



ed the same since. He also tried to speak 

 cheering words to me, and did all that 

 hia big sympathetic heart could to lift the 

 burden from mine. It is too bad that we 

 do not know how to take better care than 

 we do of these frail minds and bodies of 

 ours, and, knowing it, do it. 



WORK WITH BEES KEEPS US "NEAR TO 

 NATURE'S HEART." 



In a private letter received some time 

 ago from Mr. James Heddon, there are 

 are a few sentences that it seems as though 

 his friends would read with pleasure. 

 He .says; "This is my 31st year as a spe- 

 cialist, and I am beginning it all alone with 

 200 colonies; enjoying it as I never have 

 before. The shop that once stood in our 

 yard up town has been moved down here 

 in the apiary among the big apple trees. 

 The high board fence keeps out the boys 

 with their guns; and the wrens and other 

 song birds come here and sit and swing 

 and .sing through all the balmy days. 

 Down town, three-fourths of a mile away, 

 I have a daily and a weekly newspaper. 

 They are the first and the best in this 

 rich county; and pay, yes, pay well; es- 

 pecially so since my youngest son has de- 

 veloped into such a good editor, publish- 

 er and manager; but that commercial 

 strife which he so enjoys, I dislike; pre- 

 ferring to deal with honest nature. This 

 work here, pays well, too; and, besides, 

 feeds the soul; while that down in the 

 city is distasteful to my nature. In my 

 opinion no rural pursuit is the equal of 

 honey production for pleasure and inde- 

 pendence, and I may say for profit, if it 

 is rightly managed. In no year have I ever 

 failed to realize a good profit on the labor 

 and capital invested. I am sure that I 

 shall always follow it as my life-work." 



CONTRACTION OF THE BROOD NE.ST. 



In a late issue of Gleanings the editor 

 referred to the contraction of the brood 

 nest as a "fad;" classing it with self-hiv- 

 ers, etc. From the tone of Bro. Root's 



remarks it is evident that he has misun- 

 derstood the time and manner in which 

 contraction of the brood nest has been 

 practiced. For instance, he says : 

 "But, oh how the bees did swarm, 

 and no wonder! The whole troub- 

 le was that queen did not have brood- 

 ing space enough; and the bees were 

 quick to catch on to the fact; and the re- 

 sult was the queen and bees connived to- 

 gether for larger quarters. ' ' 



Bro. Root, so far as I know, no one has 

 practiced contraction of old established 

 colonies, those that had their brood nests 

 filled with bees, brood and honey — it was 

 only in hiving swarms that contraction 

 was practiced. It is possible that .some 

 practiced contraction with established 

 colonies; it seems that you have under- 

 stood it that way, but you are the first 

 man that I have ever met who so under- 

 stood it or practiced it. I have corres- 

 ponded with many of the prominent bee- 

 keepers who practice contraction of the 

 brood nest, have met many of them, and 

 visited the apiaries of many of them, es- 

 pecially here in Michigan, where, as you 

 sa}', contraction is practiced most exten- 

 sively, and I have jet to know of a bee- 

 keeper who contracts his brood nests ex- 

 cept in hiving swarms. If there are those 

 who contract the brood nest of establish- 

 ed colonies, do it in the spring, or ju.st be- 

 fore putting on the sections, or if there 

 are tho.se who have practiced it and 

 abandoned it, I hope they will speak out, 

 for it will be news to me. According to 

 my views and experience, it would be a 

 most unvrise course to pursue. In the 

 first place, we need to raise all the bees 

 po.ssible before the opening of the main 

 honey harvest. We must have the work- 

 ers, or the harvest will be in vain. To 

 rear them there must be cells in which to 

 cradle them while babies. We need all 

 of the Cells that an ordinary queen will 

 keep full of brood; and enough other 

 cells for the storing of the honey and pol- 

 len to be used in caring for the brood. 

 When the coming of the harvest finds these 

 combs all filled with brood, honey and 



