1S91 



(jLEANiNiis IN iip:E cn/rrRE. 



59 



bee-hivps. colonies of bees, etc., when but one 

 of a kind would be needed: but the more honey 

 and beeswax sent, the better. 



Now foi' the most important part — the ixiy 

 for all this work, risk, and expense. 



From the amount appropriated by the State, 

 l)ay all expenses inenn-ed at Chicago, including 

 the pay of the party having charge of the ex- 

 hibit, unless otherwise provided for by the 

 State.. Then divide the lemainder among the 

 exhibitors according to what they have on ex- 

 hil)ition. so that one exhibiting a colony of bees 

 (jr a crate of honey or other articles, will get 

 the share to which he may be (Mititled. 



A i)erson sending :.'()0() lbs. of honey would be 

 entitled to twice as much pay as (me sending 

 1000 lbs., jjrovidi'd other things ar(! equal: for 

 certainly no reasonable person who S(mds a 

 thousand pounds in tin cans conld expect as 

 much pay as one who sends th(^ same amount 

 nicely i)ut up in glass receptacles of diffeivnt 

 styles, lint there are unreasonable peoi)le in 

 all pursuits, and ours is not an exception. 



When the exposition is over, the person in 

 charge should i-ej^ack. without cluu'ge, and I'e- 

 turn to the owners every thing not sold. 



With such an arrangement, all things would 

 be in common for the display from each State. 

 The honey belonging to A, B. and C, would be 

 used just as though itall came from one person, 

 so as to make the best possible disi^lay: and 

 each package being marked with the owner's 

 name would tell to whom it belonged. 



It is more than probable that parties placed 

 in charge of some of the State exhibits will 

 know but little about ari'anging things so as to 

 make the best display, and perhaps have less 

 taste than knowledge. In such cases, some one 

 who Jids the taste will have to be hired to do 

 the ari'anging. 



Perhaps the next N. A. B. K. A. meeting will 

 formulate some plan for general adoption: but 

 in the mean time, woi'king and planning should 

 go foi-ward. A. B. INIason. 



Anburndale. ().. .Jan.. 1891. 



I..\TEK. 



The secretaries of some of the State bee- 

 keepers' societies have written me for sugges- 

 tions to be submitted to their societies at their 

 coming conventions: and yesterday, Jan. 5, I 

 answered three of them, giving the above plan 

 in brief, because their societies meet before this 

 will appear in Gleaxings. 



Since writing the above I have attended the 

 Michigan State bee-keepers' convention at De- 

 troit, and suggested tlie above plan to them, 

 and they have started " the ball rolling." and 

 appointed the needed committees. 



Another suggestion might perhaps not be out 

 of place. Some States have no bee-keepers' so- 

 cieties to organize the work. Would it not be a 

 good plan for the leading bee-keepers of such 

 States to get together and organize, oi'. by cor- 

 respondence, agree upon some plan, and ap- 

 point suitable persons to look after the needed 

 legislation and appropriation, and fordoing all 

 other needed work"? fof if tliis mattei' is left 

 ovei- till next winter it inav be too late. 



A. B. M. 



MAKING SINGLE-"WALLED HIVES OUTDOOR 

 WINTER HIVES 



BY THE USE OF mTILDIXG-l'Al'El!. 



Apropos of the discussion concerning double 

 or single walled hives, I suggest a simple, in- 

 expensive, and practical plan for the construc- 

 tion of hives. 



Tack one or two thicknesses of building pa- 

 per all around the inside of the hives, which is 



to b(^ kept in place by tacking on narrow' strips 

 of wood or tin. Put a layer or two on the bot- 

 tom-board, and over that nail half-inch lum- 

 ber the size of your bottom-board. It will cost 

 but 1.5 oi' :.'0 cents extra. To pre])are youi' bees 

 for winter, all that is necessary is to put on the 

 upper story, [ilace over the brood-frames some 

 cobs or a llill device: lill a small gunny sack 

 with leaves, press it down tightly so as to pre- 

 vent h(>at escaping upward, and your bees are 

 in the best possii)le shape for outdoor wintei'ing. 

 The sacks can be stored in a dry plac(^ when 

 not in use, and used for years without replen- 

 ishing. I have found that there is no necessity 

 whatever for dead-air spaces and great bungle- 

 some hives. This I have demonstrated by act- 

 ual expeiiment. Paper Is a non-conductor of 

 heat and cold. Wrap your feet in a piece of 

 strong paper, and you can ride all day in the 

 coldest weather with warm feet. Put a news- 

 papei- around your body and you can withstand 

 the most intense cold. I put paper covering 

 ovei' my bees to keep them warm till I pnt 

 them in the cellar, and for a number of seasons 

 I did not remove it until I plac(^d them on the 

 summer stands. A. C. Tyukel. 



Madison. Neb.. .Jan.. 1891. 



[Very possibly the bujlding-paper will answer. 

 If you mean tarred paper, it would be rather 

 distasteful to the bees. Paper itself is very 

 warm; and when Mr. Danzenbaker was here a 

 year ago he was continually advocating layers 

 of paper instead of chaff packing. He argued 

 that it was just exactly as good, and a great 

 deal cheaper. It is hard to say just yet what 

 will answer for our northern localities; but 

 (mough has been suggested to set us to experi- 

 menting in earnest.] 



[In addition to what Ernest has said. I will 

 say that paper lining for hives is a very old 

 idea, and has been taken up and dropped sever- 

 al times within the last :i'> years. One great 

 objection is. that it gets damp and wet. The 

 hives become soggy, and they can not be dried 

 out as can a chaff-packed hive. I should like 

 to have Doolittle and otliers. who once used 

 paper, to tell us why they gav(^ it up. Our 

 house-apiai'y was made with several thick- 

 nesses of building-paper, with air-spaces be- 

 tween them; and although it is above ground, 

 it is a cold, damp, soggy structure, even in the 

 summer time. Perhaps a very loose, porous 

 paper might be found that could be pnt on in 

 such a wav as to let it drv out as chaff does.] 



FORETELLING THE 'WEATHER, ETC. 



Pt)I'UI.AK SU]'EI{STITIONS 



Mr. S. Morrett. Akron, Ind.. wishes me to an- 

 swer through Gleanings the following ques- 

 tions: 



1. "Would killing chickens by a mink make 

 them in any way unlit for table use?" 



I see no possible reason why it should. 



2. "■ Do any of our animals, like the insects or 

 higher animals, by their preparation for winter 

 or otherwise, show that they are in some way 

 forewarned as to whether the winter will be 

 severe or mild ?" 



I have no idea that there is a grain of truth 

 in such views, although I know that they are 

 current among many, especially of the last 

 generation. The same people plant in the 

 moon, think Hreweed grows spontaneously, 

 that chess turns to wheat, and that patent 

 medicines have startling virtues. I believe a 

 better education dispels such views. 



3. "Many claim, that, when the muskrat 



