GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15. 



story to enlarge the brood-chamber. I soon 

 found the queens in the upper stories, and later 

 I found that the queens occupied only five or 

 six frames in the lower story, and about the 

 same in the upper. The following spring the 

 queens had left the lower story without brood, 

 and were occupying the upper story, requiring 

 the raising of the lower stories (lots of work), 

 and gave me only 10, or in some cases 11, frames 

 of brood and 5 frames of honey, which should 

 have been in sections. I have got in our api- 

 ary, with the same attention, more comb honey 

 from Simplicity hives with 7 wide frames than 

 I have ever got from a two-story eight- frame 

 or nine or eight frame brood-chamber with T 

 supers. I am now running my eight-frame 

 hives three and four story for extracted honey. 

 This is in answer to a footnote, page 794, Oct. 15. 

 Sarasota, Fla., Oct. 24. 



[These are facts that we want: but don't stop 

 jiere— we want more of ihcm. The question of 

 the size of hives is a very important one.— Ed.] 



THE TEN FRAME COLONIES AHEAD OF THE 

 EIOHT-FRAME. 



I have been using the eight and ten frame 

 hives side by side, half of each. I have kept 

 record for three years, and my ten-frame hives 

 are ahead. Three of my best ten-frame colo- 

 nies gave me 100 lbs. each this year; three best 

 eight-frame, only <iO lbs. The ten -frames have 

 ten frames full below, and the others only 

 eight. I use half-depth frames on all my hives 

 for extracted honey. I put them on early in 

 the spring, then when well started I raise 

 them up and put sections under. This is the 

 only method by which I can secure any honey. 

 This has been a great year for swarming here, 

 yet I have had only six swarms from 30 colo- 

 nies by this plan. C. S. Nevins. 



Wagstaff, Kan., Oct. (>. 



[This is the kind of evidence we want. It is 

 these comparative tests that are worth bushels 

 of theory.— Ed. J 



THAT BIGGEST BEE KEEPER IN MICHIGAN. 



CROP THIS YEAR 30,000 LBS., AND NOT A POOR 

 SEASON IN 18 YEARS. 



By B. Walher. 



I want to tell you I have been very much in- 

 terested in the accounts given by the junior 

 editor of Gleanings of his visits to some of the 

 loading bee-keepers of our State. I have en- 

 joyed them all the more as they are all personal 

 friends of mine, and none the less if they have 

 not cut much figure as honey- producers of late 

 years. 



That description of the biggest sawmill in 

 the State wasn't so bad, either, for a mere boy; 

 but then, big sawmills are so numerous here in 

 Northern Michigan, and big bee-keepers so 

 scarce, that I did not care so much for that; 

 but just the same we have one big bee-keeper 



here — the biggest one in the State, if I am cor- 

 rect, who keeps nearly 3.50 colonies in seven dif- 

 ferent yards, and who raised over 20.000 lbs. of 

 honey this season, and who has not failed of 

 getting a good crop for IS years past. This 

 chap lives not far south of Cadillac, at a place 

 called Evart, on the direct route from Flint to 

 Manistee: and as his apiaries are located chief- 

 ly at different stations close by the depots, his 

 home yard being but a few rods from the station 

 at Evart, the junior editor no doubt had less 

 trouble in finding him than he did friend Hunt. 

 Of course, I have been waiting with no little 

 impatience for an account of his visit to this 

 man, and a description of some of the apiaries 

 and. methods of this biggest bee-keeper— in 

 fact, I can hardly wait for the next number of 

 Gleanings. 

 Evart, Mich., Oct. 24. 



[Now look here; you didn't give his name. 

 On our subscription-list we find at that point 

 B.Walker. Is it he? I did not know there was 

 a bee-keeper anywhere in the State who was 

 engaged so extensively in the business. I cer- 

 tainly should have called upon him, as I went 

 right through the place. Well, now, I want to 

 know more about him— anyhow his hive, his 

 methods, and himself. 



The writer of the sawmill article was a 

 younger sister (not a boy), who wrote home an 

 account of her visit to the mill, without any 

 expectation that it would be published. When 

 A. I. R. said he wanted it, she protested, but 

 finally consented, with the understanding that 

 her name should be omitted. — Ed.] 



ANOTHER TREMENDOUSLY LARGE HONEY- 

 YIELD. 



AN AVERAGE OF 750 LBS. PER COLONY FROM 

 ()3, SPRING COUNT. 



By H. Petersen. 



Mr. Root: — Seeing that you mention my large 

 yield of over 1200 lbs. for one hive in a single 

 season, in July 1st Gleanings, I will give you 

 my returns for the same season, 1891-'92— a very 

 long and favorable one. Started in spring with 

 63 colonies; increased to 120, and extracted a 

 little over 48,000 lbs. of honey — an average of 

 7.50 lbs. per colony, spring count. This is the 

 highest average record in New South Wales, 

 Australia. Has it been exceeded in any country 

 where Gleanings circulates? My bees are 

 Italians and hybrids, in 20-frame '" long-idea" 

 hives. 



Wattle Flat, N. S. W., Aus., Sept. 8. 



[This yield is indeed enormous, and. if I am 

 correct, quite outstrips any other records. The 

 figures, to those of us who have for a series of 

 years had almost failures and small averages 

 of ten and twenty-five pounds, seem incredible; 

 and yet I have learned not to be surprised at 

 any thing coming from a reliable source (as in 

 this case) in warm climates, when modern 

 methods and modern intelligence are applied. 

 Now, I am sure there must have been other 

 large yields — perhaps not so large— in your 

 country, and we all of us in this country want 

 to know more about it— the kind of hive used; 



