THE AMERICAJN BEE JOURNAL. 



327 



think that .mything is saved by using 

 full sheets either in sections or brood- 

 frames. 



I'res. Ilayhurst— I have used 400 or 

 600 pounds of foundation. I have 

 never used it in sections, as I do not 

 produce honey in sections. The prin- 

 cipal use I make of it is in brood- 

 frames, I have never made any very 

 extensive experiments in gettin"; nat- 

 ural combs built. I shall continue to 

 use it fastened with wire. 



"AVill the bees gnaw away the 

 foundation about the wire '?" 



Pres. Ilayhurst— I think tliey will 

 sometimes. I get my foundation 

 drawn ont in upper stories. 



A. A. Baldwin— I think the time to 

 use foundation in brood-frames is 

 during fruit-bloom, and I lately ex- 

 amined some colonies and found that 

 in two days they had drawn out the 

 foundation and were putting in brood. 

 I do not think that it sags at this 

 time vs'ith 5 square feet to the pound. 

 In sections I would use a very thin 

 base and not too heavy side-walls, 

 because the bees in drawing it out; 

 leave too much yellow comb. 



" Do the bees cut away the founda- 

 tion at the bottom of the brood- 

 frames V"' 



A. A. Baldwin — In some instances. 



R. B. Leahy — I use six cross wires 

 to the frame, and two diagonal wires. 

 I never have any trouble with sag- 

 ging. I make it by putting a thin 

 sheet on each side of the wire, and 

 pressing them together. I have the 

 tops of my sections grooved and run a 

 little wax along the edge of the foun- 

 dation, 



Jas. H. Jones — I put foundation in 

 sections by using beeswax and resin. 



P. 15. Thaxton — I use wide frames, 

 six sections to the frame, and put in 

 each section a block about half the 

 depth and thickness of the section, 

 beveled on two edges, and lay the 

 foundation on them and run wax 

 along the edge. I then give the frame 

 a light shake downward to remove 

 the blocks. 



C. M. Crandall— I do not think that 

 it is necessary for the average bee- 

 keeper to use wired frames. In using 

 foundation in sections I have tried in 

 a small way for three years to use it 

 without separators, and I have had 

 no sections perfect. I cannot place 

 them in the crate. 



Pres. Ilayhurst— I think that the 

 wires are absolutely necessary, and I 

 shall stick to them, 



" Is there any gain in using full 

 sheets of foundation V" Some of tlie 

 memiiers thought not. 



J. D. Gehring— White clover yields 

 slowly in my section of the country, 

 and that is the reason I use full sheets 

 in sections. 



" How do you prevent after- 

 swarms y" 



A. A. Baldwin— Cut out the queen- 

 cells on the seventh day, and after 

 one or two days introduce a virgin 

 queen or a queen-cell. 



" Is it advisable to clip the queen's 

 wing V" 



L. W. Baldwin-I tliink that it is 

 one of the grandest things connected 

 with swarrning. I have had as high 

 as 1.5 swarms at one time, and secured 



the queens and hived them on the old 

 stand. 



John Conser— As a general thing 

 swarms settle with a queen ; I tlien 

 hive ttiem in a hiving-box and put 

 them inio the hive. If it is necessary 

 to repeat the operation, I do it, and 

 have had no trouble. 



P. B. Thaxton— I think that clip- 

 ping the queen's wing is one of the 

 grandest things in handling bees. I 

 hive the swarms on the old stand. 



The Secretary was instructed to 

 correspond with the Secretary of the 

 North American Bee-Keepers' So- 

 ciety, requesting them to appoint the 

 meeting for 18H7 at St. Louis, or some 

 other city in the West. 



The closing hour of the convention 

 was spent in a general experience 

 meeting in which all took part, and 

 was enthusiastic and protitable. The 

 display of apiarian fixtures was not as 

 large as was anticipated. Among 

 those exhibited were : J. M. Shuck's 

 reversible hive ; L. W.Baldwin's side- 

 storing and chaff-packing hive ; 

 smokers, qiieen-cages, feeders, etc., 

 from R. B. Leahy ; and a fine display 

 of extracted honey by John Conser. 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 in Kansas City, at the call of the 

 executive committee. 



P. Baldwin, Sec. 



For the American Bee Joumat. 



Dr, Miller's New Bee-Bool 



AVJNI. F. CLARKE. 



