GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



502 



By this plan .of operating we secure all the 

 advantages of non-swarming, and more; for we 

 keep Liie whole working force in the new colo- 

 ny, and we also get the benefit of the extra en- 

 ergy always exerted by bees that have swarmed. 



If I have not made my plan sufficiently plain 

 I will gladly answer, through these columns, 

 any questions that may be asked. 



Norwalk, O., May 22, 1894. 



[Mr. S. F. Newman is a bee-keeper who is 

 very successful in getting large averages from 

 his apiaries, even in poor seasons. The proof 

 of the pudding is in the eating, and on that 

 basis it may be well to read with care Mr. New- 

 man's article above. 



Perhaps a little explanation may not be amiss 

 at this time as to who this Mr. Newman is. for 

 we arc going to let out a little secret here. 

 Some years ago, when the honey canard (to the 

 effect that it was possible to make comb honey 

 by filling the combs with glucose, and capping 

 them over with appropriate machinery) was 

 going the rounds of the press, and it seemed 

 utterly impossible to follow it up and correct 

 it. Mr. Newman conceived this unique idea; 

 namely, to get up a yarn of the same ilk, con- 

 taining a semblance of truth, and yet so ridicu- 

 lous that no one would believe it. or any story 

 like the comb-honey yarn. Well, this is the 

 story that Mr. Newman started, that flew like 

 wild fire all over the country, for he wrote it 

 up in good shape in regular reporter style: A 

 certain Yankee inventive genius in the East 

 had discovered a process for making artificial 

 eggs that could not be told from the genuine. 

 Reporters had tested them, and foiaid them to 

 be as good eating as redl hens' egg'*. The '• re- 

 porter " was frank enough to admit that the 

 egg-man had not quite surceeded in getting 

 eggs up to that perfection where they would 

 produce perfect chickens; but such eggs, when 

 placed under hens or in hatchers would bring 

 forth, in three weeks' time, chickens without 

 anil feathers. Well, you all know how this 

 stoVv went the rounds of the press; but. con- 

 trary to Mr. Newman's expectations, many did 

 believe it; but the great majority doubted it; 

 and then they began to wonder if the comb- 

 honey yarn was not of the same stripe. Al- 

 though the results obtained were not all that 

 Mr. Newman hoped for. yet the story did great 

 good in causing people to discredit not only 

 artificial-egg stories, but comb-honey yarns, 

 and every thing of the kind. Intelligent and 

 thinking people knew perfectly well that the 

 principle of life could not be put into an egg by 

 any human skill; and at this time, probably, 

 no one believes in it, and we hope that very 

 few really believe that comb honey is -manu- 

 factured.— Ed. J 



^ I ^ 



VARIOUS ITEMS FROM AN EXTENSIVE BEE- 

 KEEPER. 



June 15. 



LIGHTING BKE-SMOKERS, ETC. 



By N. D. West. 



El wood says a good word for the Crane 

 smoker for the bee-keepers' benefit, and says, 

 save the charcoal, and light with a paper, etc. 

 Well, that's good. What he says is worth re- 

 membering. But just tell the buyer to use 

 kerosene pure— plenty of it, on some kind of 

 chips or rotten wood. Light it with a match. 

 It will be as easy as lighting a lamp when you 



learn how. Add sound maple wood, but don't 

 put out the blaze until the wood is on fire. 

 Charcoal is good for the foundation fire, but I 

 use elm chips that I get at the barrel-factory. 

 These come off the end of the staves where 

 they chamfer for the barrel-head— not dust, 

 but chips. This lights very easily by the aid 

 of kerosene, and makes a good smoke, ready to 

 use quick: and if I do not have along job of 

 work to do I use nothing more: but when it 

 burns down a li.ttle I put on sound ma' le wood 

 well dried, if I want to do business by the day. 

 Boys, be careful, and don't set any thing afire 

 that you don't want to burn, when using bee- 

 smokers. 



THE EIGHT AND TEN FBAMK HIVES. 



Tell Dr. Miller I feel sorry for him about 

 building those new hives. If he didn't know so 

 much about the bee-business he wouldn't have 

 half so much trouble about deciding on what 

 hive to use. I wish I could help him out. but I 

 can't. I have been using both 8 and 10 frame 

 hives side by side for 20 years, and not less than 

 100 of each kind. I think that, during that 

 time, each has had its advantages. The ten- 

 frame hive, however, with extra dummy- 

 boards, is something like a harness made large 

 enough for a good -sized horse, with buckles 

 and straps so made that you can buckle it up to 

 fit the size of smaller horses too. By using both 

 kinds of hives I always have honey enough in 

 the spring so that, by dividing it up some, all 

 hives will be supplied with honey. I have, in 

 times past, hived swarms from the 10- frame 

 hives in the 8-frame, using two board dummies 

 so but six frames of comlis were used. We get 

 larger swarm* from the larger hive, but not so 

 many of them: then we put sections over the 

 new swarms right off. or as soon as the queen 

 was located below. I aim to get all of the box 

 honey possible from these young swarms; and 

 from time to time, when we have the hives 

 opened I add a frame of brood, or a comb 

 empty, or a comb of honey— any thing that 

 we have on hand to fill up the hives and not 

 interfere with the bees' working in the boxes. 

 After the honey season is over we look over 

 these small hives; and all that do not have 

 honey enough to last until spring we supply 

 by going to the 10 frame hives that cast the 

 swarms, and get two frames of honey and 

 place them in the 8 frame hives in place of the 

 dummies. Then you see both kinds of hivos 

 have 8 frames. 



Again, sometimes we do not look over all, 

 but winter some colonii'S on the six frames, 

 and give them honey in the spring, after they 

 aresetoutof the cellar. I will say risht here, 

 that, for the past ten years. I have made only 

 the 10-frame hive until recently. I have made 

 200 standing-frame hives for a special purpose. 

 I have had but two years' experience with 

 these, and will not speak more about them. 



