348 



GLEANINGS IN 13EE CULTURE. 



May 



bee-keeper. And there is one thing I especi- 

 ally like about this matter of going around 

 among your neighbors with wliat you have 

 to sell. It opens the way for pleasant and 

 friendly relations in your "whole community; 

 and where one is seeking the kingdom of 

 God and liis righteousness, as I am sure you 

 are, by the Scripture texts you give us, it 

 gives him a wonderful opportunity to work 

 for the Master. By all means keep your 

 neighbors thorougliiy posted in regard to 

 your produce and what you have for sale. 



Be0K-;^EYIEW DEP^^5f|IEfiT. 



SIMMINS' NON-SWARMING SYSTEM. 



f^% EFOKE me lies a copy of a little work bearing' 

 1^ the above title. It is an English production, 

 1^ written by Samuel Simmins, Sussex, Eng-- 

 •*^ land. It contains 64 pag-es, concisely setting' 

 forth the system as therein described. Brief- 

 ly, the system, when comb honey is the object, is 

 this: 



Jiist prior to an expected honey- flow, crates 

 containing sections filled with comij previously built 

 out are placed over the brood-nest. These crates 

 are not tiered one above another, but are of such 

 a size as to be arranged horizontally, side by side. 

 So far the method is similar to the one advocated by 

 Walter B. House and others a few years ago; that 

 is, that the sections must be in readiness, filled out 

 with new empty comb. 



Mr. Simmins discourages the use of heavy foun- 

 dation in the brood-chamber, claiming that it is a 

 useless expense. This will probably accord with 

 the views of Messrs. Doolittle and Hutchinson, as 

 expressed by them a short time ago. In the lower 

 story, Mr. Simmins reduces the number of brood- 

 combs to about half, filling out the empty space in 

 front of the entrance with empty frames without 

 even foundation for starters. He claims that the 

 brood-chamber, as thus arranged with the filled 

 sections above, does away with swarming altogeth- 

 er; that the bees coming in heavily laden with hon- 

 ey, on finding no convenient place to store the hon- 

 ey in the brood-chamber, will carry it above into 

 the sections, filled out with comb. The author fur- 

 ther claims that he thereby secures the advantages 

 of contraction, yet allows the bee? a large amount 

 of room. In order to continue this state of affairs 

 he keeps the upper story well supjilied with sections 

 filled with comb; and if the bees should build comb 

 in one of the empty frames (which he says they rare- 

 ly do), he cuts it out and places the same in the 

 sections. The whole secret, he says, is to give plenty 

 of room. So much for the non-swarming system. 



IS NATURAL COMB CHEAPER THAN THAT PRODUCED 

 FROM FOUNDATION? 



Among other things, the author, as before stated, 

 does not recommend foundation for the brood-cham- 

 ber. His reasons for so doing are, that brood-comb 

 can be produced more chcai)ly by the use of raw 

 sugar, and empty frames. There are many of us who 

 are ready to take issue with him hei'e. Accord- 

 ing to the experiments of Prof. McLain recently, 

 and others in former times, it takes 20 lbs. of syrup 

 to make one pound of wax. When syrup is .5 and 6 

 cents per lb., it looks as if combs made in this way 



were pretty expensive. To put it in Prof. McLain's 

 own words, in his report for 1886 he says, "Esti- 

 mates can easily be furnished to prove that the 

 production of every pound of wax costs the bee- 

 keeper ten times the sum realized from its sale." 

 Mr. Simmins does not, however, disparage the use 

 of foundation in the surplus-department. In fact, 

 the comb filling his sections is first built from foun- 

 dation. 



In regard to reversible frames, the author can 

 see no real advantage to be gained from their 

 use, notwithstanding his American cousins have 

 said so much in their favor. After numerous ex- 

 periments, he says that, in his opinion, many of the 

 reversible frames now in use will, in a short time, 

 remain unreversed. 



While there are some things we would criticise in 

 this little work, a careful perusal of the same will 

 convince us that there is much that is valuable as 

 well as practical in its pages. Its teachings are not 

 strictly new, but they are presented in a rather new 

 light. I do not know the price of it, but I presume 

 it could be ptirchased for a small amount, of the 

 publishers, T. Pettitt & Co., 33 Fifth St., London, 

 W., England. ernest k. root. 



WINTERING IN CELLAR AT HIGH 

 TEMPERATURE. 



experiments IN REGARD TO SA.ME. 



cella 



RIEND Miller's report, page 23, has been the 

 means of my attempting to give my experi- 

 ence in cellar wintering. I shall not attempt 

 to answer all of friend Miller's questions in 

 regard to what is the best temperature for 

 etc., but I will give my experience for the last 

 four years. 



I have made bee-keeping a bread-and-butter busi- 

 ness for the last eight years, and have never lost 

 over 8 per cent in anyone year, but have had experi- 

 ence in what we will here term high-temperature 

 cellar wintering for only four j'ears. Previous to 

 eight years ago I had kept bees in connection with 

 my farm, the bees getting attention when there 

 was nothing else particularly urgent for me to do, 

 and during that time it was my custom to winter in 

 the cellar; and I always noticed, about the middle 

 of March, when the temperature began to rise, my 

 bees would get uneasy, just in proportion as the 

 temperature rose, and it then seemed to me that 

 if ] could keep the temperature down to 40 or 4.5° all 

 would be well; but I found I was not equal to the 

 task. After making bee culture a study and busi- 

 ness, devoting my entire time and eft'orts in that 

 direction, it occurred to me that, if the little pets 

 would keep quiet, why not give them about 60° in 

 the early winter, and keep the temperature there? 

 Would it not be as well? 



About that time friend Barker gave bis experi- 

 ence in high-temperature wintering, and I arrang- 

 ed my cellar to give the new theory a test. I now 

 put mj' bees in as near the 15th of Nov. as 1 can, 

 and leave them in until those packed in chaff bring 

 in pollen plentifully. The bees in the cellar are 

 quiet— as much so in April as in Februai'y. I have 

 no occasion to give them a cleansing flight, which 

 I used to think necessary when they were in a cold 

 cellar. I keep the temperature as near 6,5° as I can 

 (and it seldom varies more than two or three de- 

 grees), and I notice that many strong colonies clus- 



