189', 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



759 



been kept up, and in the spring the hives would have been 

 well stockt with young bees instead of the depopulated eolo- 

 nies I bad. The next winter put an end to these thoughts, 

 however, for this time we had snow, so I kept them covered 

 the whole winter. 



About the middle of winter there came a warm day so 

 the bees could fly, and upon examination I found several hives 

 that had brood in four to five frames, while others not so 

 deeply buried did not have half as much. I noticed that the 

 bees in those hives which had the most brood were so heavily 

 loaded with excrement that they were scarcely able to fly, 

 while those with but little brood spotted the snow but very 

 little. But instead of seeing my mistake I figured how many 

 bees would hatch out in the hives having the most brood, 

 during the next 21 days, and this brood would increase as the 

 time went by, so that by early spring I would have a rous- 

 ing colony in each of these hives having the most brood. 



Cold weather with more snow came and held till into 

 March, when we again had a day that the bees could fly. How 

 eagerly I shoveled out the colonies having the most brood 

 when ihey flew before, expecting to find their hives full of 

 bees, but instead I found nearly all of the old bees dead on 

 the bottom-board, and the young, fuzzy bees clustered closely 

 together where they bad hatcht before the old bees died, cold 

 in the embrace of death. Not only this, but these colonies 

 had consumed nearly all the honey in rearing this brood, so I 

 had nearly a total loss except the combs. 



When the working season arrived I found I had lost nearly 

 two-thirds of my bees, and those left were not strong enough 

 to take full advantage of the honey-flow when it came. The 

 difficulty in this locality seems to be that, as soon as the hives 

 are covered with snow, the warmth from the ground, com- 

 bined with the warmth of the bees, makes it so warm that the 

 bees become uneasy, go to breeding, consume large quantities 

 of honey, thus using up their vitality, which causes them to 

 die of old age during February, March and April, while the 

 young bees are not equal in strength and vitality to bees 

 hatcht in September and October to withstand the cold, so 

 spring dwindling and death are the result. 



In the above I have given what I have since found in 

 every case which has come under my notice where bees have 

 been drifted under snow for any length of time. Since the 

 winters above mentioned we had a winter in which we had 

 very deep snow, and owing to a peculiar wind and a new 

 fence which I bad put up many of my hives were in snow 

 from 5 to 10 feet deep. I tried as far as possible to keep the 

 hives shoveled open, but I completely lost track of 10 colonies, 

 of which not one was living the first of May. 



From the above experience, during IS or 20 years, my 

 advice to all would be to go slow in this matter, who are not 

 sure that the plan of wintering bees under snow is a success 

 with them. Try only a few at first, till you know for certain 

 that you are right, and then if your experience says the plan 

 is good with you, the whole apiary can be used. 



Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Union. 



(An open letler to the Advisory Board and to the Members in 

 rjcneral.) 



BY W.M. MUTH-RASMUSSKN. 



Nearly a year has past since the vote on amalgamation 

 was taken, and it will soon be time for the next annual elec- 

 tion — the only time for a general decision, as no meetings are 

 held by this Union. 



During the past year the defeat of the amalgamation pro- 

 posal has been diseust and commented upon in the bee-papers, 

 and the members have had time to think the matter over, and 

 perhaps to change their minds in regard to the desirability of 

 amalgamation. I wish to ask the Advisory Board if anything 

 is being done or contemplated in regard to having a new vote 

 on this subject taken at the ensuing election ? As the United 

 States Bee-Keepers' Union has assumed the task of defense — 

 the only object of the National Bee-Keepers' Union — I fail to 

 see the'use of supporting two associations for one and the 

 same purpose. The new Union has other objects, all of great 

 Importance to bee-keepers ; but that is no reason why the sub- 

 ject of defense could not be handled just as effectively by the 

 new as it has been handled by the old Union. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Union has for several years 

 had more money on hand than there was any need of, and has 

 remitted to members in good standing their annual dues. 

 Whether the dollar will be called for or not at the next annual 

 election, I do not know. But I do know, that if I have only 

 one dollar to spare, I shall perfer to hand It over to the new 



Union and take my chances for defense through this, if 



necessary. 



