18U4 



(4LL:ANlN(iS IN HKE CUl/rUKK 



?.:\7 



brood, as a general thing, comes .inst to the top- 

 bar, or within one or two rows of cells of the 

 top; and I find, after years of nsiiig such a 

 traiTie. without any l<ind of queen-excluder, 

 the queen has never, in a single instance, laid 

 an egg in the super; and I can not see that the 

 extra depth of the frame nial<es any difference 

 in the time that bees will go to work in the 

 sections. 



I should liis'e to know who that man is who 

 writes for Glkaninos and signs himself Jake 

 Smith. I have an idea that his name would 

 sound better written thus — C. P. Dadant. How 

 is it? .Take is all right, any way; but we 

 should like to know him better. 



Mossy Rock, Wash., Feb. <). J. H. Goe. 



[Most of those who have advocated a chanse 

 in depth have called for a shallower rather 

 than a deep(M' frame Regarding the identity 

 of Jake Smith, you are wide of the mark. — Ed.] 



HOFFMAN FRAMES INDORSED; Ij^ IN. TOO 

 C'l-OSR SPACIN(i. 



In the Feb. 1st number of Gleanings an 

 article by Major Sliallard, on correct spacing 

 of brood- frames, appeared. I like his article 

 very much except the IV inch spacing. T 

 think it is a little ton close. Such close spacing 

 vi^ould be against bees clustering in a thick 

 body, in wintering outside. I will give my ex- 

 perience of 14 years. When I began bee-keep- 

 ing I used )1'4 inches from center to center, with 

 to[)-bar % inch wid<' and % inch deep, and a :?g- 

 iiich space on top of the frames. Now. tho^e 

 fi'iimes would be stuck together with brace- 

 combs, and the hon<^y-board would be fastened 

 down with burr-combs. 



Six years ago I changed my top bars from J< 

 to IV inches wide, and vV inch thick, using S 

 frames in ll.V inche^;. That is the inside width 

 of my hive. Ever since I made the change I 

 am never troubled with brace or burr co nbs. 

 Mr. Shallard thinks that, with wide spacing, 

 thi' bees will not raise brood near the top of the 

 frames; but I beg leave to differ with him. 

 When I used the wide spacing, the bees u«ed to 

 raise brood clo*e to the top of the framf"«. 

 Now, between the two extremes, Ij^ and IW 

 inches, \')^ inches wide from center to center is 

 just right. Itis not thed'^pthof the top-har-;. but 

 thedistance between ♦hem. that prevents l)r;ic<'- 

 combs. There should not he more than 14' inch 

 between the tops of the frame-*, and about li or 

 y,., inch betwe(Mi tops of Iramcs and surplus- 

 ca-^es. 



Next season, if I am spared. I am going to u-c 

 1% inch spacing from center to cienter. which 1 

 think is just right. I also intend using ilie 

 Hoffman frame next season, which I think will 

 be a great improvement over the hanging 

 frame. I made some Hoffman frames and 

 placed them in a hive, wedging them up. I 

 then raised the hive on end and looked at the 

 bottom. One could not but exclaim. "Oh what 



beautiful sijucing!" Then, taking out those 

 frames, I replaced iheni with loose hanginf? 

 fratnes. What irregular spacing! I think tln^ 

 Hoffman frame is going to b(^ tlie solo frame of 

 the future. W.m. Coi.k.ma.n. 



liirr. Out.. Feb. 22. 



[The spacing If^H in. is close enough; as yoti 

 say. it is a nice medium between tlie extremes. 

 This spacing with top-bars IV in. wide will 

 certainly secure all the advantages for the 

 closer spacing and lop- bars % in. wide.— Ed.] 



^^^^^^^Pb^W' 



ENCOURAGIXCi FOR AUSTRALIA. 



We are having a plentiful flow of honey here 

 this year, though, owing to the few bee-keep- 

 ers in this district underselling one another, the 

 price of extracted honey is 6 cents per lb. 



E. R. n. McCarthy. 



Fernleigh, Australia, Dec. 16, 1893. 



A correction. 



In Gleanings for Feb. 1.5, page 133. 20th line 

 from the top of tirstcnlumn, read " Chickasaw " 

 for"Chicka;" and in 8th line read "cauliflow- 

 er "seed for'" California "seed. It will improve 

 the sense wonderfully. J. E. Crane. 



Middlebury, Vt., Feb. 21. 



[Bro. Crane will have to shoulder the blame 

 of the first error, while we lake the second. — 



Ed.] 



water instead of smokk. 



When one has any work to do in a hive, at a 

 high temperature, the plan of using water in- 

 stead of smoke is greatly to be commended. 

 With this the bees are to be gently sprayed. 

 Quietly as latnbs they retreat, without making 

 the least attempt 10 sting. I can recommend 

 tliis simple method to all bee-keepers, whetlier 

 they are ''smokers " or "non-smokers." 



Mc^dina, O., Feb. lO. Karl R. Mathey. 



[We have used water in place of smoke. 

 While it is better than notliing, it is much in- 

 ferior to smoke. — Ed.] 



FAIR DKALINfl. 



Friend Rout: — We commission merchants 

 have .«o many hard things said about us that it 

 is VI ry refreshing to receive occasionally a let- 

 ter liki- the ificlosed. Mr. Norton formerly liv- 

 etl at Lanesboro, Pa., but recently removed to 

 Oakland. Ca'. Chas. McCullocil 



Albany. \. V. 



Mi;-!S)x. .Mrfutloch A- Cn. :—TUc c]r:t(t on New York 

 wiis reecived last iiijihl, and I niu^I thank you for 

 the prDUipliiessarid faiiness in > our dealin^rs with 

 me. But. to he candid, it wa.s no more than I e.\- 

 peeted ;iftor tlie reeomniendaliori of your firm I frot 

 f I'oni Bro. A I. Root. I liave learned to place im- 

 plicit confidence in wliat lie .say.s. I do not under- 

 stand liow that can of dark honey came tn be in the 

 lot. P. L. NouTox. 



Oakland, Cat. 



