240 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



runs into the forest, fire-weed and 

 ■white clover will generally grow the 

 same summer ; fire-weed makes ex- 

 cellent fall pasturage for bees. It 

 yields honey from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1. 



I have hundreds of acres of white 

 clover and red raspberries within 

 reach of my bees, who invariably de- 

 sert the white clover the moment 

 raspberry bushes begin to bloom. 



Bees are in splendid condition, win- 

 tering finely ; mine were put in the 

 cellar on Nov. 10, and look as if they 

 could bear confinement three or four 

 months longer ; this, I attribute, to 

 the thick, wholesome honey they have 

 in the hives ; honey gathered from 

 raspberry and goldenrod. We are 

 having the coldest and dryest winter 

 in the memory of the inhabitants. 



Every one "seems to have set his 

 mind upon a standard frame. Why 

 not adopt a frame 10 inches deep by 

 15 inches long, inside? Such a frame 

 will contain 150 square inches, which 

 is about the average size of frames in 

 use. The Langstroth is too shallow 

 to winter successfully in the North, 

 and almost all other frames are too 

 deep for the production of comb 

 honey with success ; besides, if we 

 run for extracted honey, by using a 

 second story, we have a hive of just 

 the right height ; whereas, if deeper 

 frames are used, I would not like to 

 use a second story, in a locality ex- 

 posed to liigh winds. 



Felissier, Quebec, March 10, 1883. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Section Eacks.Crates and Separators. 



The leading questions, just now, 

 are. What sized sections, and What 

 kind of a rack or crate shall we use, to 

 hold the sections in place on the 

 hive, for comb honey V After experi- 

 menting considerably with different 

 kinds of crates, I have settled on this 

 as the rack. It is very simple ; if made 

 properly will adjust itself to the top of 

 the hive, although it may not be level ; 

 it is just the thing for tiering up, 

 whether used with separators or not. 

 It suits me, and all that I have shown 

 it to. and who have used it, think it 

 about right. 



For sections, 5 or 6 inches deep, slit 

 out the stuff lJ-2 or 2 inches wide 

 (turn up edgewise, to nail together) ; 

 tor small sections not more than one 

 inch wide. (I prefer to use sections 

 running parallel with the frames, for 

 several reasons). 1 cut two pieces J4 

 inch longer than the length of the 

 sections, m a row, from front to back 

 of hive ; these are the side pieces for 

 the rack. Next cut the end pieces J2 

 inch longer than the width of the sec- 

 tion, from side to side of the hive, 

 adding to them the thickness of the 

 side pieces. Nail them on the ends 

 of side pieces with one nail in each 

 corner. This will let it adjust itself 

 to tlie top of tlie hive. Cut some 

 sticks, as long as the width of the 

 hive, one inch wide, and as thick as 

 the space between the top bar and the 

 top of the hive ; place these sticks 

 crosswise of the hive, so that they will 



come under the ends of the sections, 

 when they are placed on ; (these sticks 

 will kill less bees than putting on a 

 whole crate, filled with sections, at 

 once, and I tliink it is more easily 

 cleaned). Lay on the frame and fill 

 it with sections and separators, if you 

 use tliem, key up with a stick, which 

 is as long as the length of the rows of 

 sections, 1 incli wide aiid '^ inch thick, 

 having one edge chamfered off. For 

 tiering up, place a block on each side 

 of the top of the lower section rack, 

 just long enough to hold the upper 

 rack at the proper height. The bees 

 will work in sections without separa- 

 tors sooner than with them (especially 

 if the sections are small), but I find 

 objections. One year, I fastened the 

 sections together (without separa- 

 tors) before placing tliem on the hive ; 

 took them off and sold them, just as 

 they came from the hive, and being 

 fastened together, I could not assort 

 them. I had something over 7,000 

 lbs. in this condition, and I lost 3 

 cents per pound on the lot, by not 

 h.aving it properly assorted, and my 

 customers would have been better 

 pleased. If, in a crate, there is some 

 dark honey on the outside, it is a hard 

 matter to make a customer believe it 

 is white clover in the middle. I find, 

 when separators are not used, with 

 large sections, and honey is not com- 

 ifig in rapidly, the Ijees are sure to fill 

 one side at a time of the combs, near 

 the outside of the section crate ; this 

 causes the combs to curl into the next 

 section ; this makes trouble, and often 

 the outside section will not be filled 

 on the outside. With separators we 

 have none of thistrouble. Small sec- 

 tions will be filled nicer without sep- 

 arators than larger ones, and some- 

 times so that they can be glassed. 

