1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



93 



I can take all the care that 150 hives of bees 

 need, the number we had last year, excepting 

 putting hives in cellar and taking out, and 

 carrying the honey from the hives to the house, 

 easier than I can do the general housework 

 and sewing for myself and husband the year 

 round ; and I would not neglect the bees in 

 any particular, either. So I do think bee- 

 keeping particularly adapted to woman's work. 

 But let her work at it the year round, just as 

 she does her housework. In the fall and win- 

 ter let her make her sections up, and get them 

 all ready for the hives; market the honey, but 

 don't rush and worry and fuss about the sales, 

 but work it off from time to time. Be always 

 at it. If there is any thing that needs to be 



and no wonder they got but little honey. If 

 they would take a bee-paper, and read up how 

 to care for their bees they would make each 

 year many times over enough to pay for the 

 paper, and have some pay for their work. 

 Work done too late on bees is like every thing 

 else — a failure. 



Roseville, 111., Dec. 13. 



USE OF SHORT TERMS. 



A Correction. 



BY S. T. PETTIT. 



THE ASPINWALL SECTION-CLEANER. SEE EDITORIAL 



done, just as we always and every day have 

 housework to look alter, do it. There has 

 never been a year yet since we kept bees but 

 we could have sold nmcli more honey if we 

 had had it, at fair and remunerative prices. I 

 think we have never had more than one or 

 two entire failures of a honey crop. I nearly 

 always have had enough for them to live on if 

 we took none from them. Such years as they 

 failed to fill up for winter, the surplus in spring 

 would more than pay for winter feeding. 



People are usually behind time with their 

 bees, judging from how most of our neigh- 

 bors do. Three of our neighbors came to us 

 for sections after our honey crop was half over. 

 Of course, their bees had the swarming fever, 



I have just read Mr. Gemmill's letter and 

 your remarks on page 13. Speaking of divid- 

 ers, you say, "I have since 

 seen a description of these same 

 followers, and find that the 

 spaces between the slats was 

 {\ inch." That surprised me. 

 I knew better, but for all that 

 I went out to the honey-house 

 and got an armful of these same 

 dividers and measured the 

 spaces. I would not have told 

 you and the public that these 

 spaces were '4 inch if they 

 were y\ inch. To-lay I send 

 you four of these same dividers. 

 Please measure them for your- 

 self. You will see that they 

 have been used by the emV)ryo 

 burr-combs stuck in them. 

 Now, the dividers I used this 

 year with ^/^-inch holes and fl- 

 inch bee space next the super- 

 wall were free from burr-combs, 

 and also not stuck to the combs, 

 as you may see some of these 

 were. Of course, if they be put 

 in a dry warm room for some 

 time the slats will shrink and 

 thus enlarge the spaces. 



May I request that we all use 

 the term divider when refer- 

 ring to that implement, instead 

 of perforated follower, for the 

 following reasons? First, we 

 should save "the wear and tear" 

 of that long expletive word 

 "perforated." Take, for ex- 

 ample, Mr. Gemmill's letter 

 and your reply. In these that 

 long word ' ' perforated ' ' is un- 

 necessarily used six times. 



Second, the name I gave it, for convenience' 

 sake, after a good deal of thinking, is both 

 expressive and explicative, as it divides the ex- 

 tra spaces at t/ie sides of the supers into tzvo 

 bee-spaces, and holds them there for the use of 

 the bees. Please consider that. 



Third, it is a new implement; and, although 

 it often takes the place of the follower, it is 

 devised for and performs a new and quite dif- 

 ferent function, as we all know, I presume. 



Fourth, in future as well as at present, both 

 followers and dividers will be needed and used. 

 You very properly advise the use of a thin 

 wide piece behind the divider when necessary. 

 Now, that outside piece is a follower — two dis- 



