792 



THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL. 





still, tin cans or pails for storing and 

 retailing the honey when it is ob- 

 tained. It is not wise to wait until 

 a thing is actually needed before ob- 

 taining it, as time and money are 

 often lost in the vexatious delays of 

 transportation, etc. 



It is conceded by most who have 

 tried it, that from one third to one- 

 half more weight of honey can be ob- 

 tained bv extracting than in the form 

 of comb honey; and in time, those 

 who deal honestly with their cus- 

 tomers, and supply only the pure pro- 

 duct of tlie flowers, in good and at- 

 tractive shape, with the guaranty of 

 their own name and location attached, 

 will build up a business in that way. 

 which. I think, will overcome the 

 prejudice of customers, and establish 

 extracted honey on a par with comb 

 honey as to price. 



Cuyahoga, 5 O. 



For tbe American Bee Journal 



Making Cushions. 



WAKREK I'KIKCE. 



The article in a late number of the 

 Bee Journal, by G. M. Doolittle, on 

 " Preparing bees for winter," was 

 read with much interest, and his 

 directions for preparing a winter feed 

 were marked for future use. If in 

 return I can save him or any other 

 apiarist some extra labor in making 

 sacks for cushions like those he de- 

 scribes first, I shall be glad to do so. 



Instead of using the long strip 72 by 

 43^ inches, and sewing the eight 

 seams to set it together, just make a 

 plain sack as described in the second 

 place, only have it 4 inches larger 

 each way tlian required when filled. 

 Now take hold of the cloth each side 

 of the corner, equally distant from 

 the edges and fold the corner cross- 

 wise of the sack and stitch across far 

 enough from the corner so the seam 

 will be just 4 inches long. Fold and 

 stitch each corner in this manner, and 

 the same result is accomplished with 

 only half the sewing. 



Garrettsville,t^ O, 



Rural New Vorker. 



Eeversible Frames. 



PROF. A. J COOK. 



For some years a few of our most 

 successful bee-keepers have been 

 praising reversible frames. Mr. O. J. 

 Hetherington, one of our most skill- 

 ful Michigan bee-keepers, told me, 

 some years ago, that the old style of 

 the Quinby hive— one of the Huber 

 style of hives— was superior on this 

 very ground, that it permitted turn- 

 ing the frame upside down at will. 

 Our people are very conservative, and 

 it often takes years to introduce even 

 a good feature in our practice ; so. 

 while many whispers of the value of 

 the reversible frame have been heard, 

 these, until within a year, have met 

 for the most part, deaf ears. During 

 the past year this subject has come 

 prominently before the bee- keeping 

 public, and reversible frames have 



been tried by a large number of our 

 most intelligent bee-keepers, who, in 

 nearly every case, have only words of 

 praise for the arrangement. 



The advantages secured by reversi- 

 ble frames are these: 1. The combs 

 are fastened to all four sides of the 

 frame, instead of just to the top-bar 

 and the upper part of the end-bars, 

 as is generally the case. Combs thus 

 fastened are" firmly held, and will 

 never fall out, no matter how well 

 loaded with honey, while being han- 

 dled. Such thorough fastening is also 

 very desirable in case the l)ees are to 

 be shipped. Nothing can be more 

 disastrous to bees which are being 

 transported from one region to an- 

 other, than to have a comb full of 

 honey break out of the frame. Of 

 course, if we use wired foundation, the 

 above point in favor of reversible 

 frame has no force ; combs on wires 

 never fall out of the frames. But, as 

 desirable and excellent as wired combs 

 are, comparatively few apiarists are 

 yet using them. To such, reversible 

 frames, enabling the bee-keeper to 

 force the bees to form a (irm attach- 

 ment of the comb to the frame, would 

 be a valuable acquisition. 



2. By the use of reversible frames, 

 bees can be induced to work in the 

 surplus chamber, when otherwise 

 this seems impossible, as every bee- 

 keeper knows that the bees always 

 place some honey (often very little) 

 above the brood. From this rim of 

 honey the brood, by the time the 

 honey harvest opens, is built clear to 

 the bottom-bar of the frame. If at 

 this time the frames are turned bot- 

 tom upward, there will be no honey 

 above the brood, and the bees, true to 

 their instinct, will instantly rush to 

 the sections and give us the delect- 

 able white clover and basswood honey 

 in the surplus receptacles— just where 

 it is desired. 



