202 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 





thoroughly penetrated the bee mind 

 that it was foolish to lay up, in a land 

 of eteniiil blossom. They made just 

 honey enough to last from day to day, 

 and abandoned themselves to living 

 from hand to mouth as recklessly as 

 does the tropic-born butterfly. — Wash- 

 ington QazeUe. 



[No ! There is no truth in it. It is 

 but the idle scribbling of a newspaper 

 correspondent, who thought he would 

 get up a sensation by telling an ex- 

 citing story.— Ed.] 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



The Langstroth Frame. 



J. B. MASON. 



On page 144 of Bee Journal for 

 March 14, Mr. II. D. Edwards criti- 

 cises my article on page 21 of Janu- 

 ary 10, 1883. He says I do not state the 

 anvantages of the Langstroth frame, 

 and asks why we should adopt it, 

 when the advantages are so few that 

 I have not seen fit to give them. My 

 own idea, formed after long experi- 

 ence with them in my own apiary is, 

 that its advantages are many ; in fact, 

 that it contains more real good points 

 than does any other frame ; else why 

 is it so fast coming into general use, 

 and that too with practical bee-keep- 

 ers y Would any one be insane enough 

 to adopt it, if it was not, to say the 

 least, as good as any V I will en- 

 deavor now to take up the challenge 

 of Mr. Edwards, and give some of 

 the advantages possessed by the L. 

 frame. First, their now being more 

 largely in use throughout the country 

 than all others combined ; by now 

 adopting it. one puts himself on the 

 same track with the great majority, 

 and can easily interchange frames 

 with them, without transferring; as 

 it bids fair to soon become the stand- 

 ard of the country, by using it we are 

 up with the times, and not falling be- 

 hind. I said it bids fair to become 

 the standard ; my reason is, that ere 

 long some standard size will be 

 adopted, and as the Eangstrotli frame 

 is so largely in use, and so well liked 

 by the unprejudiced, who have given 

 it a fair trial, it will be more easy to 

 adopt it than any other; in fact, it 

 will be utterly impossible to adopt 

 any other as a standard, for all others 

 are now fast giving way to it, and no 

 one will purchase on a falling market. 

 The reasons why some standard will 

 ere long be adopted, is so patent that 

 I need not take time or space to give 

 them ; it is obvious to all that it must 

 come, and when it does, apiculture 

 will take a fresh start. So far as 

 profit is concerned. I care not what 

 style of frame is desired, but I notice 

 that those ordering hives from all sec- 

 tions of New England, at least 95 per 

 cent, of them are for the standard 

 Langstroth, and we may be sure that 

 the climate of New England is pretty 

 severe, to say the least. 



My experience is directly opposite 

 to ttie statement of Mr. E. who says 

 it is generally conceded that bees in a 

 deep frame winterbetterthan in aslial- 



low one. I admit that it once was the 

 case, and that the American frame 14, 

 and even 16 inches deep, was ex- 

 tensively introduced, but they are fast 

 being thrown out, and their places 

 taken by the Langstroth frame. Ex- 

 perience showing that the wintering 

 qualities of a deep frame was a mat- 

 ter of theory, not well backed up in 

 practice. 



The fact that the Langstroth frame 

 can be made more cheaply than any 

 other might be an inducement on the 

 start ; but practical men do not care 

 for the slight difference, if they get a 

 better article ; so that argument does 

 not carry enough weight to be worth 

 answering. It answers itself at once. 

 The Langstroth frame has the ad- 

 vantage of being the best and most 

 economical in form, so far as the use 

 of sections is concerned. The sec- 

 tions are placed over the brood cham- 

 ber, close to the bees, where all the 

 heat of the hive is economized, and 

 the size is such that the space is tully 

 economized and all taken up without 

 loss; this of course is a great advan- 

 tage, and one that recommends itself 

 to all. 



To sum up, the only real objection 

 made to the Langstroth frame is, 

 that it is not best for winter in cold 

 climates. Assertions amount to noth- 

 ing; it is facts we want. How are 

 the facts, and how do they show up '? 

 Mr. E. E. Hasty says it is the best for 

 wintering in cold climates, and he 

 makes the statement from results of 

 experiments in his own apiary. Mr. 

