278 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



it must be remembered that our As- 

 sociation is open to all from every 

 State who come in and pay the small 

 fee of one dollar. Our Iowa State 

 Fair is open to the world. All com- 

 petitors from every State and Nation 

 are heartily invited, and their exhibits 

 welcomed to competition on equal 

 terms with those from Iowa. 



It is very desirable that all parties, 

 intending to make an exMbit at the 

 Fair, should send a correct list of their 

 proposed entries to Hon. John E. 

 Shaffer, Secretary of the State Agri- 

 cultural Society, Des Moines, some 

 days before the opening of the Fair. 

 Their entry cards will then be made 

 out, and will be ready when they call 

 for them. This greatly facilitates 

 the labor of all parties. 



O. Clute, Fres., Iowa City. 



L. E. Garden, Sec, Malcom. 



M. Sorriok, Treas., Des Moines. 



O. O. Poppleton, Williamstown, 

 Executive Com. 



For tlie American Bee Journal 



Foundation in Wired Frames. 



C. M. KULAND. 



One of the main things that is at- 

 tracting the attention of bee-keepers 

 at the present time, is wired frames ; 

 and the fact that one dealer buys No. 



Hov] to tise my Wiring Tool. 



30 tinned wire by the ton, to supply 

 his customers, and that another states 

 that his sales have increased ten-fold 

 each year, and the large quantities 

 sold by others, indicate the magnitude 

 of its use. 



We have yet to hear of the first 

 bee-keeper who has tried wired frames 

 and then abandoned them. I think 

 that it is only a question of knowing 

 their advantages, when all will use 

 them. By their use you are sure of 

 straight combs right where you want 

 them; and, if the wire is properly 

 pressed into the foundation, it saves 

 fastening it to the top-bar ; if it is 

 left an inch below it, the bees will ex- 

 tend it the very first thing they do. If 

 a swarm is hived on sheets of founda- 

 tion, there is no danger of the sheets 

 pulling loose from the top-bar, and 

 falling down, and then there is no 

 sagging. 



There is great need of instruction 

 as to the proper manner of wiring 

 them. Only a day or two ago one of 

 my neighbors told me that not know- 

 ing the right way, he had put one 

 wire lengthwise of the frame, about 

 half way down ; and, although, that 



was better than none at all, he was 

 very sorry that he did not put them 

 in right. I would like to give direc- 

 tions for placing the wires, and, from 

 the engraving, I think it will be plain. 

 I have carefully investigated the mat- 

 ter^ and I believe the best authorities 

 will bear me out in it. 



First, bore 7 holes in each top and 

 bottom bar, the first hole about one 

 inch from the end of the frame, the 

 others about equal distances apart. 

 Commence at one end and sew the 

 wire through the holes, draw it tight, 

 and fasten at each end with a tack 

 driven into the frame with the wire 

 wound around it. Draw the wire 

 tight enough to spring up the bottom- 

 bar slightly, and spring in a stiff stick 

 long enough to draw the bars straight, 

 and the wires will be as straight and 

 tight as a fiddle string. After the 

 wire is pressed into the foundation, 

 this stick can be removed and the 

 foundation will hold the wires 

 straight. I take no stock in top- bars 

 so light that they need diagonal wires 

 and a brace to hold them up. Make 

 the top-bar at least ^4 of an inch 

 tliick, and it will never sag. 



Over a board the size of the inside 

 of the frame, place the foundation ; 

 on this, place the wired frame and 

 press in the wire. Here trouble often 

 occurs ; for of all the things that 

 bother beekeepers in using wired 

 frames, pressing the wire into the wax 

 is the worst. I tried the button-hook 

 process, a small wheel in a handle, 

 a clock-wheel, and numerous other 

 ways, but found them all slow, tedi- 

 ous, and unsatisfactory. They marred 

 the foundation by plowing through 

 it, and left the wire just stuck on, in- 

 stead of embedded in the wax ; so I 

 was compelled to make a tool that 

 would work better. 



I first made it of wood ; but that got 

 wet, and warped and split ; so I cast 

 one of block tin, which has an advan- 

 tage, as it keeps bright, is very strong, 

 and will last forever. 