To use these frames, we have only 

 to take them out of the hive and turn 

 them bottom side up. This will be 

 done when we wish our combs firmly 

 attached to the bottom-bars ; also at 

 the beginning of the honey harvest, 

 when we wish to send the bees en 

 masse into the surplus chamber, that 

 our beautiful white sections may be 

 speedily filled with more beautiful 

 and whiter honey. 



There are three ways of making 

 these reversible frames : The frames 

 may be made to stand up on the bot- 

 tom- boarl, like the old Quinby frame 

 and the Bingham frame, or they may 

 have a projection from the center of 

 the end-bar, resting on an iron sup- 

 port fastened to the side of the hive, 

 midway from top to bottom ; or, a 

 strap of iron three-fourths of an inch 

 longer than one-half the length of the 

 end-bar, and of the same size, may 

 have one end screwed to the center o"f 

 the end-bar of the frame, and be bent 

 over at right angles one-half inch 

 from the other end. A hole is made 

 through the iron in the middle just 

 below the angle, large enough to re- 

 ceive a small wire nail. Now, by 

 simply removing this nail and turning 

 this iron, the supports may be changed 

 from what was the top-bar to the bot- 

 tom-bar, and the frame reversed. 



The wire nail is pushed into a hole 

 previously made in the ends of the 

 top and bottom bars of the frame, 

 and, of course, holds the iron securely 

 so it cannot turn till the nail is re- 

 moved. I have used all three styles 

 with success. 

 Agricultural College, $ Mich. 



For tUe American Bee Journal. 



Western Michigan Convention. 



The bee-keepers of Western Michi- 

 gan met on Nov. 2o, 18S4, in Music 

 Hall at Fremont, Mich. The Presi- 

 dent, Thos. M. Cobb, being absent, 

 Mr. Balch, of Kalamazoo, presided 

 over the meeting. The minutes of 

 the last meeting, and the Treasurer's 

 report being called for, they were 

 read and accepted. 



This being tlie annual meeting, the 

 election of oflicers then took place, 

 and resulted as follows : President, 

 George E, Hilton, of Fremont, Mich.; 

 Secretary, F. S. Covey, Cooi)ersville, 

 Mich.; Vice-Presidents: For Kent 

 county, Thos. M. Cobb. Grand Rap- 

 ids ; Ottawa, Martin Pelow, Holland ; 

 Newaygo, A. M. Alton, Newaygo; 

 Oceana, John Dolph, Hesperia ; Mus- 

 kegon, G. C. Young, Ravenna. 



The meeting then assumed the 

 social form, the most of the members 

 relating their experiences and report- 

 ing their successes for the past year, 

 which was usually good. The matter 

 of sending delegates to the National 

 Convention to be held at Detroit in 

 188.5, was brought up, and the con- 

 vention decided to send two, Mr. 

 George E. Hilton and Mr. F. S, Covey. 



The time for adjournment having 

 arrived, Mr. Hilton invited as many 

 as could, to meet at his house in the 

 evening for a good time, and to look 

 at his model apiary, which is indeed a 

 fine sight. The convention then ad- 

 journed to meet on the first Tuesday 

 in May, 188-5, at Fremont, Mich, 



F, S. Covet, Sec. 



George E. Hilton, Pres. 



Lewiston Journal. 



Bee-Keeping in Maine. 



On a beautiful August day, when 

 the goldenrods were just coming into 

 bloom, and the bees were rolling the 

 pellets of pollen upon their tibial 

 extremities, and thrusting their 

 tongues into every nectar laden chalice 

 for the stored-up sweets of the orange- 

 colored blossoms, it was my pleasure 

 to enjoy a chat in the extensive 

 apiary of Mr, J. B. Mason, of Me- 

 chanic Falls, who is one of the best 

 informed bee-keepers in Maine, Mr. 

 Mason has been long a close student 

 of the economy of the hive and its 

 occupants. 



Moreover, Mr, Mason has had the 

 advantage of wide observation among 

 some of the most practical and scien- 

 tific bee-keepers in New England, 

 which, coupled with his diligent and 

 close application of the principles of 

 bee-keeping gleaned by reading the 

 bee-literature of the country, and 



