47:2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1. 



ers of lesser note, but who, nevertheless, make 

 their bees pay. All of these use or insist upon 

 the use of a brood-nest of about the capacity of 

 an eight-fi'ame L. hive. When we come to take 

 up the production of c.rtrdctcd honey, then we 

 (May need larger hives. 



There was a sti'ong tendency universally a 

 few years ago towaixl a ten-fi'anie L. hive. You 

 remember how we held out against the 8-frame 

 size; but we had to come to it. Bee-keepers 

 all over the land almost simultaneously reduced 

 by a dummy the ten-frame brood-chamber to 

 eight frames capacity. Uoolittle once used the 

 Gallup hive, containing Hfteen frames, on the 

 " long idea" plan: but he has now got down to 

 nine frames. You will remember how very 

 many were enthusiastic for this "long idea,"' 

 but how many are there now ? 



It is desirable to have all our brood-rearing 

 done in one brood -chamber. If you commence 

 early enough in the season the previous fall 1 

 will guarantee that colonies in eight-frame L. 

 hives capacity can be made quite strong 

 enough for the production of comb honey in 

 June and July. Now, instead of reducing the 

 capacity by shallow brood-ciiambers, and the 

 expense attendant upon the same, why not in- 

 sert a dummy, and reduce the capacity perpen- 

 dicularly instead of horizontally? Those kings 

 of comb-honey producers already mentioned, do 

 this very thing. The eight-frame Langstroth 

 capacity of brood- nest, whether it be Langstioth 

 size or not, gives splendid results, and is accept- 

 ed as the best by the largest and most suc- 

 cessful bee-keepers in the world. J. F. Mcln- 

 tyre has been making use of a hive of large 

 capacity; but in a recent ai'ticle he says 

 that eight L. frame hives even in California 

 give about all the bi'eeding-room necessary for 

 the average queen. Now, why wouldn't that 

 colony that pi'oduced for you in a poor season, 

 itolbs. of honey, having eight of your brood- 

 chambers, have done just as well in eight-fi'auK^ 

 L. hives of equal capacity — two or three brood- 

 chambers, as the case may be'?] E. R. R. 



RAMBLE NO. 41. 



and the loads they carry would make the heart 

 of a careful housewife ache with expectations 

 of smashed crockery. 



IN NEW YORK CITY. 



The favoring breeze of fortune again fills the 

 sails of the Rambler's canoe, and he is once 

 more afloat upon the dancing waters. The 

 canoe this time is the splendid steamer Drew, 

 which makes regular nightly trips from Al- 

 bany to New York. It is not quite so comfort- 

 able sleeping on a steamboat as it is in your 

 own room. Tho continual jar will allow "only 

 cat-naps; and to sleep soundly one needs sever- 

 al nights' practice. 



We landed in the early morning, and wended 

 our way to the famous hosteliy of Smith & Mc- 

 Niel, near Washington Market. In many re- 

 spects this is a remarkable hotel, located so 

 near the market that it calls to its doors farm- 

 ers, drovers, and speculators in jjroduce from 

 every part of the country, while its tables feed 

 several thousand per day, and the rattle of 

 dishes hardly ceases during the entire twenty- 

 four hours. In quality and price in its gastro- 

 nomic features it is unexcelled, and it is one of 

 the few hotels that have honey upon their bill of 

 fare, and should therefore receive the patronage 

 of bee-keeper.s. It would be moi'e congenial, 

 perhaps, to stop at the Fifth Avenue Hotel; 

 but when it comes to the pocket-book question, 

 you can boaixl hei-e all day for less than it 

 would cost you to board half an hour ai the 

 Fifth Avenue. The waiters are very numerous, 

 and well di'illed in the manipulation of dishes; 



WAITEK IN SMITH & M Nmi/S. 



There are but few bees kept in the city, and 

 these are mostly found in the outskirts.' I am 

 told, however, that bees do well in the city, and 

 store considerable surplus. The parks supply 

 much pasturage. When we consider that New 

 York is the great American metropolis, and the 

 distributing center of every product and manu- 

 facture, it- seems peculiar that there are not 

 several supply-houses in the line of bee-fixtures; 

 but for several years there has been no repre- 

 sentative house in that line in the city, until 

 recently. A. J. King, in magazine days, was 

 such representative; and among his students 

 here and in Cuba was Mr. J. H. M. Cook, who 

 has recently o])ened a supply-house as a suc- 

 cessor to King, at 78 Barclay St.. where nearly 

 every thing in the supply line can be found. 



Mr. Cook's apiary and manufactory are about 

 twelve miles from the city, in Caldwell, N. J. 

 In hives the specialties are the Dovetailed, and 

 a hive of his own invention, called "Cook's 

 Complete hive." The latter takes the L. re- 

 versible frame, as advocated by Heddon, and is 

 provided with a sui)stantial outer case for pack- 

 ing, with alisorbents. I do not wish to criticise 



Mr. Cook's hive at this time, and will mention 

 only two points. The reversible frame might 

 bejdispensed with to advantage. Its boom has 

 passed, and. like a waning comet, it will appear 

 less and less until it finally disappears. The 

 outer case, however, has so many advantages 

 in our rigorous climate, that, when properly 

 applied, it is salvation to the colony. My own 

 experience with outer cases would lead me to 

 adopt them if J were to manage bees in this 

 climate: and I can see their advantages in al- 



