118 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



strong. He had 120 colonies in the 

 fall of 1884, and only one came 

 through strong, had 24 weak ones, 

 the remainder were dead. Some tilled 

 but two spaces, and some had no 

 queens. They did not commence 

 swarming until July 12. He bought 

 8 colonies. He had many combs of 

 sour honey from those colonies that 

 died which he fed gradually to the 

 bees. Would never sell it, as people 

 who bought such stuff once, would 

 never want to eat honey again. His 

 yield was between 2,900 and 3,000 

 pounds of comb honey, besides abund- 

 ance of frames saved for winter and 

 spring feeding, and 200 pounds of 

 extracted honey. If bees are weak, 

 he contracts the brood-nest to from 3 

 to 5 combs. 



"Production of comb honev " was 

 the next topic discussed. 



D. Videto— How to manage to get 

 the greatest amount of comb honey is 

 an important question. 'Successful 

 bee-keeping is the securing of the 

 greatest amount of honey out of each 

 hive. To secure this swarming must 

 be prevented. As it is almost im- 

 possible to prevent swarming, he lets 

 them swarm, places the hive with the 

 swarm where the old colony stood, 

 placing the old hive just back of the 

 new one. Lets them remain for 24 

 hours, then takesa frame of uncapped 

 brood from the old hive and puts into 

 the hive with the swarm ; so each 

 day until all the brood is in the new 

 hive, the old colony being thus de- 

 stroyed, swarming fever is destroyed. 

 In 21 days all the brood is hatched, 

 and a large force of workers are 

 ready to gather honey. This is the 

 way to do if you do not want increase. 

 If increase is wanted, different method 

 must be pursued. 



U. E. Dodge lets them swarm nat- 

 urally, and with the old colony aud 

 the increase, can get more honey than 

 with one colony after Mr. Videto's 

 plan. 



Evening Session.— Topic : " Is it 

 advisable to attempt to prevent 

 swarming, when running for comb 

 honey ?" 



M. E. Mason— It is not advisable. 



Mr. Shepard— To prevent swarming 

 bees want plenty of room. Some 

 seasons he got large increase of colo- 

 nies and little honey, while other 

 seasons he got much honey and little 

 or no increase. 



Some discussion was then had on 

 Italianizing, foul brood, cellar winter- 

 ing, tiering-up, cleaning combs, breed- 

 ing queens, etc. 



SECOND DAY. 



President Coon in the chair. 



Mr. Videto said many claimed the 

 cause of the depressed state of the 

 honey market was owing to over- 

 production, which he was sure was 

 not the case. He lays it at the door 

 of the general business depression, 

 etc. In order to sell we must put our 

 goods in better shape, and not sell too 

 soon. 



Mr. McLean— Some seem eager to 

 sell, aud take off honey when but 

 about two-thirds capped. He always 

 sells by sample, and sells honey on its 

 merits. 



Mr. McGonnell could always sell 

 his honey ; he tries to have it in good 

 condition. 



Pres. Coon said that 2 years ago he 

 had some honey very early, which he 

 thought he could sell for a good price, 

 but to his surprise others were ahead 

 of him, but with an inferior article, 

 not ripened and capped, which they 

 were selling at 12}^ cents per pound. 

 He got disgusted and took his honey 

 back home and realized 16 cents per 

 pound for it. He cannot see why 

 people act so with honey ; they do not 

 with other farm products. 



Mr. Masou— The same laws govern 

 the sale of hohey as other products. 

 If only a first-class article was offered 

 for sale, a good price could be rea- 

 lized. He detailed his experience in 

 building up a trade tor honey, in 

 Pittsburgh, where he shipped over 

 six tons last season. Wheu he went 

 there he found the markets glutted, 

 not with good honey, but with stuff 

 which had once been good honey, but 

 had been ruined in a cool, damp 

 cellar. A person who buys a good 

 article will buy again. Always sell 

 honey for what it is. Never mix first 

 and second-class honey in the same 

 case, if you wish to keep up your 

 reputation. 



The question box was opened and a 

 variety of questions answered. 



Afternoon Session. — On motion, 

 Art. Ill of the Constitution was 

 amended so as to require only two 

 vice-presidents from each county 

 instead of four. 



