1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



267 



weather, put over this a piece of heavy car- 

 pet cut so as to fit snugly in the super, and 

 filled the super with dry leaves. The hives 

 themselves were raised at the back on 

 blocks. I took the covers off the ^hives 

 whenever a warm day came, so as to air 

 the leaves, as they were sometimes quite 

 wet. My bees are placed around my back 

 yard near the west and north fence, and 

 face the grass plat in the middle of the 

 yard. The fence acts as a shelter in win- 

 ter, and this position also gives them all a 

 southern exposure. I use old, Muth jar 

 cases laid on their sides for stands, and find 

 they give a solid foundation for the hive. 



To-day was very warm, and as the bees 

 were working hard, bringing in pollen, I 

 thought this a good time to inspect the 

 hives. I examined the five colonies, and 

 found, contrary to my expectations, that 

 they had plenty of stores left from the 

 winter, also plenty of bees, and the queens 

 laying in good shape. There was quite a 

 good deal of new honey in the cells, which 

 I think they are getting from the maples 

 and willows now in blossom. 



I don't want any more chaff hives, as 

 long as my bees continue to winter as well 

 as above in the single-walled dovetailed 

 hives; besides this, the chaff ones are very 

 unhandy to move around, and to work 

 with, besides costing just about twice as 

 much as the single- walled ones. 



W. G. Holding. 



Hudson Co., N. J., March 33. 



A Beginner in Lomsiana. 



I am a bee-keeper of two seasons, having 

 started with 3 old box-hive colonies, but 

 successfully increast to 34. all in frame 

 hives. I can't, in my experience and opin- 

 ion, but see and read with regret of the 

 failures of honey crops and dwindling of 

 colonies, as reported by some correspond- 

 ents, and assign their failures to climatic 

 disadvantages only : and to back my asser- 

 tions, I will say that last summer we had 

 the longest drouth ever known here — no 

 rain from April 13 until September; with 

 what effect Northern bee-keepers would 

 have stood such a continued drouth I can't 

 tell, but will say to them that my bees got 

 honey, and plenty of it. I had on every 

 colony 3 supers, and on some 3 and 4, and 

 full. I should say so— every super full to the 

 last cell. 



We do not know how to winter bees here. 

 They stay on the stands the same as in 

 summer, and now every hive is crowded to 

 its utmost with bees. I took the first 

 swarm March 33, and 4 since — and such 

 swarms as would do you good to look at, 

 and have them. too. How is this for a be- 

 ginner — and a crop of honey in a dry sea- 

 son ? 



I handle so far none except the common, 

 native bees. I have tried to Italianize, but 

 met with no success; I suppose lacking ex- 

 perience. I will increase this season to 

 about 40 colonies, as that is about all I can 

 handle, my time being taken up by my 

 regular business. H. Seelig. 



E. Carroll Co., La., March 31. 



Fainted vs. TTnpainted Hives. 



Sometime ago there was very much in- 

 terest in the discussion of painted or un- 

 painted hives for wintering bees, and the 

 theory was laid down by some of our 

 prominent bee-keepers that unpainted hives 

 have the preference. This struck me as 

 being the correct one, but I was not cer- 

 tain, but today I claim to be justified in 

 saying that the painted hives are just as 

 good for wintering bees in the cellar as an 

 unpainted one, for experience has taught 

 me so. Only this very winter, through 

 which my bees have past, would be proof 

 enough for my statement, as I have win- 

 tered GO colonies with very little loss. 



I put my bees into the cellar Nov. T, and 

 took them out March 38, this spiing, the 

 hives being about half painted and half 

 unpainted. Some of the bees in the un- 

 painted hives showed slight signs of dysen- 

 tery, and so did some of those in the 



reaches out tu suffering liunianity in {f 

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WANTED— ATTENTION I 



UEE HERE, Fiiend Bee-Keeper, tbe best 

 O goods are none too good, and the lowest 

 prices are none loo low lor the present times, 

 so down go the prices for 1897 on Full Line 

 of Bee-Kerpem' Snpplim. 



