1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULtITSE. 



937 



Small sound knots do no harm whatever. Both 

 are good. ITse either that you can get easiest. 



James Heddon. 

 The answers to Question 91 are pretty 

 much one-sided, witli the possible exception 

 of that of Mr. James Ileddon ; and if A. I. 

 Hoot were here, we are sure he would vote 

 on the majority side. It is true that white- 

 wood (poplar, or tulip) has a very bad repu- 

 tation for shrinkage, and this is a serious 

 ol)jection in hive-making. There is this to 

 be said in its favor : It is a little harder than 

 pine, and nicer and closer-litting joints can 

 be made wiLli it. and, as Mr. Ileddon says, 

 it takes and holds paint better. We made 

 some hives recently of whitewood, and we 

 never had any thing go together nicer than 

 they did. On the other hand, pine with 

 soimd knots is just as good for i)ractical use 

 for hive-making as clear pine. If the hives 

 are to be made by hand, clear pine lumber 

 can be worked up much more cheaply 

 than the knotty pine ; but when they are 

 made by machinery the wood will work up 

 without any trouble, knots or no knots. 

 We do not feel satisfied with this one-sided 

 testimony. Let us have reports pro and 

 con, from these who have used hives made 

 of whitewood. say for a period of ten years 

 or more. 



QiiKSTiON 9a. — TT/irtf kind of paint is the best and 

 most dt si ml lie.' IT'/i^if colur sticks the hest? Should 

 hives yo unpainted—tliat is, will they last long enough 

 without paint until the advaiwerhent in apiculture 

 denutJids liives of new models'/ 



White is most desirable. Red mineral sticks the 

 best. Decidedly, no! Geo. Grimm. 



There is no better paint than best white lead and 

 oil. Color to suit taste. L. C. Root. 



I use white lead lor paint, and would prefer to 

 paint, even if they lasted no longer than those not 

 painted. Dr. A. B. Mason. 



I use dark colors of various shades. I guess it 

 pays to paint. The last part of this question is a 

 "poser." H. R. BoARDMAN. 



For the lower hive, white lead and oil. For the 

 cap, a mineral paint. Paint your hives, if you do 

 your house. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Hives should be painted. We use white lead for 

 white; for the darker shades, metallic brown. Red 

 ocher is good. E. France. 



I prefer white to any other color, whether it sticks 

 best or not. 1 think hives should be painted, 

 whether they would last long enough without it or 



not. O. O. POPPLETON. 



Lead and oil. White is the better color, as it re- 

 sists the heat of the sun best. I think the saving of 

 the hive by paint pays, to say nothing of the looks. 



R. Wilkin. 



yes, indeed. Unpainted hives last long enough 

 for the money tlicy cost, a lifetime, if ihey arc tak- 

 en good care of. But painted white or a light stone 

 color, improves their looks considerably. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



Iron-ore paint is the most durable of any ] have 

 tried, but I thuik some light-colored paint more de- 

 sirable. Some mixed paints are good; more are 

 swindles. I should not expect hives to last long 

 enough without paint. P. H. Er,wooi). 



Probably good white lead. Really, I hardly know. 

 If 1 had only a few hives I should paint them for 

 looks; but as a matter of dollars and cents, I doulit 

 if it pays. C. C. MiLr Eu. 



I do not know any thing better than white lead 

 and linseed oil, but am inclined to hear further evi- 

 dence. My favorite way is to make the hives of 

 unplaned lath, and bind them with cotton cloth 

 instead of painting them. E. E. Hastv. 



Hives should be painted white. White lead and 

 linseed oil make the l)est paint T have ever tried. 

 The iron-oxide paints are said to stick best. I would 

 paint hives unless f expected to change soon. Cov- 

 ers, especially, should be painted, or they will crack 

 and leak. James A. Green. 



Pure white lead and raw linseed oil for a priming- 

 coat, and a very little turpentine added to the same 

 for subsequent coats. To make it dry, a little pat- 

 ent may be added, but it is not as good as without. 

 I would invariably paint my hives at least every 

 two years. Paul L. ViALiiON. 



I think zinc and white lead. Color should be 

 white, as that retlects the rays, and does not heat 

 the bees like the dark absorbent colors. 1 do not 

 think paint pays, if simple durability is considered; 

 but when we consider looks, heat, and durability, 

 painting does pay. A. J. Cook. 



We use Tascott's enamel paint, of Chicago. All 

 colors stick that are good. Pale green is a good 

 color, so is white. Paint every thing— house, linrn, 

 and bee-hives, even if but for your own satisfac- 

 tion. Heddon himself will not discard the old hives 

 for new models when they are in use. 



Dadant & Son. 



The cheap mineral French yellow ocher and Eng- 

 lish Venetian red will outwear the higher-priced 

 mi.\ed and lead paints; but I prefer the lighter col- 

 or, at least for that part of the hive which is to be 

 the most exposed to the sun. If pine would keep 

 its bright straw color, and not turn dark, in locali- 

 ties where it is cheap I wouldn't advise painting 

 where that material is used; but in most places it 

 pays to paint. James Heduon. 



I think it better, all things considered, to paint 

 hives; and the paint I use is first a coat of lead and 

 oil, mixed quite thin, and after that is dry I put on 

 two more coats of the Averill chemical paint, which 

 makes the hardest finish, and wears the longest, of 

 any paint that I know of. I prefer white to any 

 colored paint for hives, for the reason that it keeps 

 the hives cool enough in summer, so no shade- 

 board is needed. (i. M. Doot,ittle. 



On Question 92, the balance of testimony 

 is in favor of lead, and of the color white. 

 We have tried various kinds of paints- 

 chemical, lead and zinc — mixed, and what 

 notV For a time we favored the Averill 

 chemical ; not long since, the white lead 

 and zinc combined : and now we have gone 

 back to the pure white lead as the best of 

 any paint we know of.— Not very many of 

 our respondents answer the latter por- 

 tion of the question. It may be because 

 they regarded it as too much of a "• poser,'' 

 as Jl. R. Boardman did. Yes, we knew it 

 was a difficult question to answer ; but if 

 we knew the correct answ er, it might make 

 a diffeience in point of economy. C. C. Mil- 



