JANUARY 1, 1914 



27 



I regard the old 

 hives as equal to (he 

 new so far as point of 

 service is concerned, 

 and the outlook now is 

 that a new coat of 

 fresh paint will be all 

 that is necessary to 

 carry them through 

 several years of work 

 in the apiary. In view 

 of the advance on lum- 

 ber the advance on 

 hives was a foregone 

 conclusion some time 

 ago, and the saving in 

 tliis line represents a 

 rather "pretty penny" 

 in the operating ex- 

 penses of this and the 

 coming year. 



Hives can be saved and used corsianlly 

 for years by the judicious use of paint ; but 

 it is a wise move on the part of the Soutli- 

 ern beekeeper to have the bottom-boards 

 well above the ground in order to avoid the 

 absorption of moisture from the bottom- 

 board into the lower edges of the body sides 

 and ends. 



And now for the results of painting. I 

 am well aware of the fact that there are 

 strenuous advocates of the unpainted hive; 

 but if these had gotten a glimpse at the 

 results of the weather on the few bad hives 

 they would have probably been convinced 



►«K^^ 



Fig. 1. — The fl 

 ninttly 1% in. thick 



nished cake or block of candy. It measures anproxi- 

 6% in. wide, and 9% in. long. Weight about 5 lbs. 



that paint is valuable in the preservation of 

 the wood; for in every case where the old 

 bodies had crumbled from rot, the outer 

 portion, in the form of a shell, was the only 

 part remaining intact — rotten to a certain 

 degree, but by far better than on the inner 

 portions. Had it not been for the jDaint the 

 whole structure would have crumbled at the 

 first rough touch. 



Savannah, Ga., Nov. 25. 



HARD CANDY FOR WINTER STORES 



Some Experiments in Wintering Bees on Candy 

 Alone 



BY H. H. ROOT 



Fig. 2. — Giving the candy to the bees. 



As promised in our last issue, we are pre- 

 senting herewith a number of engi'avings 

 showing the different steps in the process of 

 supplying' cakes of hard transparent candy 

 made of granulated sugar and water. 



For the benefit of our readers who do not 

 have access to back numbers we are repeat- 

 ing herewith the directions that have been 

 given before in these columns: 



HOW TO MAKE THE CANDY. 



Into a dish of hot water on the stove slowly pour 

 an equal amount of sugar, stirring constantly. Make 

 sure that the sugar is all dissolved before boiling 

 commences. If this precaution is not observed, some 

 of the undissolved sugar is likely to burn, injuring 

 the flavor of the candy and almost surely causing 

 trouble with the bees later. If you have a candy 

 thermometer, watch the temperature, and do not let 

 it go above 275 to 280 degrees. Test frequently by 

 dropping a very little of the syrup into cold water 

 (about 50 to 55 degrees F.). When the boiling has 

 continued long enough the drop of candy, when 

 cooled in the water, should be hard and brittle when 

 taken out; but when placed in the mouth it should 

 soften slightly, so that it is tough. When this time 

 has arrived, pour the syrup immediately. 



