GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



756 



few boats visit the islands, and no regular boats 

 touch here; and the person living alone here 

 would become a virtual exile or voluntary 

 prisoner for the time being. The scheme has 

 been tried on the Santa Cruz Island. A person 

 otfered $5.00 per day to any expert who would 

 stay on the island in the capacity of queen- 

 breeder; but the $5.00 was no lemptation. The 

 bees that were put on the island swarmed, and 

 are now living in rocks and in inaccessible 

 places. I think the Ana Capa Islands would 

 not support bees, owing to their lack of honey- 

 producing vegetation. The isolation is so great 

 on these islands that even a Chinaman, who is 

 supposed to adapt himself to all circumstances, 

 could not be induced to stay; and in his frantic 

 efforts to get away, his employer, in a moment 

 of anger, shot him. The murderer escaped his 

 just penalty through the venality of a judge. 



These cliffs on the Ana Capa are the home of 

 the sea-gull. Thousands of them flock to these 

 islands, and we found their nests in abundance 

 upon the cliffs, well stocked with eggs and the 

 young. 



When we were ready to return I heard ill 

 remarks in relation to our schooner. It was 

 called an old tub. "Yes," said Mr. Me/cer, 

 "we would walk home, wouldn't we, Mr. 

 Crampton? if we could, rather than ride in 

 that thing. I hate the sight of it." But as the 

 "old tub" was the only link between the is- 

 lands and Ventura, it had to be taken. The 

 old reclining position was taken, and, though 

 the starboard rail sometimes ran into the water, 

 and the spray dashed over the decks, we all 

 reached main land without further sickness. 

 Mr. Mendleson was alert enough to put out his 

 line and troll for barracoda— a long lish resem- 

 bling the eastern pickerel or muscalong. One 

 was caught, which made us all happy. 



On the whole I enjoyed the ocean sail im- 

 mensely, and I have no doubt that my compan- 

 ions will remember for a long time the hours 

 they spent in riding the crests of the waves 

 with the Rambler. 



Oct. L 



TEN FRAMES VS. EIGHT. 



THE EXTRA-WEIGHT QUESTION; TWO STOKIES 

 VS. ONE I.ARGE STOHY FOR BREEDING- 

 ROOM, ETC. 



By C. A. Hatch. 



When Gleanings for Aug. 15th came to 

 hand, and I saw that both the editor and Dr. 

 Miller had themselves ready for another "set- 

 to," I thought it best to reserve my fire until 

 the heaviest of the combat was over; and well 

 it is that I did so, for Dr. M. has hit some 

 "licks "in so much belter style than I could 

 that I rejoice in having so good a helper. Now, 

 Dr. M., after you have written thus on the 

 subject you have got to come off the fence, for 

 we ten-framers will claim you any way; and. 



"honest," wouldn't you spread those eight- 

 frame hives of yours out just two frames if you 

 could without any expense? 



As to queens going down after going up into 

 a second story, I can not take back one thing 

 said there. I have had experience by the hun- 

 dred colonies, right in that line, and it must be 

 the number of frames that makes the differ- 

 ence. I am running fifty colonies this year, 

 with no queen-excluder between the two stories; 

 and when they commenced on basswood we 

 went over the whole lot; and. as is my custom, 

 I put all the brood below, so as to give the bees 

 empty combs above for honey; and I do not 

 think there was young brood in both hives in 

 one out of ten. 



In this three-cornered discussion there seems 

 to be an agreement that a certain number of 

 frames of brood is needed to make a good col- 

 ony. Ernest and the eight-frame advocates 

 say, "Put them above." Dr. M. says, "Put 

 them below;" and your humble servant says, 

 "Let them be side by side." Let me answer 

 Dr. M. first. As I ran 40 colonies right in this 

 line one year, it ought to prove something. 

 The 40 were in an apiary three miles from 

 home. I did not want any swarms, so I ran 

 them on what I have since found to be the 

 Simmins non-swarming plan; viz., put a hive 

 under each, with partly filled frauus. They 

 were put there at the commencement of clover 

 bloom, and remained until one extracting of 

 basswood had been made, then they weie used 

 above the brood-nest. Out of the 40 colonies, 

 I do not remember a single instance where the 

 queen used these lower combs. The frames 

 were partly full of foundation, and frames half 

 full of combs. In no case was the foundation 

 used over four inches wide. When removed to 

 the top, most of the combs had more or less 

 honey in them, but no brood. As a non-swarm- 

 er, it was a grand success. I got liOOO lbs. of 

 honey and one swarm; and did it not prove the 

 preference for upward growth instead of down- 

 ward? If a queen-excluder had been used, the 

 result might have been different; but would it 

 have shown the bees' preference any better? 

 We can force bees to do things nature does not 

 incline them to, but not always to our advan- 

 tage. 



Let us now look at the plan above. I think 

 Dr. M. has hit you a good one in his idea of the 

 bees losing heat by adding the room above; and 

 it is this following-up of the heat to the top 

 hive which frequently takes the queen up there. 

 Your reply to his point is lame when 'labor- 

 saving is what you want, not extra manipula- 

 tion with enamel cloth, division-boards, half- 

 stories, etc. We have admitted, long ago, that, 

 by proper management, almost as many bees 

 can be raised in an eight as in a ten frame; but 

 it is this very management we want to save. 

 Talk about lifting hives, when you go and pile 

 another on top that must be lifted off every 



