756 



IHE AMERICAIJ BEE JOURNAL. 



Tor tbe American Bee JoHmaL 



The Carbonic Acid Gas Question. 



S. CORNEIL. 



On looking through the back num- 

 bers of the Bee Journal for the 

 current year, I notice that some of 

 the contributors are in error in regard 

 to the carbonic acid gas produced by 

 the respiration of a cluster of bees. 

 I refer to the articles of Messrs. J. F. 

 Latham, page 342, Warren Pierce, 

 page 408, Levi C. Johnson, page 585, 

 A. H. Button, page 629, and Rev. W. 

 F. Clarke, page 438. 



These writers seem to think that 

 because carbonic acid is more than 

 half as heavy again as air, it falls to 

 the bottom of the hive, and that pro- 

 vision should be made for getting rid 

 of it at that point. It is true that it 

 would so fall, if it were of the same 

 temperature as the air in tlie hive, 

 and if it were not mixed with other 

 gases, some of which are very light. 

 The air exhaled by the bees is satur- 

 ated with aqueous vapor for instance, 

 the specific gravity of which is only 

 5^ of that of ordinary air. Then the 

 respired air is several degrees warmer 

 than the air in tlie hive. Owing to 

 these ciicumstances the carbonic 

 acid will rise with the other gases at 

 first, but will afterwards diffuse 

 evenly through the air in the hive, if 

 no provision tias been made for its 

 escape at the top. In any event it will 

 not separate and fall to the bottom. 

 It seems that when gases are once 

 mixed they remain so, no matter what 

 may be their relative specific gravi- 

 ties. On this question the leading 

 scientists are agreed. Huxley says : 

 " If we shake up a mixture of liquids 

 of different densities— say mercury, 

 water and oil— the liquids soon settle 

 down afler agitation, in the order of 

 their relative weights, the heavy 

 quick- silver sinking to the bottom, 

 and the lighter oil floating on the top 

 of the water. Such a separation does 

 not, however, take place when gases 

 of different densities are mixed." On 

 page 69 of the Bee Journal for 1883, 

 the carbonic acid gas question is dis- 

 cussed at some length. The evidence 

 there produced is conclusive that the 

 carbonic acid of respiration diffuses 

 equably through the air of the room. 

 Lower ventilation has its advantages, 

 but they do not depend upon the 

 density of carbonic acid gas. 



On page 693, H. W. S. gives one 

 of the best plans there is for ventilat- 

 ing hives in winter. The principal 

 reason why bees get sick in winter 

 quarters, is because the air in the 

 hives becomes damp and impure from 

 respiration, and the remedy is to 

 change the air without perceptible 

 draft, and without reducing the tem- 

 perature of the cluster. Instead of 

 using cotton wool, however, I use 

 carded sheep's wool. It is, perhaps. 



the only substance available, which, 

 while conducting only the minimum 

 of heat, permits that free escape of 

 the products of respiration and trans- 

 piration, so essential to the perfect 

 health of the bees. 



Count Kumford's experiments on 

 the conductivity of substances used 

 in clothing, show that, while a warm 

 body, wrapped in cotton, cooled to a 

 certain degree in 17}^ minutes, 22 

 minutes were required to cool it to 

 the same degree, when wrapped in 

 the same bulk of sheep's wool ; and 

 Pettenkoffer found that the capacity 

 of wool for absorbing moisture is 

 more than double that of cotton wool. 

 Every one knows that in his own case 

 woolen garments are better than cot- 

 ton for retaining heat and carrying off 

 perspiration. If H. W. S. will pack 

 a few of his colonies with sheep's 

 wool, I venture to say he will find that 

 the consumption of honey will be less, 

 if wintered outside, or in a cool tem- 

 perature inside. 



The only other point which I desire 

 to mention is that the combs should 

 be raised above the bottom board by 

 placing a rim under the hive, or if the 

 bottom is nailed, by suspending the 

 combs in a rim placed on top, because 

 sometimes dead bees fall to the bot- 

 tom and accumulate in the spaces be- 

 tween the combs, preventing a free 

 circulation of air through the hive. 



With his bees prepared thus, the 

 beekeeper may "sleep easy" about 

 the pollen question. No matter how 

 much pollen may be in the combs, the 

 bees will eat no more of it than is 

 good for their health, and they will 

 come through safely, in any place, 

 where bees should be expected to 

 winter. 



