1884 



GLi:AKlNGS m BEE CtJLTtJRE. 



595 



In a lumber wagon to our county fair, where it found 

 a purchaser. Not a comb was broken. You think 

 the Heddon honey-board too much machinery. Is it 

 any more machinery than the perforated zinc honey- 

 boards, or than separators? It is placed in position 

 at the opening of the honey -harvest, and is not usu- 

 ally again disturbed until the season is over, while 

 wide frames containing two tiers of sections, or side 

 storing, require almost constant manipulation. 

 You say, after we once decide upon the proper width 

 for sections, you can see no great advantage in hav- 

 ing different widths. True; buthave we jyet decided 

 upon the proper width? The majority of sections 

 in use are probably nearly two Inches wide; but 

 there now seems to be quite a disposition to use 

 narrower sections, and to dispense with separators. 

 With the Heddon case this is an easy matter; but 

 with wide frames they (the frames) must be cut 

 down, or else new ones made, and then, if the chat ge 

 is not satisfactory, and another change is desired, 

 these frames must be thrown away or remodeled. 

 You say that, with the combined crate, you can have 

 any width by replacing the bottom-bars with such a 

 width as is desirable. With the Heddon case there 

 is no such annoyance. Last season I used sections 

 111-16 inches in width; and this season I shall change 

 to VA; but it necessitates no change in my fixtures. 



W. Z. HUTOniNSON. 



Rogersville, Mich., April 3, 1884, 



Friend II., I did not know that it had been 

 repeatedly proven that we can dispense with 

 separators. Judging from the tons of tin 

 we are constantly cutting up into separators, 

 and much of it for old honey-producers, I 

 should say that it was proven that there are 

 many men of many minds on this as well as 

 other questions, although 1 should be very 

 glad indeed to have it demonstrated that we 

 crm dispense with separators. Very likely 

 Ileddou's honey-board is no more machinery 

 than the perforated zinc honey-board ; but 

 it is a great deal thicker, and therefore 

 pushes the sections so much further from 

 the brood-nest. It seems to me I should 

 prefer to have the sections as close to the 

 brood-nest as possible. The h. hive has 

 taken the place of all other hives, principal- 

 ly because of this very feature, if 1 am cor- 

 rect, ^ow, when we use an L. frame to get 

 our surplus boxes close to the brood-frame, 

 why should we put in a wooden honey- board 

 and two bee-spaces besides, to push the 

 boxes away oft again V I once started to 

 make a hive expressly arranged so as to 

 have the sections lie right agaiustthe brood- 

 combs, having a very thin top - bar to 

 the brood-frame, in order to get them still 

 closer. Although there are many obstacles 

 in the way of doing this, I still think the ob- 

 ject a de'^irable one.*— In regard to the zinc 

 honey-boards, I do not think I should use 

 them in getting comb honey, as we have 

 never had brood enough in the sections to do 

 any harm. With narrow sections and no 

 separators, there might be more of a ten- 

 dency for the queen to go up into the sec- 

 tions. I grant that, with the Heddon sec- 

 tions, you can have sections of different 

 widths easier than with our arrangement. 



» The article on papre 306. from f ripnd DoolittiP, was received 

 after the above was in pi-int You will notice that his experi- 

 ence corroborates what I have said. 



HIVES AND CASES, ONCE MORE. 



ALSO SOMETHING IN REGARD TO BROAD SHALLOW 



FRAMES CONTRASTED WITH NARROW OR TALL 



HIVLS, COMPARATIVELY. 



MjDITOR GLEANINGS :— While making no 

 I claims in this behalf, 1 have been a bee-keeper 

 much longer than Mr. Hedden; and although 

 never a specialist, I have kept as many as 100 colo- 

 nies; and when a boy, before movable frames were 

 Invented, I took from chambered box hives as high 

 as 1400 lbs. of box honey in one year. I have seen or 

 used almost all kinds of hives, and have made many 

 experiments, and at great cost; and I will frankly 

 say, that the moment I am satisfied that there is a 

 better hive and case than the ones 1 have, I shall 

 adopt them. 



Let us go back to first principles a moment. I 

 have always claimed for the L. hive and frame, as 

 its prime point of excellence, the large surface 

 above the brood-frames for surplus honey. Like 

 Mr. Heddon, I have never succeeded with side-stor- 

 ing in the brood-chatnber. I have had wide frames 

 filled with new white comb, and with fdn. also, re- 

 main empty all the season in hives that were filled 

 above. Now, we can not question Mr. Doollttle's 

 success with that system as an adjunct; yet while 

 he has succeeded admirably, I believe it to be more 

 because of his splendid manipulation, and more par- 

 ticularly to his securing the /occ6 to do the work at 

 the right time, than to his hive and plan of side stor- 

 ing. I think he, expert as he is, and a master, has 

 never equaled, with the Gallup frame, such results 

 as have been secured with the Langstroth. 



We believe, many of us, that he could produce 

 larger results with the L. frame. If it were to be a 

 question, however, as between an L. hive IIJ4 x 18^ 

 inside, and a Gallup hive, I should choose the latter 

 as the safer and more convenient. Surrendering 

 the vital point of superiority so long claimed for the 

 shallow frame by narrowing the hive, would have 

 sounded very strangely six years ago, and it does 

 now to me. No one can question Mr. Heddon's suc- 

 cess with it. He could succeed with any hive. Nor 

 can we question his preference for it. It is true, I 

 have not used it, but I have observed its workings in 

 another apiary. I do not agree with him, that tier- 

 ing up is essential to success in any system, not if 

 he means throughout the apiary. I notice that Mr. 

 Doolittle, in his letter on page 93, touches upon this. 

 Now, I do believe tiering up to be essential to the 

 hi(jhest success with some colonies. A few years ago 

 I thought the only sure way to bring bees right up 

 into sections was to use the deep wide frames, or 

 lift up brood between them. Put on in the center, 

 and limiting the number to the strength of the hive, 

 with division-boards, I never failed. Now, while, as 

 ageneral thing, I think I can do as well by just at 

 the right time circumscribing the brood-chamber to 

 8 frames, and forcing into cases, still I find some col- 

 onies will do better with the deep wide frames than 

 in cases, and I use some of them every year. I have 

 found the cases more convenient, and the honey 

 more evenly built, than in wide frames. With the 

 latter are used, of course, hanging separators, which 

 are of wood. I have never found the least objection 

 on account of the outside sections being over dum- 

 mies, and there is a slight air-chamber between the 

 case and outer hive. 



It certainly Is a mistake to suppose, that in cool 

 nights, when the thermometer runs down to near 33 



