136 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



July 



Hive" still in use and containing as 

 a rule, enormous colonies of bees. 

 The lower story contains 14 frames, 

 12 3-4 inches square inside, so that the 

 outside frames may be removed and 

 wide frames, each holding nine square 

 sections, put in their places. There 

 were grooves in the sides of the hive, 

 so that the outside frames could be 

 removed and thin boards slipped in 

 the grooves; the space back of the 

 boards being filled with some non-con- 

 ductor. However, no one practices 

 this now. as the bees always winter 

 well without conti'action. When the 

 full 14 frames are used in the brood- 

 nest, the capacitj' is equal to IT 1-2 

 L. frames. The supers are arranged 

 to hold 14 frames 8 1-2 x 12 3-4 inches 

 inside, so that wide frames holding 

 six square sections might be used in- 

 stead of the extracting frames. 



One apiary which I am handling on 

 shares has several of these Lizzie 

 Cotton hives. Early in April they 

 were of unusual strength, though the 

 supers of exti'acting frames had been 

 left on the hives all winter, and be- 

 fore the opening of the main flow, in 

 .June, some of them had filled a large 

 part of the lower story with brood aad 

 had begun breeding in the upper stor- 

 ies, both stories full to overflowing 

 with bees, a total capacity of about 

 30 L frames. This extraordinary 

 strength was due, I believe, to, 1, lo- 

 cation (very sheltered), 2, large hives 

 and abundant stories, 3 some honey 

 and pollen coming in at all times. 



Boise, Idaho, Nov. 7, 1903. 



THE AVAR HORSE. 



By Otto Gubler. 

 Member of the Societe Romande d' 



Apiculture, Switzerland. 

 (Translated by Frank Benton from Bulletin de 

 la Societe Romande d'Apiculture, Vol. I, No. 1, 

 January, 1904.) 



ONCE upon a time there was — 

 A beautiful priacess? 

 Xo. 

 A charming prince? 

 Nor that either. 



Once upon a time there were two 

 bee-keepers. Both of them wanted to 

 do well — to do something startling. 

 Hardened from their childhood, "nei- 

 ther feared anything, whatever it 

 might be." 



To handle and control Carniolans, 

 natives, or Italians was no longer 

 more than child's play for them — in 

 the year of our Lord, one thousand, 

 eight hundred and ninety-five. Just 

 as in the fable, Bernard said to Ra- 

 ton: •"Brother, let us do a master- 

 stroke; let us buy Syrians. You take, 

 or rather, you buy Syrians, and I'll 

 buy Cyprians. Agreed." 



The year opened up well and one 

 might afford to pay out a little some- 

 thing extra. The Revue was thumbed 

 over, the addresses found, the colonies 

 ordered, shipped, received, and — paid 

 for. Ah! how beautiful were our 

 Syrians and our Cyprians! How dull 

 our Italians appeared to us by the side 

 of them! And who says that they are 

 aggressive? Thats all nonsense. 

 Lambs, I tell you, veritable lambs! In 

 fact, enthusiasm is at its height. The 

 plan was already before us for exten- 

 sive breeding of our two favorite 

 races, with an amelioration of the 

 whole apiary through an infusion of 

 new and vigorous blood. 



The two new-comers develop mar- 

 velously; the second super takes the 

 place of the first, and the third that of 

 the second. Lacking the time to ex- 

 tract, each contemplates with pride 

 his colony, his war-horse, with its 

 three full supers. Ah! if I had onlj 

 Syi-ians. Ah! if I had only Cyprians 

 What a harvest we would get! 



The hay harvest being at an enc 

 we open our hives. The supers are su 

 perb, but what is the matter with oui 

 lambs today? They are certainly in s 

 bad humor. Now don't imagine at al 

 that we are afraid; oh no, we do noi 

 get frightened at such a little thing 

 However, suppose we let them rest foi 

 the present. Besides, today is Sunday 

 and it would not be a proper thini 

 to take off honey on that day, more 

 over I really think that the weath«j 

 is going to be stormy. 



The following week each goes alone 

 and by stealth, as it were, to feel th« 

 ground; one towards his Syrians, th< 

 other toward his Cyprians. Each tim< 

 the covers are raised a terrible noiw 

 is heard, the alighting board is cov 

 ered with furies, and a number o: 

 thrusts as sharp as though mado wltl 

 Damascene lances tickle us so dis 

 agreeably that we discover all of J 



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