1 defy competliinn In quality and workman- 

 ship. Working Wax Into Foundation when 

 sent to me. a specialty. Write, without fail, 

 for Cat dog. My prices are worth looking at. 

 Wax wanted at 2f>c cash, or 29c In trade, de- 

 livered. August Weiss, Hortonville, Wis. 



6 A 1 2 1 Mention the American Bee Journal. 



painted ones. Some of the bees in the col- 

 onies of the unpainted hives were perfectly 

 healthy, and rire verxa. So last winter's as 

 well as previous winters' experience has 

 proven that the cause of poor wintering is 

 not to be lookt for in the painted or un- 

 painted hive, but depends upon the size and 

 shape of the hive, tbe size of the colony to 

 be wintered, the food they have to live on, 

 and the temperature and the darkness of 

 tbe cellar. These are the main factors in 

 successful wintering. A bive for good win- 

 tering must by all means be so constructed 

 that if it becomes necessary for the bees to 

 extend their cluster 4 or .5 inches below the 

 frames on account of heat, they can do so, 

 and if it becomes necessary for them to 

 seek a warmer place than the temperature 

 of the cellar affords them, they can find it 

 in tbe upper |)art of the hive. With a hive 

 so constructed, and with plenty of good 

 honey in easy reach at all times, bees will 

 winter well, other things, such as quietness, 

 etc., being equal. Aug. Bartz. 



Chippawa Co., Wis., April 15. 



Out-Door Wintering Experiments. 



As a silent, yet a very much interested 

 reader of tbe American Bee Journal, I 

 sometimes think it almost a duty, as well 

 as a pleasure, to write a few lines for others 

 to read. 



I have searcht in vain thus far for a re- 

 port from those that were experimenting 

 with the outdoor system of wintering 

 bees. While at the Chicago convention 

 last fall, several exprest themselves as try- 

 ing the experiment, by placing a mat or 

 cushion on top of the hives, then placing a 

 half-super filled with dry forest leaves 

 thereon. Dr. Miller was one of them, and 

 had prepared 10 colonies. Myself for 

 another, with 17, and another man (I for- 

 got his name) prepared his whole apiary 

 this way. and bad been very successful in 

 so doing for several years. 



My report as touching this matter is as 

 follows: My bees wintered very well all 

 around, while those wintered on the sum- 

 mer stands came out stronger in bees, yet 

 very much lighter in stores than those win- 

 tered in the cellar; and my outside loss was 

 only one colony out of the 17, and that died 

 from starvation, and then the last of 

 March. I have lost but two colonies out of 

 811. thus far, and nearly all are in fine con- 

 dition. 



Perhaps this may bring out other re- 

 ports. 



One word more about eggs, or queens 

 laying after mating. On page 239, J. E. 

 Pond'saysthat eggs are found in cells six 

 hours after mating. I am inclined to think 

 if he had lookt around a little he would 

 have found another hen on. 



A. Y. Baldwin. 



DeKalb Co., 111., April 17. 



Taxing Bees in Wisconsin. 



On page 107. among Dr. Miller's answers 

 and questions, I see an item from H. C , of 

 Clark Co., Wis, I am a resident of that 

 county, and am a beekeeper, too, and 

 naturally feel interested in the matter of 

 taxing bees. So far as this town is con- 

 cerned, bees were not assest in ISWi, The 

 law reads that among the articles to be 

 assest, all goods, wares, merchandise, chat- 

 ties, moneys and effects of any nature or 

 description having any real or marketable 

 value, must be included, which, of course, 

 covers the bees ; but there are a few articles 

 like notes, bonds, mortgages and other 

 securities, that are also included, but not 

 assest in this county, I do not wish to 

 evade the payment of taxes, when properly 

 imposed, but I would allow the tax on bees 

 to be returned, unless the assessment was 

 general in the county. 



And then, tbe sum of S3.00 is out of all 

 proportion to the way other personal prop- 

 erty is assest. which is usually assest at 

 one third of its value. 



The laws say that property should be 

 assest at what it would bring at private 

 sale, but it is not so assest in this county 