Wintering bees was the first topic 

 discussed, and one of the most impor- 

 tant, from the fact that nothing in 

 apiculture is so uncertain as is the 

 wintering of bees. 



Mr. Sterrett does not see much 

 diflerence between chaff and sawdust 

 for winter packing. Has had equally 

 good results with either. 



Mr. See prefers buckwheat chaff. 



Mr. Letever had wintered bees 

 without packing, but lost largely. 



Mr. Herman uses chaff' hives with 3 

 inches space. Uses buckwheat chaff' 

 for packing, and has lost but one 

 colony in three years, 



Mr. Videto thinks it is not all in 

 packing, but in other conditions. 

 Locality has much to do with it, as 

 well as stores. Has packed, and in 

 twelve years has three times lost all 

 his bees. Has some in the cellar 

 now. All should try both methods, 

 and adopt that which is best suited 

 to the locality. 



Mr. McLean related an instance 

 where bees were covered thickly with 

 snow. Some were uncovered and 

 some left in the snow ; those that 

 were uncovered died, the others came 

 through all right. 



J. H. Wright — In putting in comb 

 for winter, put in alternately one 

 heavy and one light, and out of 60 

 last winter lost one. Thinks his 

 honey was better than some others, 

 as he had no honey-dew. 



After discussing several other topics 

 the convention adjourned. 



For tlie American Bee JoumaU 



The ReyersiWe-Hlye System, 



DWIGHT FURNESS. 



Z^~ The tJnlon Bee-Keepers' Association of 

 Western Iowa will meet in Dexter, Iowa, on April 

 10, 1886. at 10 a.m. M. E. Darby, Sec. 



On page 71, Mr. G. M. Alves (after 

 penning some well-worded sentences 

 which show his high literary ability, 

 and, if meant literally. Iiis non-pro- 

 gressive tendencies), asks four ques- 

 tions in regard to the new Heddon 

 hive. After a careful study of that 

 hive, and some experience with the 

 method of management to which it is 

 especially adapted, I am fully con- 

 vinced of its superiority, and I am 

 now making 100 of the new hives for 

 next season's use. I would answer 

 those questions from my experience 

 briefly, as follows : 



1. No. The hive is quite simple. 

 This question was probably inspired 

 by the ttiumb-screws. These screws 

 me just the i/iwg for clamping together 

 wide frames in any style of super. 

 The fixedness of the different parts 

 makes it, with its peculiar system of 

 management, at once the simplest, 

 speediest and best. 



2. The new hive requires well sea- 

 soned lumber, carefully and accu- 

 rately cut. It is all plain, straight 

 work, however, and can be done on 

 any first-class circular-saw table. 

 Like all of Mr. Heddon's inventions, 

 it possesses practicality in an eminent 

 degree. 



3. Yes, when by so doing they can 

 diminish labor one-half; or, in other 

 words, care for two colonies with the 

 same labor now required by one. I 

 believe that the new hive will enable 

 us to do this. The cheaper the honey 

 the more need for better fixtures. 

 When made in large quantities, the 

 new hives will cost not to exceed one- 

 third more than the ordinary Lang- 

 stroth hives. In retailing hives there 

 is much expense besides the cost of 

 making. 



4. I think it is true, that Mr. Hed- 

 don's new method of horizontal inter- 

 changing of brood-combs will secure 

 to us most of the advantages that we 

 know by experience are realized by 

 reversing. This is one of the brightest 

 thoughtsof theday.bntas stated in his 

 book, especially advantageous when 

 used in connection with reversing. I 

 do not know why Mr. Alves, or any 

 one else should wish to transfer this 

 principle to the Langstroth hive, 

 when it is so much better carried out 

 in the new- hive as constructed by Mr. 

 Heddon. Without connecting it with 

 inversion, perfectly filled frames of 

 combs are wanting, and we have 

 nothing to take the place of inter- 

 changing, when contracting to one 

 case— a system that I have thoroughly 

 tested and prize highly. By this com- 

 bination of the two systems we may 

 be able to practically control swarm- 

 ing, for the first time in the history 

 of bee-keeping. 



The inventor claims that in the 

 construction of the new hive he com- 

 bines nearly all the advantages of 

 both closed-end and suspended frames, 

 and embraces but few of their peculiar 

 disadvantages. To echo the words of 

 Dr. C. C. Miller, it seems to me these 