 Bingham says it is too deep, if any- 

 thing, and he uses (and successfully 

 too) in a cold climate, a frame only 6 

 inches deep. I apprehend that the 

 objections to the Langstroth frame is 

 largely a matter of prejudice. Some 

 one (no matter who) started the idea 

 in opposition to the Langstroth frame 

 that a deeper frame was better, and 

 the American hives met with large 

 sales; but they are fast being super- 

 seded by the Langstroth frame. The 

 public begin to learn that theories put 

 forth by interested parties are not 

 always found, in practice, to be true. 

 With deep frames it is difficult to tier 

 up two or three stories,, and this is a 

 serious objection. 



The extractor plays so important a 

 part in the management of an apiary, 

 that the best reply I can give to any 

 one who says tliat the Langstroth 

 frame is toosliallow to winter well, is, 

 I do not care whether it is too shallow 

 or not ; it does well for wintering, and 

 those who have given it a fair trial 

 say it is better than deeper frames. 

 I have not space now to give the 

 scientiffic reasons why a shallow liive, 

 of the depth of the Langstroth, should 

 be better for wintering than a deeper 

 one, but may make tliat the especial 

 subject of another article; in fact, I 

 do not know as we need to inquire the 

 reasons wliy a thing should be, when 

 we know that it really is. 



Tlie evidence in favor of the Lang- 

 stroth frame is found in the fact that 

 it is so generally used, and that too by 

 practical men ; and in the favorable 

 reports that they make in regard to 

 it; and if the unfavorable criticisms 

 that are made against it were less 



theoretical, more strongly backed up 

 by proof, and come more largely than 

 they do from persons not interested 

 in some other style of frame, 1 should 

 consider them niore worthy of confi- 

 dence, as advice ; and of far more 

 weight in favor of their adoption. 

 Mechanic Falls, March 26, 1883. 



For the Aroerican Bee JoumaL 



A Brief but Kind Reply to Prof. Cook. 



E. B. SOUTHWICK. 



Mr. Editor. — My article on the 

 one-piece section drew out some re- 

 marks from our mutual friend. Prof. 

 Cook, which, in self-justifieation, re- 

 quires a brief reply from me. 



I am not a Christian, because I am 

 too selfish to love my neighbor as my- 

 self. I cannot leave father, mother, 

 wife and children to follow Christ ; I 

 love them too well. Can the Professor 

 do this y If so, he may be a Christian, 

 while I am not. But, perhaps, it was 

 the other part of the sentence, that he 

 thought differed from Ch ristian teach- 

 ings ; that is, " Do right because it is 

 right." The Professor has made the 

 mistake of confounding Christianity 

 with morality. Christianity is the 

 name of one of the many religions of 

 the day, while rightand wrong existed 

 when all these religions had yet to be 

 brought into being. As to the good 

 and moral examples and teachings of 

 Christ, I am as much of an admirer 

 as Prof. Cook. I can say 



" I admire the truth, wherever found. 

 Whether on Christian or on heathen ground." 



For example : I find the golden 

 rule taught by Christ; I admire it 

 there. I find the same taught by 

 Confucius (that heathen Chinee), 500 

 years before Christ ; I admire it there. 

 I find the Bible directs us to honor our 

 father and mother. I also find the 

 same teachings in the old Egyptian 

 religions that were established before 

 the Bible was thought of ; and I ad- 

 mire them in both places. All the 

 difference between the Professor and 

 myself, I think, is that he loves the 

 teachers of these, and I love the teach- 

 ings themselves. 



The Profe.=ssor says I worship right. 

 Well, I think he will admit then that 

 the God I worship ia as good as the 

 best, and that he will elieerfully add 

 justice and truth, forming a trinity, 

 over which we can extend to each 

 other the right-hand of fellowship, and 

 unite with Pope in saying : 



" What conscience dictates to be done, 



Or warns me not to do. 

 This, teach me more tl)Hn hell to shun, 



that, more than heaven pursue." 



Mendon, Mich., April 2, 1883. 



[The Bee Journal is " devoted 

 exclusively to progressive bee-cul- 

 ture," and discussions of religion, 

 politics, and many otlier interesting 

 topics are all inappropriate in its col- 

 umns. Prof. Cook aiulDr. Southwick 

 now have had an opportunity to ex- 

 plain their remarks in a discussion of 

 the patent-section controversy,— let 

 this end the present discussion.— Ed.J 