 Oran, N. Y., March 7, 1883, 



tror the American Bee Journal- 

 Tile Best Hive for all Purposes. 



DK. J. S. MC ALLISTER. 



My experience differs considerably 

 (from what would seem to be tliat of 

 Mr. Ileddon's) in regard the Langs- 

 troth frame, and my experience in 

 bee-keeping dates back nearly 40 

 years, when we kept from 30 to 100 

 colonies in the old-fashioned way. I 

 have traveled some,and am acquainted 

 with many very successful bee-keep- 

 ers who, together with myself, do ni>t 

 consider it safe to keep a valuable col- 

 ony of bees in the Langstroth hive 

 (tlie year round). As far as surplus 

 honey is concerned, either comb or 

 extracted, I believe that there can be 

 as much secured with side storing as 

 top storing, with the proper sized 

 frame and hive to hold tiiem, and I 

 think of all the sizes in use, the 

 "American " comes the nearest to the 

 most practical size. 



Witli a plain hive, about 2 ft. long, 

 a bee-keeper can have 8 frames tor a 

 brood nest, and room at each side for 

 18 one-pound sections, making 38 at a 

 time, by placing them in edgeway to 

 the brood frames, and leaving room on 

 tlie top for as many more as he may 

 wish. I like but very little upward 



ventilation. The past winter I win- 

 tered 24 out of 25, the brood nest being 

 sealed and packed nearly as tight as a 

 drum, except that the entrance was 

 open about 2 inches ; the colony that 

 died was ventilated the most. I use 

 tight top-bars and winter on the sum- 

 mer stands. On page 001, of Septem- 

 ber number for 1882, bended an 

 Amateur's Success, is a partial report 

 for what I done with 3 colonies. The 

 full increase was 27, and with the 

 honey to take out of the hives this 

 spring, will make the surplus honey 

 the product of tlie 3 colonies and in- 

 crease, nearly 500 pounds. I. like 

 many others, have the pure unadulter- 

 ated Italians, and 1 am starting an 

 apiary at a point where there are no 

 other bees kept for more than 20 miles, 

 in any direction, for the purpose of 

 keeping them pure. 

 Columbus, Neb., April 20, 1883. 



Practical Farmer. 



Making Ready for the Harvest. 



W. G. PHELPS, M. D. 



Nothing goes so far towards assur- 

 ing success in bee-keeping as a state 

 of preparation for the forth coming 

 honey season. This preparation con- 

 sists not simply in having surplus 

 hives ready for expected swarms. To 

 be prepared in every sense of the 

 word, means, 1, well-populated hives ; 

 2, accessible surplus department ; 3, 

 the use in boxes of starters or comb 

 foundation ; 4, right management at 

 the right time. 



Taking up these essentials, in the 

 order named, let me explain. A well 

 populated hive means a hive well 

 crowded with bees at the opening of 

 white clover bloom. This can be 

 accomi)lished best by the stimulative 

 method, and by feeding up. You may 

 ask, ■' does it pay V" Yes, tenfold ; 

 particularly if your bees are short of 

 natural stores, and are gathering none 

 from without. Not th:it tlie bees 

 convert the sugar fed them into honey, 

 but rather into bee muscle, which, 

 taking wing untiringly, gather na- 

 ture's sweets, to store it, in more than 

 compound ratio, for the owner. A 

 normal colony of bees contains not 

 less than 20,000 of these industrious 

 insects. The younger portion of these 

 assume the duties of nurses and 

 wax-workers, while the other workers 

 become the veteran honey gatherers. 

 A less number of bees than above 

 stated will store up for their owners 

 much less honey, in proportion, than 

 if up to or in excess of that. Wliat I 

 mean is thus illustrated : Two colo- 

 nies, each consisting of 12,000 bees, 

 would, as ordinarily kept, store no 

 honey in the caps. The same bees 

 combined in one colony, would yield, 

 even by the simplest management, 

 from .50 to 100 pounds. The reason is 

 this, about so many bees are neces- 

 sary to keep up the required heat of 

 the hive and do the " chores," or 

 household work, so as to speak. They 

 will not enter the surplus boxes, un- 

 less conditions as regard heat, wax- 

 working, etc., are all right. They are 

 less able to defend their house against 