This tool only touches the wire at 

 intervals of 14 an inch, and scarcely 

 mars the wax at all. The wire cuts 

 down to the centre of the foundation, 

 and holds almost as strongly as if It 

 were put in with a Given press. 



The engraving shows the shape of 

 the tool, and the manner of using it. 

 The directions are for the Langstroth 

 frame, and can be moditied to suit 

 any other. I hope that this will help 

 the multitude of seekers for informa- 

 tion ; and if I have succeeded, I shall 

 be pleased indeed. 



Rockton, 111. 



For tlie American Bee JournaL 



Selling TJnripe Honey, etc. 



JOITN WITSCHY. 



" When shall we extract honey V is 

 the subject of an article on page 21.5, in 

 which the writer says it is a question 

 of importance ; but I think the an- 

 swer is still more important. 



All are aware of the low price paid 

 for extracted honey ; and just as long 

 as bee-keepers practice Mr. Balch's 

 teachings, it will not be any higher. 



Mr. B. makes a poor comparison iu 

 comparing a bee-hive to a cow stable. 

 All who are acquainted with bees 

 know that there is nothing cleaner 

 than a healthy colony of bees in time 

 of the honey flow. The aroma of the 

 honey indicates the kind, even with- 

 out opening the hive. 



I think we should be satisfied if we 

 save the bees from building comb 

 without bothering about the capping 

 of it. If we considered the quality of 

 honey instead of the quantity, we 

 should soon find the prices increasing. 

 One who sells unripe honey is as dis- 

 honest as one who sells unripe fruit. 

 My highest endeavor is not to sell the 

 most honey, but the best. The reason 

 we hear ot so much candied honey, is 

 because it was extracted before being 

 ripe, thus the aroma escapes and 

 leaves nothing but a sweet mass un- 

 worthy the name of honey. The pres- 

 ence of the aroma is required to pre- 

 serve it in its natural state. For the 

 past 5 years, I have had no honey 

 granulated before spring. 



People will be cheated ; for the but- 

 ter and cheese must be yellow, and 

 the honey white, all contrary to na- 

 ture ; but this is no reason why we 

 should use adulterations. We should 

 aim to keep everything as nearly in its 

 natural condition as possible. Take 

 no honey from the hive before it is 

 capped, and we shall soon have a good 

 demand for extracted honev. 



Morrill, Kans., April 14, 1884. 



For the American Bee JuumaL 



Italian vs. Brown Bees. 



n. V. TRAIN. 



About 20 years ago I started with a 

 brown race of bees, found in great 

 abundance in the woods along the 

 Kickpoe river, some 2-1 miles south- 

 west of this place. I kept them ap- 

 parently pure until 1878 or 1879. when 

 yellow bands began to appear in some 

 colonies ; doubtless from Italian 

 drones two miles away. As so much 

 was said in favor of tlie Italian bees, 

 and they looked so nice, I determined 

 to introduce more Italian blood, and I 

 bought 13 dollar-queens and intro- 

 duced them. 



At the time I introduced these 

 queens, I had 108 colonies ; but when 

 white clover bloomed, there were 24 

 colonies too weak to work in supers ; 

 and among them 4 of the Italians. I 

 doubled the 24 down to 12, and gave 

 each of the 4 Italians another colony 

 of bees and brood. 



I run all for comb honey, and the 

 result was as follows : Twelve colo- 

 nies did not swarm ; 3 of these were 

 Italians and 9 natives. From 33 Ital- 

 ian colonies, I took from No. 1, 3o lbs.; 

 from No. 2, 3-5 lbs. ; from No. 3, 37 

 lbs. From the 9 native colonies, I 

 took from No. 1, 42 lbs. ; from No. 2, 

 7.5 lbs., and so on up to No. 9, 108 lbs. 

 From the Italian colonies that did 

 swarm, I obtained no surplus honey ; 

 from the natives that swarmed, I got 

 some surplus from nearly all. and 

 from many over 40 lbs., and from one, 

 80 lbs. I had .58 young colonies be- 

 sides nuclei built up. Of these, 20 