One of our great poets (I forget 

 which) says, " In every work, regard 

 the author's end." He sets out to do 

 a certain thing. Judge him by the 

 performance of that, and not of some- 

 thing else which he did not undertake 

 to do. Dr. Miller does not propose, 

 in his little book, to lay down a 

 methodical system of bee-keeping, or 

 to produce a complete treatise on the 

 subject, but to write about some of 

 the things that interest' bee-keepers 

 in the style of " a familiar chat." He 

 promises to describe his own method.s, 

 not assuming that they are the best, 

 or making invidious comiiarisons with 

 the methods of others, but giving 

 full permission to his readers as they 

 glance from page to page, to exclaim", 

 '■ Oh, how fo!)lish ! I know of a good 

 deal better way than that!" But he 

 modestly hopes that '' some may lind 

 a hint here and there that may prove 

 useful "—he might have safely said all. 



This book is in reality a substitute 

 for a visit to the Doctor's apiary. 

 There are thousands of bee-keejiers in 

 tlie United States and Canada who, 

 if they could pay such a visit at a cost 

 of only 7.') cents, would pack their 

 satchels for a start in double-quick 

 time. Well, the next best tiling is to 

 buy and read "A Year Among the 

 He'es." ]5y so doing you will see 

 where and how the Doctor lives, what 

 his apiary looks like, and be intro- 

 duced to the whole family, including 

 the father and mother-in-law, three 

 miles off. You will get a glimpse of 

 Mrs. M. chasing her husband with a 

 bee-smoker and a switch of golden- 

 rod, Charlie taking out full sections 



at the rate of nearly 1,000 an hour, 

 and Aunt Emma who, though some- 

 times ■' decidedly ' stuck-up,' " is lit- 

 erally " as sweet as sugar.'' 



The Doctor does not meddle with 

 any of the vexed questions that agi- 

 tate the equinimity of bee-keepers. 

 The pollen theory, reversing hives, 

 hibernation, the Ileddon patent, etc., 

 he relegates to a temporary oblivion, 

 and the entire artuy of belligerent 

 bee-keepers find "Othello's occupa- 

 tion gone," as they linger amid 

 these peaceful pages. One is re- 

 minded of the old hymn :— 



*' There slialt I bathe my weary anuK 

 In seas of lieavenlv rest, • 



And not a wave of trouble roll 

 Across my peaceful breast !" 



Well, it is pleasant after the din and 

 smoke of battle, or the wrack and 

 fury of the storm, to get into a ((iiiet 

 nook where sunbeams linger, and soft 

 zephyrs whisper the sweet music of 

 peace ! 



A large number of practical sub- 

 jects are discussed, such as :— taking 

 bees out of the cellar ; hauling and 

 overhauling bees ; hives, covers, and 

 stands; feeding meal and syrup; the 

 honey harvest; frames and supers; 

 sections ; shop for bee-work ; manage- 

 ment of sections and starters ; separa- 

 tors ; getting bees to work in sections; 

 precautions against robbers ; fumiga- 

 ting honey ; protection from stings; 

 swarming and its prevention ; queen- 

 rearing ; fall feeding ; marketing 

 honey; p.utting bees into the cellar; 

 cellar ventilation ; bee-pasturage, etc. 

 The views of a bee-keeper of such 

 long experience on these and other 

 topics cannot but be suggestive and 

 provocative of thought. He must be 

 indeed a stolid bee-keeper who is not 

 interested and profited by "familiar 

 chat" on such themes. 



The Doctor is not one of those who 

 pooh-pooh a bee-sting, or have at- 

 tained the state of indifference to its 

 infliction, and is evidently of the 

 opinion that there is a little of the 

 spirit of bravado in certain quarters 

 regarding this matter. A great many 

 iron-clad bee-men will be disposed to 

 make fun of iiis confession. " A bee 

 inside my clothing makes me very 

 nervous," etc.. but I know of one 

 whom nature has not endowed with 

 a pachyderinaton's hide, who read that 

 chapter with the truest sym|)atliy,and 

 instead of exclaiming, "Oh how fool- 

 ish !" involuntarily said, "That's 

 so !" at the close of every sentence ! 



Various methods and devices are 

 given in detail with measurements 

 and particulars enabling those at aP 

 mechanic'.il to avail themselves of thi 

 wisdom that has come from a quarte 

 (■if a century's familiaiily with bees 

 and this fact should coraniPiid thb 

 bviok to beginners, and those who 

 liave not been long conversant with 

 bee lore. Such cannot but find it 

 very useful, while it will be read with 

 interest by tht- oldest veterans in the 

 business, whether in Europe, Asia, 

 Africa or Ameiica. 



The most iiiifrejiling passage in the 

 book, to my mind, is found on pages 

 27 and 28," wlinre Dr. Miller shows 

 that his exptriHiioe and observation 

 have brou'4ht liiin to the point 

 reached at the Detroit Convention in 



