1S8G 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



C09 



for his wax and honey hxst year. He says he does 

 not know any thing about bees. 



I stayed with Capt. Knowles, on the San Diego 

 River, last winter. He says there is more clean 

 cash in bees here than any thing else, if a man un- 

 derstands it. He does not fuss with them as mucli 

 as you write about. Tf a swarm gets weak he lets 

 them go. He says his time is worth more than the 

 bees. He uses part Siiiiplicity hives and part Har- 

 bison's; but he likes the Simplieity the best of all, 

 and would use all Simplicity but it is too much 

 work to ti-ansfer them. He has three apiaries, and 

 I think ationt lOliO swarms. I am situated so I 

 think I can keep about ;.'(I0, with plenty of room for 

 forage. 



I am going into the "New Agriculture" some. 

 I am never so ha])i)5' as when 1 have domestic pets 

 and plants and vegetables growing. T can almost 

 compare my "mountain retreat" to Robinson 

 Crusoe's island. M. S. Hoot. 



San Diego, Cal., .Inly 11, lS8fi. 



B00K-;^EYIEW DEP^E(5^MEI^3F. 



cook's M.^NUATi OF THE APIARY. 



T SHALL not attemiit to give a review of the 

 (Mp whole woi'k, but will confine myself to the new 

 ^[ matter which has been added, or, rather, as I 

 '*■ judge, substituted, iu place of something else. 

 If lam correct, there are about 25 pages re- 

 written in the new edition, the major part of which 

 pertains to the 



HEDDOX-LANQSTROTH HIVE, 



how made, and how to use. This is the hive that 

 the pi'ofessor has tried, and knows to be prac- 

 tical. After enumerating its good features, one is 

 made to feel almost sorr.\- that Heddon did not let 

 well euough alone, and stay content with his old 

 hive; but as Prof. Cook follows the safe rule of 

 never recommending what he has not tried, though 

 recognizing in theory the good points of the new 

 hi\-e, it is easy to see why he speaks in praise of the 

 old hive. Of it he says: 



ThusI havedescribed theHeddon-Langslroth liive 

 minutely, as witli W. /. Hutchinson, W. L. Taylor, 

 and many others of our most able and intelligent 

 apiarists, I find it u|ion trial as excellent .-is it is 

 simple. Surely, when we can harness e.xcclkiiee 

 and simplicity together, we have a most desinilile 

 team. The simple union of parts by mere plain 

 contact of the edges, or the cover simply lying on 

 the hive, while it is just as acceptable tiJ tlie bees, 

 makes the hive far more simple of eonstruction 

 and easy of manipulation. The honey-board and 

 bee-spaces keep all so nejit, that, as one bee-Ueeper 

 well says, their e.\ti-a cxix-nse is very soon saved in 

 the saving of time wliieli their use insures. Any 

 wlio may think of trying this hive had better do as 

 I did, try two or three at first, and see if in their 

 judgment the "game is worth the candle." 



REVERSIULE FRAMES. 



Prof. Cook's experience with the princii»le of re- 

 versing frames in general, accords quite closely 

 xvith ours as recorded in the department of Our Own 

 Apiary of the two last issues, and T feel sure he is 

 right when he says: 



For the past two years I have used the reversible 

 frame which I fiixl so \aluable that I shall use it 

 largely in future. With this frame there is no dan- 

 ger of the top-bar sagging, which is sure to enlarge 

 the bee space above and create mischief, an<l by in- 

 verting we secure the firm attachment of tlie comb 

 to the frame along all its edges, and can force our 

 bees into the sections at the very dawn of the hon- 

 ey harvest. * * * ' * These frames [Heddon's] 



reverse very easily, and I do not know a single per- 

 son who has thoroughly tried them, who does not 

 value them highly. Here again let me suggest that 

 in making changes, a few be tried first, and not all 

 till we know we wish them. 



Notice in this and elsewhere, that he recommends 

 trying only a few. While I jiou; think that the ad- 

 vantages of the reversible frame are such as to 

 ensure its ultimate adoption, nevertheless I regard 

 the caution of trying a few first as a wise one. 

 INIany of us like the ijrincijile; but some of us, by 

 reason of our diU'erence in make uj), might not so 

 i-egard it. Frien<l Pond, I believe, belongs to the 

 latter class. 



THE NEW HEDDON HEVERSIBF-E HIVE. 



About three pages of new matter is devoted to 

 this hive, and I will insert below what Prof. Cook 

 says of it, omitting- the description, which has al- 

 ready appeared in Gf.E.VNiNCis. He says: 



Ml-. Heddon has just patented and ottered to the 

 public a new hive \vhich eonil)ines in principle the 

 Langstnnh ami the Hutier. 1 lia\e never tried this 

 hive, and so, guided by the rule I have always 

 adopted, I do not reconuneml it. Yet the e.xpeVi- 

 eiaeed bee-keeper ctin often judge correctly of what 

 he has never tried, and I will add that 1 fully be- 

 lieve this hive, and the method he gives of manipu- 

 lation in his valuable hook, are well worth our at- 

 tention. Mr. Heddon is so able, that he rarely rec- 

 ommends what is not viiluable. Several others 

 have tried this hi\'e and speak in the highest terms 

 of its value. Among these is no less an authority 

 than W. Z. Hutchinson. At the beginning cd' this 

 chapter 1 caution all against patent hives. This is 

 necessary, as so many frauds have been conunitted 

 under this guise; but if Mr. Heddon has given us 

 something as valuable as it is unique and original, 

 he well deserves a patent, which should be thor- 

 oughly respected, as should all worthy inventive 

 ettort. 



The points of ex'cellence claimed for this hive, 

 and 1 l)elie\e from my e.\|)erience that they are val- 

 uable, are easy coiitruel ion of brood-chamber, quick 

 inversion ot the brood ehambei- or section ease, ease 

 and (|iiicluiess of maiiipiiliition. and the inter- 

 chiiiijit'ableness ol the brooci cliambers ftnining the 

 hive, the iiowci- wc have to get all lighleolorcd hon- 

 ey ill the seciioiis it we so desire. Mr. J. M. Shuck 

 has also i)atented a hive for which he clMinis the - 

 same adxantages gained in the new Heddon hive. 

 1 iKUe not seen this hive, but recognize in Mr. 

 Shuck an able bee-keeper and a man of rare invent- 

 ive genius. 



On pages S8 and S-9 is described the use of the cu- 

 rious little notch found in the fore legs. That our 

 readers may better understand, we reproduce the 

 cut, which ajipears below. 



feE-M-4,£^££^:^ 



ANTEIllOlt I, El! OF WORlvEli, MAONIFIEO. 



This little notch, or tiute, is shown at C; and in 

 speaking of its use to the bee, the writer says: 



On the anterior l(>gs of bees, between the tibia 

 and tarsus, is a curious notch, C, covered by a spin-, 

 15. I have found this in nearly all Hymenoptera, 

 except the saw-llics, where it is very abortive if 

 present at all. This is iirineipally used in cleaning 

 the anteniiie, as is easily pro\fd liy dusting these 

 organs with chalk, polleii, etc. This cleaning of the 

 antennie is best studied by observing wasps. After 

 serajiing otf the anteiune the leg is cleaned by draw- 

 ing it betwi^en the mandibles, or between the joints 

 of the middle legs. 



In the previous edition, if I am correct, Prof. 

 Cook was not certain as to the real use of this little 

 notch, though he suggested that it tnight serve va- 

 rious purposes. To satisfy myself I dusted the an- 



