THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



811 



*' in error " if the paragrapli ou page 

 342 embodying my ideas of bee-hive 

 ventilation is called in qnestion. 



As a compound of liquids on being 

 sliaken np will ro-arrange tliemselves 

 in the order of their identity, so will 

 an equilibrium be sought by air of 

 different degrees of temperature. This 

 operation of natural laws is most 

 sublimely illustrated by the phenom- 

 ena which culminate in our thunder- 

 showers. The lower strata of the 

 earth's atmosphere is rarelied by heat 

 from the sun's rays, and ascends until 

 an equilibrium "is produced by its 

 mingling witli the upper, cold strata 

 «( the cloud regions : the colder air 

 rushing in and supplying its place. 

 The noxious gases from the earth's 

 surface, diffused in those warm, 

 humid accumulations, are rearranged 

 when the gases with which they are 

 mingled assume their distinctive 

 positions or characteristics, and the 

 charm of nattire is dissolved in the 

 lefresliing rainfall ; while the noxious 

 elements vent their " hery spume " in 

 the lightning's flash and the tininder's 

 roll; "dissolving" to again unite 

 with the surrounding elements, and 

 again perform tlie eternal rounds of 

 collection and diffusion as per the 

 luiiversal laboratory of the universe. 



Aside from the electrical display 

 •wherein does not that grand exhibi- 

 tion of nature's process of puritica- 

 tion faithfully illustrate the more 

 humble process by which the domi- 

 ciles of our generous workers of the 

 apiary may be freed from the noxious 

 gas incidental to the surroundings of 

 all animate life in domesticity ? es- 

 pecially such surroundings as the 

 compulsory confinement which bees 

 wintered in our Northern climate 

 must necessarily be subjected to. 



I do not claim that lower ventila- 

 tion is the only outlet desirable or 

 needed to free the bee-hive from the 

 foul accumulations emanating from 

 the exhalations of its inmates ; 

 whether respiratory or by transpira- 

 tion, I would not have a reservoir of 

 impure air in the lower portions of 

 the brood-nest. Let us see : The 

 paragraph alluded to in Mr. Cornell's 

 ■critique, reads as follows : " When in 

 a semi-dormant state the denizens of 

 the hive require but little oxygen to 

 support life or neutralize any harmful 

 effects resulting from the accumula- 

 tion of carbonic-acid gas in their sur- 

 roundings." If there is anything in 

 that sentence unrealistic or inappli- 

 cable to a cluster of bees in winter 

 repose, I have been, as yet, unable to 

 discover it. The next sentence reads : 

 "lAs this gas, when occupying space 

 in quantities detrimental to animal 

 life, moves earthward, it is easy to 

 comprehend how readily the inside of 

 a bee-iiive may be freed from its bad 

 effects by proper downward ventila- 

 tion, accompanied by an impercepti- 

 ble upward ventilation, i. e., an up- 

 ward ventilation not strong enough 

 to produce a rapid current of cold air 

 through or around the cluster." 



I did not intend to advance the idea 

 that the gaseous accumulations would 

 sink to the bottom of the hive and 

 roll out ! But, by giving the proper 

 ventilation at the entrance, and a 



slight ventilation over the brood-nest, 

 a gentle circulation of pure air inside 

 of the hive would he continuous. 

 Such an arrangement, if I am correct, 

 would l)e consistent with natural 

 laws govening the circulation of Krial 

 lluids, ). e.,as the air becomes warmed 

 and viciated by the bees, pure, cold 

 air from the outside would pass in at 

 the entrance, and a portion of the 

 impiue air in the lower portion of the 

 brood chamber would pass out at the 

 same opening ; thus forming a gentle 

 flow of continuous supply and exhaust. 



On opening the outside entrance to 

 a lighted and heated room on a frosty 

 winter evening, the process of ajrial 

 circulation may be readily observed 

 by a person standing outside, as the 

 heated, humid air rushes through the 

 upper portion of the door-way, spark- 

 ling, into the freezing atmosphere, 

 and the cold air from without moves 

 in to fill its place through the lower 

 portion of the door-way. Right here 

 is the germ contained in Mr. Clarke's 

 " Ariadnean clew ;" the basis of hiber- 

 nation, or hibernal reciuireraents. 



This, I think, snfhciently elucidates 

 the import of the criticized paragraph; 

 and if I construe the language of Mr. 

