18'JI 



CLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



441 



fangled hives'" kills bees: and it is also true, 

 that, when tlie bees have prc|)aie(l tlieir win- 

 ter nest in liie fall, the sani<' oiiglit not to be 

 disturlM'd — or. at least, the combs siionld not 

 be, shifted. The fact is. the modern double- 

 walled hives will winter just as well outdoors 

 as box hives, and a great deal better in most 

 cases. Reports have shown it over and over 

 again. 



Neighbou H. says he has observed, for sev- 

 eral winters back, that liis colonies with im- 

 ported queens wintered the best. Last wintei'. 

 although he sult'ered very severe losses among 

 his home-bred stocks, he lost practically none 

 of his colonies from imported queens. When it 

 is remembered that the imported queens had 

 been on a long journey across the ocean, these 

 results are quite significant. The bees of im- 

 ported stock are, as a general rule, leather-col- 

 ored, and the queens are rather dark. As we 

 have suffered very little loss during the years 

 past, we have not had an opportunity of com- 

 paring the relative hardiness of foreign and 

 home-bred queens, although one of our imjiort- 

 ed stock died last winter, among the otheis. 



We have just been purchasing some colonies 

 on loose frames. An old Pennsylvania Dutch- 

 man who brought them up said he did not know 

 why the bees bulged his combs so. and made 

 them so crooked. We told him that they were 

 spaced too far apart and too near together. 

 Then he said he wished we would give him 

 something next time that would space the 

 frames just right. We showed him the Hoff- 

 man frames: and as his face lighted up he said. 

 •'OhI dot's iti dot's it. Dey von't toomble all 

 togedder ven ve gome to priug de pees oop t' 

 M'tina. like dose racks vid tin corners on dit for 

 me." Perhaps we should remark, that his 

 combs, not having been fixed before moving, 

 had jolted together: and when we pulled off 

 the wii'e screens the bees were any thiiig but 

 amiable. One queen was killed. 



We notice, by a recent issue of one of the pa- 

 pers, that no less than 10.000 patents have been 

 taken out for car-couplings. This number far 

 exceeds "all possible novel and useful combina- 

 tions that could be devised in constructing such 

 an article." This is a rank injustice to invent- 

 ors, and the proper officials should see that it is 

 stopped. There should not be more than one 

 patent allowed on one idea, thing, or function, 

 or combination of things, functions, and ideas. 

 Patent-otfice repoi-ts are complete enough so 

 that yjroper investigation should show whether 

 the idoiUcdl idea had been already covered by 

 a patent. Apiculture is not exempt from the 

 plurality of patents on one article, as we have 

 already shown. We don't mean to be " cranky " 

 on patents, but the facts above show that a good 

 deal of monev is wasted. 



SUGAR SYRUP COMB HONEY. 



Ax old farmer met us a few days ago. and put 

 to us this question: "How do you feed bees 

 sugar syrup to make comb honey'.'" 



We stared at him a minute, and was about to 

 take affront; but observing that he meant no 

 insult, we said: " We do not do it. and, besides, 

 it would be unprofitable business, to say noth- 

 ing of the fraud that would be imposed on the 

 consumer." 



"But," said he, "sugar is away down, and 

 syrup will cost only three or four cents a pound. 

 There would be big money in feeding it to the 

 bees, and getting 20 cts. a pound for it in comb 

 honey." 



We assured him that this practice would not 

 pay when sugar was nine cents a pound: that 

 much of the syrui) would be lost in bi-ood-rear- 

 ing and the abnormal stimulation of the colony. 

 We told him. further, that we vei-y much doubt- 

 ed whethei', at even the present vei-y low price, 

 it would be a very big bonanza. We hope none 

 of our readers would think of doing such a 

 thing, even if it would pay. 



COLORADO AND ITS AI,FALFA RESOURCES. 



^Ir. J. L. Peabody, of Denver, Col., sends us 

 a newspaper clipping from which we take the 

 following, written by H. Knight, of Littleton: 



Only a few years ago the Colorado State Bee-keep- 

 ers" Association started with but six members; now 

 we liave about one hundred. Tliere are now in the 

 State over 81)0 bee-keepers, and four years ago not 

 one person was making- a specialty of honey produc- 

 tion. Now there are at least fifty that number their 

 colonies liy the Inmdred, and sell honey by the ton. 

 so that, in 1889, about three Inindred thousand 

 pounds was produced, and in 1890 nearly lialf a mil- 

 lion pounds of alfalfa lioney was g-athered by the 

 busy bees. 



We have known for a year back that Colorado 

 was rapidly developing as a great honey State; 

 and if what is stated in the above is true, we 

 are not at all surprised. Still, it is a long way 

 behind in annual honey production compared 

 with that of a good many other States — Califor- 

 nia and York State.- for instance. 



A. 6. HILL S NEW BEE-SMOKEK. 



This new smoker has been tried in our apia- 

 ry, and critically examined in every way here 

 at the home of the Honey-bees. It embodies a 

 bright idea, and may cvlip.^e all other smokers. 

 We do not see any thing said about a patent, or 

 any thing of the sort: but we hereby protest 

 against any one copying this smoker, or any 

 feature of it. So far as we know, the invention 

 belongs to Mr. Hill. And now let us, as bee- 

 keepers and manufacturers of supplies, show 

 our manliness by letting Mr. Hill have what 

 seems justly tp belong to him. W(^ have made 

 arrangements whereby we can furnish these 

 smokers at his prices; viz.. Hill smoker. 3-inch 

 barrel, by express or freight. SI. 30: by mail. 

 81.40. The bright thing about the whole inven- 

 tion is the cover and blast-tube formed out of 

 one piece of metal, without joint or solder. 

 The bottom of the tire-pot is also put in in the 

 same way, without joint or solder, and so con- 

 structed as not to burn whatever it may come 

 in contact with. 



FOUNDATION '4 INCH THICK. 



We have just been introducing some radical 

 improvements in making foundation -mills. 

 We are sending a good many of them to Ger- 

 many now. and some of the German bee-keep- 

 ers want the foundation walls extra thick. 

 One of these mills turns out foundation I4 inch 

 thick. We sent a sample of it to Bro. Newman, 

 and he makes this very kind notice of it: 



We sliould im;igia? tiiat the walls are sufBclently 

 high to satisfy any one, even tlie most exacting. 

 The workmanslup on the mill must be first chiss, 

 for the product is simply superb. 



Perhaps we should add. that the foundation 

 we are now making on our mills is very near 

 perfection. Some of the very thinnest is so 

 transparent that you can read coarse print 

 through it when i)laced close to the wax; in 

 fact, it is beautiful, even if we do say it. An- 

 other thing, we have so improved the mills that 

 the wax sornetitncs runs through the mill with- 

 out sticking to either roll. From all our late 

 mills the foundation comes off much easier. 