It would have been desirable if this matter could have 

 been diseust and decided upon before the Buffalo convention, 

 but as nobody has brought the subject up, I now make this 

 proposition : 



Let the Advisory Board call for another vote on amalga- 

 mation, on the following basis: 



1st. The National Bee-Keepers' Union to be dissolved. 



2nd. The funds on hand, together with all other belong- 

 ings, to be turned over to the United States Bee-Keepers' 

 Union. 



3rd. The money now in the treasury of the old Union to 

 constitute the defense fund of the new Union, this fund not to 

 be used for any other purpose. 



4th. Subject to approval by the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Union. 



1 would suggest that 25 per cent, of each members' an- 

 nual dues be apportioned to the " defense fund," provided 

 that at no time shall this fund exceed .S500, and whenever it 

 reaches this amount, the said percentage of dues shall go into 

 the general fund, used for other purposes than defense. 



I hope that the Advisory Board will promptly take this 

 matter up, so that it may be decided at the coming election. 

 Discussions are in order, but time is brief. 



Inyo Co., Calif., Nov. 13. 



Paraffiae Paper and the Danzenbaker Hive. 



BV F. DANZENBAKER. 



My attention has been repeatedly called to the article by 

 F. L. Thompson, on page 677, intimating that I attributed 

 my success to the .use of parafBne paper. Since then Dr. 

 Miller and Mr. E R. Root have shied their castors in the ring. 

 Now I most empatically deny giving the use of the paper any 

 such prominence. Any other covering equally air-tight and 

 warm as wax or paraffine, will do as well. Its cheapness is 

 its chief recommendation. It is furnisht for 2 cents, with 

 other goods, and can be used over again if desired, Mr. 

 Thompson to the contrary notwithstanding ; and when used 

 as designed witn my super and sections during the surplus 

 season, the sections are practically free of propolis, sufficiently 

 so to warrant Its use in the time alone saved in cleaning the 

 sections, many times over, forall the fussinessof putting it on, 

 but it may often make no difference in the quantity and 

 quality of the fiuisht sections. 



One sheet of the paper was sent out last season, with each 

 super free. It was my purpose to send two sheets, which will 

 be done in 1S9S, free of charge, to give all a chance to test it 

 for themselves. The thin 2-cent sheets are not claimed to 

 last as long as thicker ones might, but I prefer them to put 

 on clean as needed, just as I use new sections rather than old 

 ones. 



If any using the paper last year or this feel that it is 

 not worth all it cost them, I sta'id ready to refund the same. 



I notice on page 715, Mr. D. N. Ritchey, in advocating 

 small hives for wintering, inadvertently does injustice in 

 alluding to the Danzenbaker pattern as too expensive for gen- 

 eral use, but will try them for 1898. While my broodeham- 

 ber is as compact as possible to be, the uet comb surface and 

 inside capacity from bottom to ceiling are the same as the 8- 

 frame dovetailed hive. The inside fixtures are strong and 

 firm when put together — nothing flimsy about it ; 20 of them 

 In the flat, with slat-cleated bee-space separators, two paraffine 

 mats, and nails, are sold for .524 ; while 20 S-frarae dove- 

 tailed hives furnisht with plain separators are 817.40 ; 20 of 

 these will hold 480 ■ii^s4:}4 sections, that when filled with 

 honey are selling here now at 12j^ cents each, or .856 ; 20 of 

 my hives hold, at 32 sections each, 640, thai are selling to 

 grocers from the same house at 15 cents, making .896 — a 

 net difference of .840 in a single story of sections on the 20 

 hives, while the difference in cost of the same is only §4.60 ; 

 all is of the best possible work and material. 



As some dealers charged 82.00 each for my hive, it may 

 be this has caused the complaint. Mr. Ritchey, or any one 

 else, ought not to start the Impression abroad at the very 

 time when the best bee-men are considering whether they 

 shall change hives, that mine is " too expensive." 



[We give the foregoing here for the reason that Mr. Dan- 

 zenbaker felt that we had done him an injustice in publishing 

 what we did from the pens of Messrs. Thompson and Ritchey. 

 Of course, Mr. D. must expect for his hive criticism, and com- 

 parison with others. — Editor.] 



