536 



GLEANINGS IK BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



allowmg' a direct draft of air to pass through the 

 hive. True, the bees try to stop up every passage 

 by which air may pass out of the top of the hive; 

 but it strilies me that this is not done to prevent 

 ventilation (for they are always ventilating), but to 

 prevent rain from coming- into their abodes, in a 

 state of nature, where they are obliged to take up 

 with such shelter as they can lind; but we, when we 

 provide them with shelter, can make it rain-proof ; 

 but the instinct of the natural state of the bee has 

 not been eradicated by domestication, and it follows 

 the old plan, I suppose, because it remembers how 

 its (irandmiithcr did years ago. The great trouble we 

 find is in getting rid of excessive moisture, and pre- 

 venting it from freezing in the hive; and by cor- 

 rectly answering the quei-yi " How can this be 

 done?" we solve the problem at once. In order to 

 do this I would give the bees a warm hive, well pro- 

 tected by double walls, filled with some proper ma- 

 terial, or by chaff division-boards, thus protecting 

 them from sudden changes of heat and cold; make 

 the colony strong enough with young bees to cover 

 every comb — not less than tive of standard L. size, 

 at least 5 lbs. of proper food to the frame, with win- 

 ter passages through them; a honey-board on top of 

 frames, with from ?e to ij inch of air space between 

 frames and honey-board ; eight to ten inch holes in 

 the honey-board, covered with carpeting or burlap, 

 and the whole protected by chaff cushion, -t to 6 

 inches deep, to keep the warmth within the hive 

 and still allow all bad air and superfluous moisture 

 to pass imperceptibly from the hive. By this means 

 the bees are kept warm, and protected from sudden 

 changes, and, I think, will be caused to pass safely 

 through any but an exceptional winter, and the 

 least percentage of loss will follow. 



J. E. Pond, Jr. 

 North Attleboro, Bristol Co., Mass., Oct. 13, 1881. 



\M lichiui. 



OR HONEY PLANTS TO BE NAMED. 



fNCLOSED please find flower and leaves of a tree 

 that grows in my dooryard, that the bees work 

 on wonderfully from daylight to dark; the bees 

 wake me up in the morning by their buzzing. The 

 tree stands by my room window. Please name. 



T. F. Shephard. 

 Town Hill, Luzerne Co., Pa., June ~'8, 1881. 



The plant is not familiar to us, and here 

 is what Prof. Beal says of it: — 



These plants are stamiiiatc, and lack pistils. It 

 seems to belong to the maple family. 



Michigan Agricultural College. W.J. Beal. 



What is it called in your neighborhood, 

 friend S.V The leaves are oval, pointed, and 

 grow opposite each other, perhaps 2 inches 

 in length. Elowers in clusters, each flower 

 bnt little larger than a pinhead. 



Please name the inclosed honey-producing flower. 

 It opens about 5 o'clock, when every flower will 

 have a bee on it. Chas. E. McK.w. 



Canon City, Col., Oct. 10, 1881. 



Prof. Beal answers as follows: — 



This is some species of Mrntzclict, and belongs to 

 the family Loamccn:, which is somewhat nearly re- 

 lated to the Cactus family. It has no good common 

 name. W. J. Be.il. 



the: i<angstroth fraiue:. 



^X^RIEND ROOT:— I am very sorry that Mr. South- 

 Jef' wick takes the subject-matter of my article 

 on the L. hive just as he does, but as I never 

 heard of him before, and certainly never knew that 

 he had a frame, I think I may be exoneraiCd from 

 the charge of attempting to disparage any inven- 

 tion of his. I am, however, at a loss to know, from 

 the description he gives of his frame, what he has 

 in use, unless it is a 1-lb. section with a tin bail, and 

 a shingle nail in each lower corner for legs. I can't 

 think he has legs on his frame, for I should suppose 

 they would be in the way unless they folded up, and 

 that would make too much rigging to suit me. I am 

 perfectly willing now to take b.^ck what I said; viz., 

 that, " so far as I knew, every body admits that the 

 L. frame is the easiest to operate," for one person 

 does not think so. Well, that does not alter my opin- 

 ion, neither docs it alter the fact, that the form of the 

 standard L. frame was devised by the king of us all, 

 after experimenting in a careful manner, and by 

 using brains of a superior quality in arriving at the 

 conclusion he did in regard to the matter. 



1 have been keeping bees, more or less, for fifteen 

 years, and have, like manj' others, gone in for the 

 various improvements (!) that have from time to 

 time come up, but have at last discarded every thing 

 in the shape of a frame, except the standard L., for 

 the reason that I find that it more fully meets all the 

 requirements of a perfect hive than any other lever 

 saw or used. I find no trouble in taking it from the 

 brood-nest, or setting it down, and I don't know that 

 I ever crushed a bee in using it, when at all care- 

 ful; and for that matter I can't see what differ- 

 ence the shape of a frame makes about crushing 

 bees when you set it down, for, no matter what the 

 shape is, if you set a frame of com b weighing from 

 four to ten pounds down on your bees, you will stand 

 a good chance of crushing some of them. 



The only object of my article was to show that, in 

 one instance at least, the L. hive had wintered a 

 colony of bees successfully for a series of years un- 

 der the most adverse circumstances in which it 

 could be used. J. E. Pond, Jr. 



No. Attleboro, Bristol Co., Mass., Oct. 12, 1881. 



THE L. FRA.ME, AG.\IN. 



As you have asked me a question before your 

 readers [p. 503, Oct. No.], you can not refuse me the 

 privilege of answering it before your readers. 1 

 merely wished to let Mr. Pond know that all bee- 

 keepers do not worship that idol. Did you not know, 

 friend Novice, that Michigan is paying a competent 

 man a big salary to examine and experiment on bee- 

 hives and frames, and he (by his action, at least) has 

 condeuined the L. hive and frame? Such Is the 

 fact, yet we frequently see in Gleanings the L. 

 frame lauded to the highest. I have a hive and 

 frame of mj' own construction; it is not patented, 

 nor am I making them to sell. I have frequently 

 been asked to make for others, but have refused, as 

 I had all I could do to make my own, but would 

 lend them a hive, and they could make their own. 

 I do not claim that mine is the best. I presume 

 there are those in use as much better than mine as 

 mine is better than the L. And now, friend Root, 

 let me advise you to lay aside your prejudices; let 

 reason and good sense take the place. 



Dr. E. B. Southwick. 



Mendon, Mich., Oct. 4, 1881. 



