THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



55 



in want of maple sugar, how would 

 we act ? We would liist prepare 

 storage and means of evaporation, 

 and, when all was ready, we would 

 cut the liber or cells of the tree, to 

 make it leak its sap. Tlien we would 

 gather the sweet sap as it leaked from 

 the wounded tree, evaporate the water 

 from it, and have the desired amount 

 of sugar. 



If we desire to obtain cane sugar or 

 syrup, when our storage and evapor- 

 ating fixtures are in order, and the 

 cane is in proper condition, we cut jiud 

 <TM,s7t the cane and force from it the 

 sweet juice, evaporate the water and 

 retain the nectar. I apprehend that 

 some are beginning to see the point 

 and ask if I believe that the bees 

 must go to the forest, and cut bleed- 

 ing wounds in the trees, forcing them 

 to le:ik out a portion of their sap, and 

 surrender it up to be carried away 

 and evaporated by the bees. And, in 

 reply, I answer yes ; mostassuredly do 

 I believe it. 1 know of no law that 

 would guide tlie maple or cane, to 



J10UY out, unbidden, its sweets to tlie 

 )ee, and at the same time withhold it 

 from man. 



If the bee would have honey, she 

 must first have her house, worlvshop 

 and storage room in order, and when 

 any one or more of the classes of 

 plants are in proper condition, at the 

 proper stage of their new growtli, 

 she must tind where the plant has by 

 accident or otherwise been wounded, 

 or find some of its most tender points 

 and indict the wound, as best she can, 

 and tlien gather liome and evaporate 

 what leaks from the wound that is 

 made. I hold that bees wound the 

 toloom of clover, buckwheat, linden, 

 and, in fact,all other plants before they 

 are able to extract from them tlie de- 

 sired sweet. 



This being true, then all must ad- 

 mit that a proper conditicm in and 

 about tlie home (or hive) of the bee is 

 ■one of the greatest resources for 

 honey. Webster''s first definition of 

 the word [Besource] is as follows : 

 "•Any source of aid, or support ; any 

 •expedient to which a person may re- 

 sort for assistance, safety, or supply." 



Mr. H. M.Morris, of Rantoul, 111., 

 lives where tliere is more corn than 

 nther honey-yielding plants, and his 

 bees store large quantities of corn 

 honey, each year. He finds that bees 

 work very lively at the base of every 

 leaf, and at every joint from top to 

 root of the stalk. The truth is, tliat 

 the rind of llie stalk is the most tender 

 ;it those points, and the bees mutilate 

 llie rind, making the stalk bleed, and 

 tlien gather the sweet fluid. Who can 

 tell how much sap 1,000 acres of corn 

 •could spare for the honey bee V Who 

 •can tell how severe trimming white 

 •clover is able to endure, and yet bloom 

 <iu and on, in newness of life and 

 beauty V We know that it tlirives 

 ibest, in our stock pastures, where it 

 is subject to the most severe pruning. 

 AVho knows but it would be acting 

 t.uetoits nature in yielding a hun- 

 <lredfold more sweet, if it were cut 

 and scared by a hundredfold more 

 beesV If white clover had been 

 plenty near the bees of Mr. Morris, 

 ttiey would most likely liave worked 



on that, and have paid but little at- 

 tention to the corn. 



Again Webster says : '■ An enter- 

 prising man linds resources in his 

 own mind." Allow me to ask horti- 

 culturists wliere they find their 

 resources for clioice fruits V Is it not 

 in their own mind y You must tear 

 the little seedling tree, root and 

 branch, from the bosom of its dear 

 old mother earth, and then cut off its 

 little tender liead, and wax on to its 

 slionlders the head of a stranger, then 

 transplant, cut off its limbs and con- 

 tinue to cut and scar, until you liave 

 finally forced it to present to you the 

 delicious fruit. Tlie resource for this 

 fruit is in the enterprising mind ! 



Who can say that our resources for 

 lioney are any more hidden, or limited, 

 wlien touched by tlie liand and genius 

 of an enterprising people, than are 

 our resources for the choice grains, 

 fruits and flowers ? 



Then kindly treat the queen of sweet, 



Give her a cc)zy home: 

 Each part ctnoplete, and keep it neat. 



From bottom floor to dome. 



Of pure f resli air, give her a share, 



But not too hot or cold; 

 Adorn lierliome, with nicest comb, 



Of the must perfect mold. 



Her days are few, 'tis very true. 



But keep lier on the winu : 

 She ioves to scale the floral hill. 



And choicest treasures bring. 



With hand and brain. Ao all you can. 



