220 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUllE. 



May 



also three or lour inches down the end of the hive. 

 On these bars we set our boxes (on a honey-board), 

 and when wo had them placed, covered all with a 

 eap. "When our practiced eye said, "Some thing is 

 wrong- with that colony," we proposed to whop it on 

 its back, and look to the top of the shallow concern, 

 and cut out or insert queen-cells if necessary. In 

 cases where the combs must conic out, slide our long 

 knife along- the ends of the hive, and sever the con- 

 nection, and whop it back, and remove the combs 

 the same as with frames. Well, for some cause or 

 other I did not write the description, ami visions of 

 old rough boards, iy4 in. thick, nailed up about 20 in. 

 high, with grain running up and down, were in- 

 dulged in by our readers all over the counti-y. The 

 advantages of these modern box hives were that 

 they were Simplicity-er, cheaper, a good thing to go 

 after a swarm with, much quicker manipulated 

 where the combs were not necessarily to come out, 

 and, though not such good educators, a good thing 

 for well-learned bee-keepers, whose business was 

 honey-producing on a large scale. But for reasons 

 that I am about to mention, I would be using them 

 to-day. 



You will recollect that at that time comb founda- 

 tion was a thing of doulit among the masses, espe- 

 cially the practical producers. We were then testing 

 it, and the lots that we could get were either cheap- 

 ened with paraffine or ccresin, or else beautified by 

 l)leaching the wax. All of these compounds, when 

 made into fdn., were f ailiu-es. But since we have got 

 comb f < lundation that thf; bees draw to honey-coml) 

 (full brooding depth) in 24 houi-s, we need a frame to 

 put it in; and why? because it canuotbe used in full 

 sheets, with new hives (with full and large swarms), 

 unless wires, or some similar and more costly and 

 complicated device be used. We can't wire a top- 

 bar without a bottom-bar. We can't use the two 

 without end-bars, and there is the frame. Thus we 

 see the frame grandly fits a place it was never made 

 for. Very likely, had fdn. been successfully invent- 

 ed first, it would have suggested frames. 



About black bees: I had both blacks and Italians 

 in my yard. The latter had nothing to boast of su- 

 periority. Not till I got of Mr. Oatman some of the 

 long- leather-colored strain, of Dadant's importation, 

 did I see yellow bees that were superior to the large 

 brown German bees that I had, all points consid- 

 ered, and as yet they have little to boast over these 

 bees. Crosses between the two strains have been 

 the best bees I have ever seen. Each have many 

 superior points, hence the controversies oi the past, 

 " Blacks vs. Italians," " Italians vs. Blacks." Let us 

 have the good traits all in one race. It is easily ours. 

 At that time I was using l^i-lb. sections, in which I 

 stuck pieces of suitable comb. Here let me say, 

 that the best of these pieces were not equal to the 

 f oimdation of to-day. I know that friend Doolittle 

 says, "Use these strips of comb yet;" but I say 

 imto you, just try fdn., properly made In full sheets, 

 in your sections, and you will not go back to any 

 other system. For three years I never let any per- 

 son (except some experienced bee-keeper) see fdn. 

 about my place. I feared it would injure the sale of 

 comb honey. I thought ignorance might be bliss. 

 Well, ojily one person out of hundreds who ate 

 combs made from fdn., and some poor fdn. at that, 

 ever said a word. We ate it, and we do still. " Fire 

 i!< the great purifier," and I feel right well about 

 chewing any beeswax that I ever saw. My hands 

 who work for me, visitors who oomc in to see the 



wonders of the new system, are sure to be chewing 

 scraps of fdn. much of the time. Did you ever stop 

 to mechanically analyze impurity? Let us be gov- 

 erned by our reason and not our emotions. Savages 

 have more emotion and less reason, by far, than ci%-- 

 ilized folks. You can'not turn me against any com- 

 modity that presents pleasant sensations, and leaves 

 no unpleasant reaction. Whims have cost this 

 world much comfort and many grand improvements. 

 A^•oid the whims of people, and do liy them as well 

 as you do by yourself, and fear not. 



REPORT TO DATE. 



Out of 212 colonies, nearly one-half are dead and 

 worthless; about one-half were packed with chaff, 

 and one-half with sawdust and shavings aboA-e. The 

 loss is greater among those packed with chaff, 

 though they being in another apiary it is no test of 

 packing, that we can be sure of. I use two styles of 

 boxes,— the one described in March Gleanings, 

 page llii, and a costly, well-painted box that incloses 

 the whole hi\e. The old rough boxes are ahead, but 

 we think the style of box not the cause. More than 

 nine-tenths of the rest of the colonies in this county 

 are dead, I think. While occasionally a man has a 

 majority left, I know of several owning between 50 

 and 100 who report, " all dead long ago;" " I am done 

 with bee-business," etc. In my acquaintance, not 

 one bee-keeper in fifty (not a specialist) has come 

 out even, in the l<>ng nm. Most of them fail by sup- 

 posing that they can get the modern income by the 

 ancient outlay. Some thing has not been seen to 

 come from nothing, since the world was made. lam 

 now having a big time with fdn., and will report at 

 some further day if desired. 



If my readers will excuse the plainness of the ex- 

 pression, I will say, that he who says that tinned 

 wire for comb fdn. is not a perfect success, has 

 found out just that much less than I have. 



James IIedixin. 



Dowagiac, Mich., April 18, 1881. 



BlilSS' SUN E VAPOR ATOK. 



fjRIEND ROOT:-I noticed on page412,Sept.No., 

 that W. S. Hart wanted to know how to con- 

 — ■ struct a sun evaporator. Inclosed you will 

 find a rough sketch of one that I made mj'self this 

 summer; which may be of use to him, and some of 

 the other bee-keeping friends. 



In sketch No. 1, A is an opening two inches wide, 

 covered with wire cloth extending the whole length 

 of the tank, and the whole is covered with a narrow 

 roof, to keep out the rain; B is an iron rod to 

 hold it together; C C are posts, 3x1 in.; F is a piece 

 of 3x1, extending across from post to post under the 

 bottom, and is let into the posts VA inches, to sup- 

 port the weight. E E are pieces of iron bent around 

 the posts, and bolted to F to keep it from spreading 

 apart at the bottom. 



