20 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



For the Amerlcnn Bee Journal. 



Half-Pound Sections and Supers. 



DR. C. C. MILLER, 171-202. 



So many different things have been 

 said and planned about half-pound 

 sections, tliat I am not snipnsed that 

 my opinion is erroneously stated in llie 

 Bkk Journal, pase 802. It is there 

 stated that I think " about 10 to a 

 Langslroth broad frame will be about 

 right in size." Instead of that it 

 should be "10 to the foot "of 4Mx4M 

 sections, that is, to hold a lialt-poHiid, 

 the section could be 414x414, and, so 

 that in width, 10 sections would just 

 measure a foot. This would make the 

 section about one-sixteenth of an inch 

 wider than Mr. Bingham calculates 

 them. Very likely I expressed myself 

 so bunglingly as to be misunderstood. 

 But are we getting at the matter of 

 size in the right way V If some one 

 has used them, and found upon trial 

 that a certain-sized section contains 

 just one-half a pound, that is better 

 than the figuring of a whole conven- 

 tion. If, however, no one has used 

 4^x434 sections, we can ligure on the 

 width to approximate the matter, and 

 settle it finally only when we have re- 

 ferred the matter to the bees for actual 

 test 



AJthough I may try half-pounds, I, 

 for one, am by no means ready to 

 adopt them, at least until I know more 

 about them by actual use. Mr. Bing- 

 ham, on page 802 of the Bee Journal 

 for Dec. 20, has ably given the advan- 

 tages and disadvantages, but I think 

 I see a possibility of some disadvan- 

 tages not mentioned. 



To begin with, most of us, or at 

 least some of us, would have to go to 

 considerable expense to get new broad 

 frames if the 4i4x4J4 size is used, for, 

 the width being different, I should 

 about as soon make new frames as to 

 alter the ones that had been used for 

 1 or 2-pound sections. 



If used without separators,the thick- 

 ness of the comb might suit the queen 

 so well that 1 can imagine such a tiling 

 as the whole brood-nest moved up into 

 the super. 



At present quotations we should be 

 warranted in taking some trouble to 

 change, but will there be any such per- 

 manent difference in price between 

 pounds and half-pounds if anything 

 like an equal amount of each is on the 

 market ? 



Perhaps not one lialf-pound section 

 was used this year for every thousand 

 of one-pounds. Suppose the case re- 

 versed, and that a thousand half- 

 pounds were put on the market for 

 every one-pound, would not the one- 

 pouiid section bring a higher price 

 than the half-pound on account of its 

 scarcity V There will probably always 

 be a large class of customers who will 

 think a thick piece of comb honey pre- 

 sents a finer appearance than a thin 



one, and I suspect very few think oth- 

 erwise. 



To return to the subject of change 

 of fixtures; there will be no change 

 needed where the 



HEDDON SYSTEM OF SUPERS 



is used. In a private letter Mr. L. II. 

 Scudder, New Boston, 111., objects to 

 Mr. Ileddon's somewhat, saying, 1st, 

 " I have little faith in being able to 

 produce straight combs without sepa- 

 rators." 2d, "If 414x414x2 inches 

 holds one pound of honey, will not a 

 comb 14 inches thinner be too light to 

 suit ail honest dealers ?" I am pretty 

 fully in accord with Mr. Scudder in 

 his first objection, and yet Mr. Iled- 

 don does get straight combs. Whether 

 he could succeed in my locality, or 

 whether /could succeed in any locality, 

 is an open question. With regard to 

 the second objection, a section with- 

 out separators must necessarily be 

 thinner than one with, else it would 

 be too heavy, and I am not sure tliat 

 one-fouith inchis too much difference. 

 But even if the section weighs less 

 than a pound no honest dealer will ob- 

 ject to that, providing lie gets pay for 

 just the weight he sells, and most of 

 the dealers I know anything about 

 sell in that way, and every one ought 

 to. I have never been able to raise 

 one-pound sections so uniform in size 

 that they ought to be sold by the piece 

 without weighing, for there is a varia- 

 tion, from lightest to heaviest, from 

 one-fourth to one-half a pound in 

 weight. The coming season I expect 

 to try a few supers 011 Mr. Ileddon's 

 plan, and can then tell a little more 

 about it. 