And blend your life with hers: 

 Kesources vast, you'll And at last. 



In all the coming years. 



Eichland Co., Wis., Jan. 10, 1SS.3. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Standard Langstroth Frame. 



M. M. BALDEIDGE. 



The season for making hives being 

 again :it hand, it may be well to call 

 attention once more to the proper di- 

 mensions of tlie Langstroth standard 

 frame. The proper phace to find the 

 exact measurements of the standard 

 frame is in Mr. Langstroth's work on 

 bees, wtiere he gives explicit directions 

 for making his hive. I will now copy 

 from the 3d edition of his book, page 

 37:2, what he says about tlie frame, to 

 wit : " Top, lOi'gXl 1-^x5-16 in.; bottom, 

 17%x%xi4 in.; ends, each S^a'X-^i^H 

 in." As the bottom should be nailed 

 to the end pieces the outside length of 

 the standard frame, as given by Mr. 

 Langstroth, liimself, is \7% in., in- 

 stead of n% in. as given by some of 

 his pretended followers. The space 

 between the ends of the frames and 

 the hive is given by L-angstroth as Ji 

 in. This makes the liivelsj^ in. from 

 front to rear, inside measure. The 

 space above the frames is 5-16 in., and 

 under tliem, }i in. The inside width 

 of the hive for 10 frames, is 14}^ in. 



It seems to me that the exact length 

 and depth, outside measure, of the 

 standard frame should be strictly ad- 

 hered to by all parties making the same 

 for their own use or for the public. 

 Should this be done, the following 

 modifications of the standard frame 

 will do no harm, to wit : 1 make and 

 prefer said frame as follows— top piece 

 lfi'4xJ^x5-]6 in.; bottom piece 17Mx%- 

 XI4 in.; ends, each, SJ^x/gX^ in. Ex- 



perience has demonstrated that the 

 top piece should not be more than 

 Ja in. wide. I find that 5-16 in. space 

 atendsof liive, }4 in. above tlie frames, 

 and ^ in. under them, is just about 

 as near right as we can get it. 



This requires accuracy in getting 

 out the hive material, but when the 

 machinery for making hives is as it 

 should be, and properly adjusted, it is 

 just as little work to cut out the stuff 

 accurately, as otherwise. No bung- 

 ling mechanic has any business to 

 make hives for the public, nor for 

 himself either. I rather mistrust that 

 we are indebted to Mr. Uungler for 

 sending out sample hives for others to 

 copy from, and that this explains why 

 there are so many \1% in. frames in 

 use for standard frames. 



But there must have been more than 

 one bungler at work to explain the 

 following extract from a letter recently 

 received from the makers of the Given 

 Foundation Press, to wit : " In re- 

 gard to standard Langstroth frames, 

 we have received sixty (60) different 

 orders for tliem, and we find but two 

 alike ! They vary from \4 to }4 inch." 

 Now this shows that the makers of 

 hives are simply following Mr. Bung- 

 ler, or else their own notions, and not 

 any accurate formula, such as is given 

 by Mr. Langstroth. There should 

 henceforth be a change in this matter 

 or else the subject and importance of 

 a standard fraiae should be dropped 

 altogether. 



S|. Charles, 111. 



Tor the American Bee Journal, 



Experiments in our Apiary. 



D. VIDETO. 



The past season, though conceded 

 to be a poor one m this section, has 

 given me very satisfactory results. 

 The average product per colony has 

 been about 40 lbs. and the average 

 profit a little over $5. Very little at- 

 tention was given to the production 

 of comb honey, as it sells little or no 

 higher in our market than extracted, 

 and we have never yet discovered 

 methods by which we could so produce 

 it as to make it profitable at any rea- 

 sonable price. We have tried all the 

 popular methods for producing comb 

 honey, and never yet found the colony 

 tliat would produce one-third as much 

 comb honey as it W(nild of extracted. 

 Since learning, through tlie very 

 kindly instructions of Mr. James 

 Ileddon. how to wire frames and put 

 foundation into them, I have been 

 able, at least, to attain entire satisfac- 

 tion on this point. It is due, perhaps, 

 to say that I have improved somewhat 

 upon Mr. Ileddon's method, which is 

 recommended to persons having no 

 press. Instead of pricking the wires 

 into tlie foundation, " cell by cell," I 

 have arranged a handle to a brass 

 clock wheel about two inches in diam- 

 eter; this is run lengthwise of the 

 wires, pressing it down into the wax. 

 I had almost concluded that I should 

 be compelled to purchase a foundation 

 press, more particularly that I might 

 work the foundation on to the wires, 

 I but after such experience have dis 



