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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



There is one thing more in the picture which 

 perhaps you did not notice. Although showing 

 a little dimly, there are little slates arranged in 

 different positions on the hives. The position 

 of the first slate on the right means that the 

 colony has an untested queen. On the next 

 hive, at right angles to and just back of it, the 

 slate indicates a virgin. In the cut, just above 

 the slate in the center of the hive, it shows that 

 there is a tested queen inside. We use, with a 

 great deal of satisfaction, a code which I repro- 

 duce herewith. The key shows the meaning of 

 each position, in small type below. 



The apiarist and I have been delighted with 

 this arrangement. Whenever he is sick or 

 away, I can almost tell from the office just 

 what is in every hive; and if an order comes 



Lad/es' Conversazione. 



MISS WILSON AT CHICAGO. 



DOVETAILED HIVE ON A HEDDON IIIVE-STAND. 



in by telegram, in the absence of tlie apiarist I 

 take a birdseye view, from the office window, 

 spot the hive I want, rush downstairs, and pro- 

 ceed directly to the place. It makes me feel al- 

 most provoked to think that we did not use it 

 years before we did; and I am sure that no 

 queen- breeder or honey-producer can afford to 

 get along without some similar arrangement. 

 It may be very easily varied to suit the require- 

 ments of every bee-keeper, whether it be the 

 rearing of queens or the production of honey, 



HER VIEWS ON THE NORTHWESTERN CONVEN- 

 TION. 



I attended the convention at Chicago, and 

 enjoyed it very much. The attendance was 

 large, and every one seemed happy. Quite a 

 number of ladies were present. I wish there 

 had been more. Among the many weighty 

 subjects discussed was the grading of comb 

 honey, in which I was specially interested, Dr. 

 Miller and I having had frequent little skir- 

 mishes on this very subject. 



All seemed quite anxious to have some system 

 of grading adopted, including the commission 

 men present— Mi'. R. A. Burnett and Mr. ]Man- 

 delbaum, of S. T. Fish & Co. But the great 

 difficulty seemed to be to find any two of the 

 same opinion as to what constitutes first-grade 

 honey, second-grade, etc. 



After a great deal of discussion the following 

 system of grading was adopted, as nearly as I 

 can remember: 



First grade. The sections to be perfectly 

 filled, all the cells capped, the combs straight, 

 and securely fastened to all four sides of the 

 section; section and comb white, and free from 

 ])n)|)olis and travel-stain, and the honey of 

 uniform color. 



Second grade. Sections and comb white, and 

 free from propolis and travel -stain; but the 

 comb may be uneven, although it must be per- 

 fectly tilled and capped, and may contain as 

 many as three cells of pollen to the section. 



Third grade. Sections must be two-thirds 

 filled, whether capped or otherwise, and may 

 be much travel -stained, and of two or more 

 colors in a case. 



I will not vouch for these being correct, as I 

 did not take any notes. Slightly travel-stained 

 sections were not put in any grade: but the 

 omission was allowed to pass, in the hope of a 

 revision and straightening-up of things at Al- 

 bany, as so much ti'ouble was experienced in 

 arriving at any conclusion. 



POSITION OF SLATE TO INDICATE THE CONDITION OF THE COLONY. 



1. Queenless; 2. CeU; 3. Hatched virgin; i. Laving: queen; 5. Tested queen; 6. Caged queen to be introduced; 7. Caged queen 

 out; 8. Something wrong; 9. Hive needs supers and more room; 10. No slate— hive with empty combs, ready for a swarm. 



or both. To make the record doubly sure, we 

 write in leadpencil on the slate. If the slate is 

 moved, by accident or otherwise, its position 

 may be known at once by its record. I have 

 heard some queen - breeders say they could 

 remember what is in every hive, but I doubt it; 

 and I pity their customers who get their queens. 

 Memory is not reliable eiKiugh to tell whether a 

 queen is tested, virgin, or laying. 



But, to return. A good many jjeople do not 

 know how to hold the Clark smoker properly. I 

 am just conceited enough to think I do, and I 

 am holding it in the picture in the right posi- 

 tion, valve side down. This way it does not 

 clog up the blast-tube so much when it rests; 

 and when it is on the hive it is all ready, when 

 picked up, to throw a jet on the frames without 

 '■ whopping " the smoker over. 



I did not suppose it such a difficult task to 

 grade honey, and was quite surprised at the 

 redhot discussion it provoked, although in a 

 perfectly good-natured manner. Had I been 

 asked whether I knew how to grade honey, I 

 should have given an unhesitating answer in 

 the affirmative: and I still think I know how 

 to grade honey for Dr. Miller, for I have had a 

 most thorough training. But after learning 

 what I did at the convention, I fear I might 

 run against a snag the very first thing, if asked 

 to grade in any other locality, for I would have 

 said all first-class honey 'must be perfectly 

 white, while it will be seeii by the grade adopt- 

 ed that first-grade honey may be of any color, 

 from white to the darkest, only so it is all one 

 color. Mrs. Harrison. Mr. Dadant, Mr. Walker, 

 and others opposed its being perfectly white, as, 