 Marengo, 111., Dec. 22, 1882. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Blessed Bees Criticized. 



JAMES HEDDON. 



A New York visitor and bee-keeper, 

 accidentally left a copy of a book hav- 

 ing the above title on my table. Before 

 sending it to him I obtained his per- 

 mission to read it. I had heard several 

 names mentioned as the author, or 

 alias of "John Allen." I had been 

 persuaded to believe firmly in the 

 authorship of one of them. Since 

 reading it I do not believe the one 

 whom I had supposed did write the 

 book. 



I am now all at sea in regard to the 

 matter. Say what I may, I can criti- 

 cise none but the fictitious " John 

 Allen." For the sake of what I be- 

 lieve to be important truths relative 

 to our business, I will say what I afti 

 forced to believe. There is no sin in 

 an unbiased opinion. There is no sin 

 in publishing it where the motive is to 

 benefit the class who read it. There 

 is no cruel bitterness toward any indi- 

 vidual, as I do not know who wrote 

 the book. 



The evident intent of the work is to 

 add to other intluences calculated to 

 induce an influx into honey-producing, 

 that of the fascination of the novel. 

 If the author had, for his inspiring 

 motive, that of assisting good and 

 needy, but mentally and physically 



enfeebled or otherwise unfortunate 

 people, by inducing them to embark 

 in what lie considered so lucrative a 

 business ; that these otherwise possi- 

 bly unsuccessful ones might succeed 

 in securing to themselves the means 

 of obtaining that higher mental, moral 

 and physical culture that the good, 

 the true and the noble so justly and 

 wisely prize, then he has my most 

 sacred friendship and sympathy. If, 

 on the other hand, he is endeavoring 

 merely to augment the income of the 

 middlemen connected with our busi- 

 ness (a thing which he is doing), he 

 deserves the censure of every bee- 

 keeper, as well as every good human 

 being. 



My own opinion is fully settled upon 

 that point. I believe, from the tone 

 and expression of the book, that the 

 motives are good, and John Allen can 

 rightfully be classed among the mis- 

 taken. 



My experience as a honey-producer, 

 together with the valuable lessons I 

 have learned of others (nearly all in 

 private conversation), forces me to 

 believe, and my love of truth induces 

 me to say, that it is my sincere con- 

 viction that the methods laid down are 

 in exact opposition to the results 

 given in the book entitled " Blessed 

 Bees." 



That this book is not only, like all 

 other books, hardly ink-dried, until it 

 is away behind the times, so fast does 

 the practical part of our science pro- 

 gress; but it was not up with the 

 times in which it was printed. That 

 its author was not a practical honey- 

 producer ; that he drew largely from 

 the writings of others and from their 

 mistakes. 



Referring to capacity, we have three 

 classes of bee-keepers. The first and 

 largest class are those who have from 

 the least to the greatest amount of 

 practical capacity, but no ability to 

 convey their know-ledge to others 

 through the medium of ink. Tlieii 

 those who possess both,in moderate or 

 extreme degree. Then those who 

 have, in an eminent degree, the ability 

 to tell four times as much as they 

 think, and ten times as much as the 

 experienced will believe, who have 

 but very little practical dollar-and- 

 cent knowledge of the subjects upon 

 which they write. The more experi- 

 enced always catch a gleam, if not a 

 flood of light, revealing the true state 

 of affairs in every sentence. This 

 class write, but the younger practi- 

 tioners, which make up our brother- 

 hood, are of necessity led round about 

 in circles by them, paying tollatevery 

 quarter pole. 



To go on and show the whys and 

 wherefores that connect the system 

 of practice therein laid down, with 

 certain failure, would require more 

 space than we should occupy, and 

 more time than we can afford to de- 

 vote, and even to name them would 

 double this already too long article. 



The errors are : Returning Crates, 

 Fall Breeding to Winder. Dry Cellars, 

 Bees in the Fall and Spring at Same 

 Price, Black Bees $5 and Italians SIO 

 to §20, High Prices of Certain Sup- 

 plies, Best Honey Made by Italian 

 Bees, Conditions of Successful Feed- 