 Corneil's criti(iue correctly, his illus- 

 tration as fully delineates its meaning 

 as I have done. But enough. "Too 

 much dispute puts truth to flight." 



Cumberland, p Maine, Dec's, 18S4. 



Local Conveation Directory. 



Time and place of Meetino. 



Dec. 27.— Union, at Stuart, 



[owa. 



M. E. Darby. Sec. 



1885. 

 Jan. 



6.— Southern Wisconsin, at Janesville, Wis. 

 J. T, Pomeroy, Sec. 



Jan. 14,— Central Illinois, at Bloomington, lils. 



W. B. Liawrence. Sec. 



Jan. 20, 21.— N. W. niinois. at Freepon, Uls. 



Jonatban Stewart, Sec. 



Jan. 21— 23.— Northeastern, at Syracuse, N. V. 



Geo. W. House, Sec. 



Jan. 22, 23.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis. Ind. 

 Frank L. Dougherty. Sec. 



Feb. 24,-26.— International, at New Orleans, La. 



May 28.— N. Micb. Picnic, near McBride, Mich. 

 F. A. Palmer, Sec. 



June 19.- Willamette Valley, at La Fayette, Oreg. 

 E.J, Hadley, Sec. 



IV In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— ED. 



iig° The eighth annual meeting of 

 the Northwestern Illinois and South- 

 western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation will be held in Temperance 

 Hall, at Freeport, III., on Jan. 20 and 

 21, 1885. 



Jonathan Stewart, Sec. 



Preparation of Honey for the Mar- 

 ket, including the production and care 

 of both comb and extracted honey, 

 instructions on the exhibition of bees 

 and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a 

 new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages. 



Mlhat and Jioiu; 



Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on 

 which are printed a large bee m gold, 

 we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100. 



answers By 



Jam.es Eeddon. Dowagiac. Mich. 



Rules lor tills Department. 



1. Give your name and post-olfice address. 



2. Be brief, and to tlie jioiiit. 



.3. Send no simjik' questions, sueti as are 

 answered in the lieo-boolis. 



4. Aslf only such questions as are of 

 g:eneral interest. 



5. This department is not intended for 

 advertising: any one's wares — therefore 

 questions concerning the manufacture of 

 g-oods for sale are not appropriate. 



6. Direct all questions to the editor — 



THOS. G. NEWMAN, 



925 West Madison St.. CHICAGO. ILL. 



Sundry Queries. 



If I scarify or uncap the honey aver 

 the brood, will the bees carry it into 

 the sectibn-boxes 'i and will the queen 

 lay eggs in the cells from whicu the 

 honey was taken 'i 



O. P. Crittenden. 



Reading,? Mich., Dec. 7, 1884. 



Answer.— Yes if you do it at a 

 time when the bees are crowding the 

 brood department with brood ; but if 

 on the other hand it is during a time 

 when the honey-flow is excessive, and 

 the bees are inclined to load down the 

 brood-combs with honey, they will re- 

 cap the scarified cells. You will find 

 the German bees more inclined to 

 carry up the honey than Italians of 

 any strain, I think. 



Bees Uneasy. 



I have two colonies iu the cellar 

 under my kitchen ; one is an Italian 

 colony aiid the other is a colony of 

 blacks. The former is very uneasy ; 

 the latter, very quiet. The' tempera- 

 ture is about 40"^ above zero. Would 

 the noise in the kitchen disturb them ? 

 O. McInne.s. 



London, Out., Dec. 1, 1884. 



An.swer — It has been demon- 

 strated that bees will winter nicely 

 with an anarchy of noise over their 

 heads all winter. It is also quite 

 probable that while such noise is not 

 a cause of bee -diarrhoea, it often is an 

 aggravation to the cause. It seems 

 to me that sucli is true in your case, 

 for while each colony is subjected 

 alike to noise, temperature, ventila- 

 tion and humidity, one is very quiet 

 while the other is uneasy. Again we 

 have proof that the wrong condition 

 IS within the hive. 



Honey-Boards, Section-Cases, etc. 



1. Of what advantage is the slat or 

 .skeleton honey-board between the 

 brood-fram^s and section cases ? 

 Would the bees not enter the sections 

 more readily if the honey -board were 

 dispensed with and the cases placed 

 directly upon the body of the hive ? 



2. Where the cases set flat upon the 

 hives, without beveled edges on either 

 to keep them in place, is there not 