Lindsav, Ont. 



For tbe American Bee Joomal. 



The Apicultural Outlook. 



JAMES HEDDON. ? — 460. 



There is not so much difference be- 

 tween the opinions held by myself 

 and J. E. Pond as there was ; not so 

 much as he imagines there is. His 

 article on page 7,31 induces me to be- 

 lieve that he thinks more of the pol- 

 len theory than he formerly did. Also 

 that he errs greatly concer ing my 

 views upon the subject. Had he read 

 my articles upon the subject care- 

 fully before he began commenting 

 upon them, I cannot see how he could 

 make the statement that " to day I 

 am sure." Have I not aU the time 

 said that it was a theory in which I 

 fully believed, and that I did not claim 

 to know ; that I was seeking more 

 light on the subject, and was always 

 ojjen to conviction ? For this con- 

 servatism, did not Mr, Fradenburg 

 set up the " priority " claim and Dr. 

 Mason get out of patience with me ? 

 Each year brings forth new evidences 

 to make me feel surer of the correct- 

 ness of the theory ; but still I do not 

 yet say " 7 foiOM," nor shall I until I 

 do know. Mr. Pond cannot have read 

 correctly. 



But of what good is it to safely 

 winter our bees if their product will 



not bring the cost of production itt 

 the open markets of the world ? Oa 

 page 728, I find the lament of Mr. 

 Kendall ; Mrs. Harrison and Mr. G.^ 

 M. Doolittle having already put in 

 theirs. For years I have feared this 

 state of things. Mrs. H. and Mr. K. 

 charge the bad condition of affairs 

 to reckless producers and adultera- 

 tion. Mr. Doolittle places it where 

 it belongs, as I see it, viz : to supply 

 and demand. 



If the bee-keepers of this country- 

 had said nothing about adulteration 

 in the past, scarcely any consumer 

 would have dreamed of any such thing- 

 as bogus honey. All the cry has done 

 nothing to stop the increase of the 

 amount of honey offered to the public 

 by the way of adulteration. 



It is no less true with our business- 

 than with all others that " honesty is 

 the best policy;'" and any system 

 which is wrong, will finally kill itself. 

 The quieter we remain the sooner the 

 death will occur. Just as sure as a 

 bee-paper contains a report of a large 

 yield of honey somewhere in tn& 

 United States, "or a case of the dis- 

 covery of a few pounds of adulterated 

 honey, many of the different agricul- 

 tural papers of our country will copy 

 the wonderful statements, and thus- 

 do ten times more in adding to the 

 production of our goods than all that. 

 )S done by adulteration. They also 

 detract greatly from the consumptioa 

 by uselessly frightening consumers. 

 The result is, that the greatest suf- 

 ferers are the producers of pure honey. 

 Some way or other they never copy 

 from our papers such an article as 

 that able one of Mr. Doolittle's on the 

 cost of honey-production. Any honey- 

 producer, at all familiar with the nat- 

 ural channels of trade and the condi- 

 tions affecting the same, must have 

 known what was coming. 



Allow me to predict that organiza- 

 tion will not stop this condition of 

 affairs. Ignorant and unscrupulous 

 supply dealers and enthusiasts will be 

 sure to push the thing to a legitimat& 

 re-action, and no shouts of adultera- 

 tion, nor efforts to organize against 

 it will do us aught but harm. 



Well, what shall we do ? and what 

 is the outlook ? The outlook is all 

 right. My stock in this business has 

 not, and will not depreciate in the 

 lea«t. All the combined forces at 

 work against our interests as pro- 

 ducers, cannot prevent our receiving- 

 the full benefit of the laws of action 

 and re-action. " After clouds, sun- 

 shine ; and " He who produces at 

 maximum cost will fail, and he who 

 produces at minimum cost will suc- 

 ceed." 



If you wish to hasten the day of 

 re-action, say no more about adul- 

 terated honey ; tell no more about 

 what a lucrative business honey-pro- 

 ducing is ; tell the truth, that all 

 dabbling with bees results in loss, as 

 regards honey-producing ; that farm- 

 ers, carpenters, and small children, 

 together with invalids and widows,, 

 can buy their honey cheaper than 

 they can produce it ; advise all to 

 keep out of the business unless they 

 have natural qualifications for it, and 

 propose to make it a specialty, and 



