542 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



of nothiug better for that purpose than your chaff 

 ili vision-boards. They should also fit the hive close- 

 ly on all sides, and as nearly air-tight as it is possi- 

 ble to make them. To use them, crowd the bees on 

 just as many combs (I suppose that every one uses 

 foundation in making new swarms) as they can well 

 cover, and no more, putting the frames into the cen- 

 ter of the hive and pushing the boards up close to 

 them on both sides; then as the colony increases, 

 push over a board and put in a new frame until the 

 hive is completely filled. By this means a surplus of 

 honey may be obtained from a new swarm that oth- 

 erwise would have hardly gathered enough honey to 

 winter on. 



In preparing for wiater, it is the easiest thing in 

 the world to remove three or four frames from 

 weak stocks, put in division-boards, and pack the 

 empty room in the hive with some warmth-retain- 

 ing material. How many colonies have perished in 

 a severely cold winter, simply for want of the above 

 precaution? I do not know; but I do know that I 

 have successfully wintered colonies that could cover 

 five frames only of standard L. size by using them, 

 when far stronger colonies died, as I deem, on ac- 

 count of their being unable to generate the requis- 

 ite amount of heat In a hive greatly dispropor- 

 tioned to their size; so I say, use division-boards. 



Foxboro, Mass., Sept. 28, 1881. J. E. Pond, Jr. 



I believe jjou are right, friend P. ; but still 

 I must confess my faith in division-boards 

 has been a little "shaken by the reports we 

 have had this season, in regard to the ad- 

 vantages of much ventilation, and an open 

 chamber over the bees. If a space above the 

 bees is good, are we so sure, after all, that a 

 large hive with a part of it unoccupied is 

 not, during extreme cold like last winter, 

 also an advantage ? Our friend Jerome 

 Wiltse almost says as much; and friend 

 Grimm says, if I am not mistaken, that he 

 would as soon have a comb as a division- 

 board. I throw out these hints that we may 

 look into our reasoning and see that there 

 are no loose joints in it. 



HOW SHALIi WE WINTER? 



JliHIS wintering problem is getting to be a very 

 interesting one again, as the "risky" season 

 approaches. Winter, like summer, with us is 

 a season of hopes and disappointments, and this 

 gambling is where the excitement of the business 

 comes in. We hear persons saying that " we are go- 

 ing to have another cold winter;" others say, "a 

 very open one;" and we say, " we don't know;" but 

 we make our estimates based upon an average one 

 with an average loss of stocks. Based upon this av- 

 erage, a colony of bees is worth three-fourths as 

 much now as next spring. We calculate the caro of 

 them till that time, interest on the money, and also 

 that of those that die, their hives and combs are 

 worth one-third the fall value. You know, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, that we advertised some bees for sale. Well, 

 sir, not one order have we received, and but two In- 

 quiries for the whole month, and we see the papers 

 full of " Bees for Sale." Right here allow me to 

 give a piece of advice to those having bees they are 

 anxious to dispose of. ilokl them till Kprhuj, even if 

 you leave them entirely smeared for. I say this be- 

 cause it seems that those who neglect their bees 

 succeed in wintering as well as any; and nextspriug, 



if every colony now alive should then be alive, bees 

 will be a cash article at a good round price. 



A friend of mine once asked a rich man how he 

 made his wealth. His simple reply was, " I came 

 here with a little money and I bought stock and 

 grain when it was low, and sold it when it was high." 

 How foolishly simple that sounds, and yet the large 

 majority do just the reverse. They float with the 

 popular current, instead of striking out by them- 

 selves and swimming up stream. Here, too, we find 

 a larj^e reward awaiting a little energy and origin- 

 ality. 



On page 493 of this Oct. No. of Gleanings, Mr. 

 Ballantine undertakes to disprove our pollen theory. 

 If it is incorrect, we can think of no better time nor 

 man to prove it so; but in my judgment he has 

 overestimated the force of his argument. He seems 

 to conclude, that because pollen is made from the 

 fecundating dust of beautiful flowers, and has the 

 honor of being a very old store of the hive, that it is 

 fallacious for us to claim that this time-honored 

 substance will produce disease, when used In an ab- 

 normal way and at disadvantageous times. I learn 

 that the disease we call bee dysentery is also time- 

 honored. A cancer is a marvel of order and beauty, 

 when seen through the microscope. Who does not 

 know that, throughout all the vegetable and animal 

 creation, that instinct can not be depended upon for 

 the perpetuation of life? How Is it, when you slight- 

 ly water a cabbage-plantin the morning of a hot day? 

 It instinctively turns up its little roots toward the 

 moisture it scents, and succeeds in getting little or 

 none of it; but its death soon results form its more 

 exposed position. How with the colicky, over-fed 

 babe? Its instinct is to eat to relieve the pain pro- 

 duced by overeating. Instinct is at the bottom of 

 the hill of progress: reason, at the top. Instinct ia 

 a crutch for reason when it gets lame. Instinct is 

 blind: reason, a clairvoyant. Instinct swims: reason 

 takes a steamboat. Instinct runs: reason creates 

 and rides on a locomotive. Instinct stands with 

 clasped hands, and fears disaster: reason prevents 

 it. Instinct moves before its betters when reason 

 approaches. Instinct is better than nothing: reason 

 is better than cither. Instinct is life or death, as 

 chance may dictate: reason is life and success. In- 

 stinct has got its growth, gone to seed, and has long 

 been decaying: reason is in the bud, and soon will 

 blossom. Instinct is barbarism: reason, civilization. 

 Reason produced frames: Instinct fled for cross- 

 sticks. Reason said, " Sling that honey, and save 

 that indigestible comb for the bees: instinct said, 

 "That honey is not what I am used to, and therefore 

 it is not good." Instinct says to bees, "Go into a 

 hollow tree, and attach your combs to rotten wood 

 that will give way when you fill them with honey:" 

 reason says to them, "Here, draw this sheet of se- 

 curely wired foundation to a beautiful, straight, 

 and profitable comb." The intelligent and success- 

 ful apiarist says, " My bees must be guided by my 

 reason:" the ignorant and superstitious onesaj'S, "I 

 will follow your blind instincts." When reason 

 says, "Forward, march!" instinct stands and howls 

 like a little dog barking at a full moon. Let us hope 

 that we shall hear no more pleas for instinct. 



What refutes the whole argument made by Mr. B. 

 is, that what he presents to us as causes of this ef- 

 fect, viz., cold and confinement (the peculiarities of 

 last winter), were general all over the country ,while 

 the supposed effect was not as uniform as was his 

 supposed cause. Something more localin its effects 



