THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



347 



honey the top-bars are always more 

 or less waxed up, and are troublesome 

 to clean off so as to get the frames out 

 of the hive. With me this has been 

 the most serious objection. 



4. The small sections cannot be 

 used to advantage on a long sagging 

 frame. There are those who will 

 likely be pleased to learn this, but let 

 me say right here, that there is a 

 future for the half-pound section that 

 will astonish some of tlie slow-going 

 wise-acres. 



5. It is, for many persons, too heavy 

 to handle with ease and rapidity. 



6. The bees do not, as a rule, build 

 so straight and perfect combs iu a 

 large frame as a small one. 



Tlie above will, it is hoped, be 

 enough to satisfy tliose wlio have been 

 going into ecstasies over the Langs- 

 troth frame, that it is not a perfect 

 frame, nor yet the veri/ best. I have 

 the Gallup frame in u.se in the most of 

 my hives, but am free to admit that it 

 is about 2 inches too short for an ex- 

 clusive top-storing hive. It, however, 

 gives satisfaction, is easily handled, 

 and the combs are generally built 

 true, while the top-bar is seldom 

 found sagged when made of only5-lb 

 inch stuff one inch wide. 



I find that the top-bar of the frame 

 may be 15 inches long, and not sag to 

 give trouble, while it will afford 

 ample room on the top for any kind of 

 section. My judgment, therefore, is 

 that a frame 9x13 inches inside meas- 

 ure, or thereabouts, is about right for 

 all practical purposes, and if ten of 

 them are used iu a hive, it combines 

 more favorable points than any other 

 size of frame. 



New Philadelphia, O. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Adopting a Standard Frame. 



A. J. SCHKOCK. 



As this subject is again being dis- 

 cussed, let us consider what size 

 would give the best satisfaction. 1 . 

 In regard to changing those already 

 in use. 2. In making new ones. As 

 most of the frames now in use are the 

 Langstroth frame, we should adopt a 

 frame similar to ttiat. Some have 

 preferred a frame 10x15 inches, inside 

 measure. I object to this size, be- 

 cause those frames that are shallower 

 than 10 inches, could not be used to 

 advantage. 3. The same dies could 

 not be used in making foundation, 

 etc. The only objection I have to the 

 Langstroth frame is that it is too long, 

 and! am inclined to think a frame 

 several inches shorter would give 

 better satisfaction. For this reason I 

 think we should adopt a frame 9i^xl5 

 inches, inside measure. As this size 

 is just 2 inches sliorter than the 

 Langstroth frame, that frame and 

 hive could be used simply by cutting 

 off 2 inches from one end. The one- 

 pound sections could be used, if need 

 be, or three one-pound sections and 2 

 half-pound sections could be used end 

 to end. Six sections 4Mx5 inches will 

 till a broad frame, while 8 414x4^4 

 inches are required to fill the Langs- 

 troth frame. A section 4i^x5 inches 



is a more convenient size than any 

 smaller size. They will hold a little 

 over a pound, and when well-filled, 

 IM pounds. If a customer asks for 

 about 1 pound of honey, he will get 

 a little more; thus increasing the 

 amount sold, or they can be made to 

 hold just 1 pound by making the sec- 

 tions narrower. It has also several 

 advantages over the Langstroth 

 frame ; being 2 inches shorter, it is 

 not as liable to sag; not as many 

 wires are required when wiring the 

 frames. It needs no centre brace to 

 prevent sagging. As 10 Langstroth 

 frames are too many for one hive, 10 

 frames O'gxlo would' be just enough. 

 But as each one has a mind of his 

 own, I fear our talk will not amount 

 to much, but if once adopted, it would 

 certainly be a great convenience. 

 Goshen, Ind., June 25, 1883. 



Putnam County, Ind., Convention. 



Mr. F. L. Dougherty gives the fol- 

 lowing report of this meeting in the 

 Indiana Farmer : 



We had the pleasure of meeting 

 with the Putnam County Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association at their regular 

 monthly meeting, on the third Satur- 

 day in June. 



The meeting was called to order by 

 President A. O. White, of Greencas- 

 tle. After some preliminary work 

 pertaining to the regular rules of the 

 Society, the secretary, Mr. W. B. 

