1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



87 



tect the patentee against other manufacturers competing in 

 the sale of the article, but that any one may manufacture all 

 he likes for his individual use. A little thought will show that 

 in many cases such a view would entirely nullify any benefit 

 that might come from the patent laws. Those laws are in- 

 tended for the benefit of the people at large, and all wise peo- 

 ple will have respect for them, as they encourage the inven- 

 tion of articles that will make short-cuts in labor. 



Some patented articles are very complicated, and some 

 are very simple. The latter are all the more valuable because 

 they are simple, for it Is very plain that an article requiring 

 expensive machinery to make it would not be as much for the 

 good of the public as one that could be made readily by any 

 one without machinery. But in this latter case, suppose each 

 one were allowed to make for his own use, where would there 

 be any protection to the patentee? 



While it is true that there are patent hives by the hun- 

 dred, it is not equally true that they are all valuable. I re- 

 member seeing a very complicated patent hive on exhibition 

 at the great Fair at Toronto, on the occasion of the meeting 

 of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association there. It 

 was examined with interest by bee-keepers there, not because 

 there was a single feature about it that a practical bee-keeper 

 would want to use, but it was a matter of interest to see how 

 much expense could be put upon a single hive with no corres- 

 ponding advantages. 



The only patented feature about a bee-hive that all bee- 

 keepers seem agreed upon as of general value is the movable- 

 comb system. This was patented by Father Langstroth, but 

 the patent expired years ago. I think most bee-keepers now- 

 a-days use hives that contain no patented features, not con- 

 sidering them desirable. There are some, however, who use 

 some one of the patented hives, having faith in them, and if 

 any one has a desire to use such a hive the only straight 

 course is to secure the privilege from the owner of the patent 

 by paying the customary fee. 



The Bees are Probably All Right. 



My bees, owing to the severity of the weather, have not 

 had a cleansing flight since before Christmas. On several 

 mornings I have found half a dozen or more dead bees before 

 the hive in the sun. Do they need water ? If so, how is it 

 best supplied ? I keep the hives protected and shaded against 

 the sun. The highest thermometer was 44° in the shade. 



Harmony, Pa., Jan. 18. G. W. M. 



Answer. — I don't suppose there's a thing wrong with your 

 bees, and the best thing you can probably do is to let them 

 severely alone. More or less bees are dying all through the 

 winter. 



How Hives with Bees Become liighter in Winter. 



If a good, strong colony of bees is put into the cellar, as a 

 general rule does it get lighter? Where does the honey go 

 when the bees don't get out of the hive? If the hive does not 

 get any lighter, what do the bees live on ? 



Rockford, III. G. R. M. 



Answer. — Did you never notice water running out of the 

 entrance of a hive on a cold morning? That's the moisture 

 that comes from the bees, and of course it comes from the 

 food taken into the system. You can often see drops of water 

 standing on the back wall of a hive in the cellar. All that, 

 lessens the weight of a hive, and it will also be materially les- 

 sened by the weight of the bees that come out to die through 

 the winter. Weigh a hive in the fall, and you'll find it a good 

 deal lighter in the spring. 



^ I ■ 



"Brown German" Bees — Size of Bees. 



1. Would a cross between the large German brown bee 

 and the Italian give us a good, all-purpose bee ? 



2. Which of the two races of bees is the largest — the Ger- 

 man brown bee or the Italian ? H. 



Answers. — 1. Every now and then some one speaks of a 

 brown bee or a gray bee, and I think there is an impression 

 more or less prevailing that these are different from the com- 

 mon black bee. As nearly as I can learn they are all the same 

 thing. There may be a difference according to locality, ana 

 I've seen the claim made that there was a difference in size in 

 different localities, but when you get right down to the bottom 

 I think you'll find that the German brown bee is the common 

 black bee. At any rate they don't claim anything different in 



Germany, I think. So you will have your answer by knowing 

 what the ordinary crosses of the Italian are, or what are com- 

 monly called hybrids. I believe some have kept established 

 strains of this cross, but they seem never to have gained very 

 general recognition as a desirable thing. 



2. Without measuring closely, I don't believe you can see 



any difference. 



^ I » 



How Iiong Can Bees be Kept in the Cellar ? 



1. How long can bees be kept in a cellar, confined in a 

 hive, if they have plenty to eat ? 



2. Will a cellar under a house do if it is a little damp ? 



I have been a bee-keeper for 15 years, and I have always 

 left the hives out-doors on a bench. I have 13 colonies, and 

 some of them are very weak. I feed them when the weather 

 Is suitable. I have been a reader of the Bee .Journal for three 

 weeks, and I don't see how I could do without it. 



Fortville, Ind. J. M. K. 



Answers. — 1. I don't know. Mine are generally confined 

 four or five months, and if everything was kept in best shape 

 I suppose they would stand it longer. 



2. Yes, only bees will not stand as much cold in a damp 

 as in a dry cellar. Try not to let it go below 40-*, and it would 

 be well if it staid as high as 45, but not above 48 or 50. 



Don't fool too much with those bees, feeding them in win- 

 ter. If you think there's no danger of their starving, let them 

 alone. 



Eggs and Larvse — Asbestos for Hive-Lining. 



1. If eggs are taken out of a hive, how long can they be 

 kept out and put back and hatch ? 



2. If a larva one day old, or thereabouts (well supplied 

 with food, and the weather warm), be taken out of the hive, 

 how long can it be kept out, put back, and live ? 



3. Can one send 300 to 500 miles, when the weather is 

 warm, and get eggs and young brood and rear queens from 

 the same ? 



4. Why not line bee-hives with asbestos ? Fire cannot 

 penetrate it, and I do not see how the cold could. 



Humphrey, Nebr. 



Answers. — 1. I don't know. I've tried it for a day or 

 two, but the bees destroyed the eggs. 



2. If you keep a brood-comb out of a hive a day, you'll 

 find the larger larv;e coming out of the cells, from starvation 

 I suppose, and I don't know whether the little ones can stand 

 it much longer. 



3. I doubt if it would work. 



4. I don't know why it shouldn't be a good thing, if ex- 

 pense isn't in the way. 



"I'is YVinter-Xinie Again. 



BY ED .TOLLEY. 



Serene and still the snow-clad hill 



Looms up against the sky ; 

 The wind does blow the sifting snow. 



In places drifting high. 

 In the woodlands gray the wild winds play 



With forest giants bold, 

 And through the vale there comes the wail 



Of Winter, fierce and cold. 



In stables warm, away from storm, 



The lowing kine do keep. 

 While in the fold, so free from cold. 



The shepherds' flocks now sleep. 

 And ofl" to school to learn a rule, 



And cipher, read and spell, 

 The children ride with joyous pride 



At the sound of many a bell. 



In the easy chair, so free from care. 



The good man sits and reads. 

 While to the work she cannot shirk 



The good wife cheerily speeds. 

 Around the hearth there's joy and mirth. 



As evening rounds the scene — 

 There's nuts to crack, and the apple sack, 



And a story-page to glean. 



And all is well — oh, joy to tell! 



Within the farmer's cot. 

 But how are these — their little bees — 



Beyond the garden spot. 

 With hives snow-capped and cold enwrapped ? 



We trust to Highest Power, 

 To hear their hum when spring days come 



O'er the gently blowing flower. Franklin, 



Pa 