 Mann, of Fillmore, read a lengthy 

 article, which was calculated to bring 

 on a general discussion of the many 

 interesting points connected with the 

 bee-keeping interest. He dwelt at 

 some length on the mortality of bees, 

 claiming as a whole, bees were no 

 more liable to disease or death than 

 anything else which the farmer might 

 attempt to grow in connection with 

 the mixed farming so extensively 

 practiced at the present day. While 

 as he said the past two or three sea- 

 sons had been below the average in 

 honey production in the central 

 part of Indiana, the yield for the 

 present season, to those who had not 

 forsaken the business, would be suf- 

 ficiently large to cover the entire loss 

 of the tliree past seasons. The supe- 

 riority of Italian bees over the black 

 was also claimed, and the reasons 

 why. Breeding from the best colonies, 

 clipping the wings of the queen, its 

 advantages and disadvantages, etc. 

 Pending the discussion of the several 

 questions the Society adjourned for 

 the noon hour. At the call after 

 dinner, the meeting was opened vigor- 

 ously in the form of a question box, 

 covering almost the entire ground, 

 the morning questions included, all 

 being disposed of in the regular order, 

 calling out the different experiences 

 of the members of the Society. The 

 almost extinct black native bees still 

 had friends in the Society. One thing 

 we noticed, and to which we should 

 like to call the special attention of 

 the members of the Society ; the lack 

 of uniformity in hives. This is one 

 of the most important subjects to 

 which the Society can give its atten- 

 tion. Not the Langstroth hive, be- 



cause we think it the best now made, 

 but to a perfect hive of some form, 

 and then all exactly alike. There 

 were members present who did not 

 know what form of hive they were 

 using. Did not know the exact size 

 of the frame. Could not tell what 

 size of section would best fit the hive, 

 etc. All of whicli should be under- 

 stood at the start, to be able to take 

 advantage of the instinct of tlie bees, 

 to realize the best results. 



For fbe American Bee Journals 



Controlling Drone Production- 



JAMES F. WOOD. 



Doubtless many readers of the Beb 

 Journal believe that if their hives 

 were all worker combs, they could 

 have drones reared just where they 

 desired, by giving the colonies drone 

 comb. This, however, is a mistake, 

 at least I never saw a strong colony 

 but would rear drones ; either they 

 would tear down worker comb, and 

 in its place substitute drone comb, or 

 rear drones in worker cells, or around 

 the edge of the comb. I first dis- 

 covered this fact last season. Fifteen 

 colonies of hybrids were brought into 

 a yard of Italians, in which queen- 

 rearing was carried on extensively; as 

 these colonies had their combs all 

 built on wired foundation, of course I 

 thouglit no drones would be reared. 

 True, none were reared until the 

 hives became crowded with bees, 

 when drones were then tucked in 

 throughout the hive, and it became 

 necessary to cut off their heads every 

 few days. As we did this, we noticed 

 more capped drones each successive 

 time, until they so increased that five 

 or six hundred were in each hive. 

 This is exactly our experience this 

 season with upwards of 50 colonies, 

 built on wired foundation, with the 

 exception that we let the drones 

 hatch. If any think I am in error, I 

 invite them to examine some of their 

 strongest colonies, or a colony that 

 has just cast a swarm, and they will 

 not long be in doubt. Of course I 

 mean one that had no drone comb in 

 the spring. 



Hoosick, N. Y., June 27, 1883. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1883. Time and Place oj Meeting. 



Auk. 20.— Iowa Central. atWinterset Fair Grounds, 

 Z. G. Cooley. Sec. Pro tern. 



Sept. 12-14.— TrI-State, at Toledo, Ohio. 



Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Worlts, O. 



Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich. 



O. R. Goodno, Sec. Carson City. Mich. 



Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chlcaso. III. 



Thomas G. Newman, Sec. 



Oct.-Northern Ohio, at Norfalk, O. 



S. F. Newman, Sec. 



Dec. 5-6, MichiKan State, at Flint. 



U. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich. 



Pf In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— KD, 



(^ Articles for publication must be 

 written on a separate piece of paper 

 from items of business. 



