189i). 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



811 



and filling it with plauer shavings or some kind of packing. 

 As your covers are sealed down, perhaps you better let them 

 alone now, but there's no harm in your putting some kind of 

 packing on top of the sealed covers, with a rain-proof cover 

 over all. Packing at the sides might be an improvement, but 

 in the latitude of St. Louis it may not be needed. 



3. If you gave one of the stories just before winter, and 

 if there was a big space — sSy an inch or more— between the 

 two stories, there might be trouble. But if the bees had the 

 two stories throughout the summer, or at least before the 

 harvest was over, I think you need not have the least uneasi- 

 ness. If there was a space of only ,'4 inch, that would be 

 readily crossed by the bees ; and if the space was greater, the 

 bees would build burr-combs for ladders. 



I am very much interested in knowing about those 2- 

 story hives, I wish you would tell us about them. When 

 were the second stories given, or were they on all the season ? 

 How strong were the colonies in the spring ? How were they 

 in the fall ? What was the crop? Can you tell us how they 

 compared with one-story colonies '? Were they run for comb 

 or extracted honey ? 



Stopping the Sale of Sugar-Honey. 



What method would you take to stop the selling of sugar- 

 honey ? There are agents coming here and killing our mar- 

 ket. We get in the home market, 25 cents per pound for 

 honey, and the agent sells sugar syrup at 6 pounds for .51. (JO. 

 Can't we stop him in some way ? E. C. C. 



Tarentum, Pa. 



Answer. — Something depends on the laws you have in the 

 good old Keystone State. If sugar syrup is sold under the 

 name of " honey," and the law provides a penalty for selling 

 an article of food under a wrong name, then you can prose- 

 cute under that law. If it is sold under the name of " sugar 

 syrup," then no law can touch the case, and there is really 

 nothing wrong in it. If it is a case of real fraud, the Bee- 

 Keepers' Union might afford some help, providing you are a 

 member thereof. Every bee-keeper ought to be a member of 

 that organization, for the sake of his own safety, and for the 

 benefit of others. 



M I ■ 



Keeping Partly-Filled. Brood-Frames in Winter. 



I have some partly-fiUed brood-frames that I wish to give 

 to my bees next spring. If I keep them where they will 

 freeze, will it do any harm ? or would I better keep them 

 where it is warm ? J. A. E. 



St. George, Maine. 



Answer. — The honey will keep better if the combs are in 

 a warm, dry place. But if they are not to be given to the 

 bees pretty early in the season, there will be an advantage in 

 letting the combs freeze, for that will kill any worms that 

 may be in them. On the whole, I believe I wouldn't go to any 

 very great inconvenience to keep them from freezing. 



Water Running Out of Hives. 



I am wintering part of my bees out of the cellar in a long, 

 low shed, packed on three sides with chaff, with perhaps four 

 inches of chaff on top. They are sweating badly now, so that 

 water runs out of every hive. Last winter I had them in the 

 same place, and lost several colonies from the same cause. 

 The combs got moldy and wet along in February. But the 

 hives show a great deal more of water running out of them 

 this early in the winter than during all of last winter. Last 

 winter I had about eight inches of chaff on top, so I thought 

 perhaps I had too much, and only put on four inches this win- 

 ter. I put on the hives coverings of very porous material this 

 fall, hoping that would remedy the matter. But it does not, 

 unless I put the coverings on too soon, and the bees had a 

 chance to varnish them over, making them water, or rather 

 vapor, proof. I am afraid I shall lose a good many colonies 

 in the shape they are in now. 



The colonies that are in the cellar show no signs of damp- 

 ness whatever. What is your opinion in the matter'? and 

 what would you advise doing '? Take the packing oft entirely '? 

 The covers a"re raised up }.] inch, so as to give free circulation. 



Fremont, Ohio, Dec. 6. C. R. 



Answer. — Did you ever stop to think why the bees 

 "sweat?" Did you ever see them sweat on a hot day? I 

 doubt if you did. And if you take off some more of the top 

 packing you may see them sweat worse than ever. The bees ex- 



hale vapor, and when this vapor strikes the cold walls of the 

 hive it sometimes congeals into frost there, melting into water 

 and running out of the hive as soon as the weather is warm 

 enough. Sometimes it merely condenses into water and runs 

 out of the hive as soon as enough is collected. Whether cold 

 or warm, this vapor is being sent off at all times, only when it 

 is warm enough it does not condeiise into water or ice. 



Evidently the cure is hardly making the hive colder. If 

 you double the covering on top it may help instead of hurt. 

 Possibly the entrance is not open enough. For with the en- 

 trance sufBciently open, the vapor could pass out without set- 

 tling on the walls. If everything else is right, you needn't be 

 alarmed by a little water running out of the hive. That's a 

 common thing to be seen at the entrance of a strong colony 

 the morning after a cool night every spring. 



Catpadiaip Beedon;^ 



Tlic North American — ^> Opinions Differ.' 



On page 684, Editor York says : "I cannot understand 

 how any one can feel satisfied to attend a convention of the 

 North American and not contribute toward paying its ex- 

 penses." 



Yes, Bro. York, "opinions differ." I think I enjoyed the 

 convention about as heartily as any one present, but, I didn't 

 pay my dollar to become a member. Why? Because I gave 

 my dollar to Father Langstroth, in preference to becoming a 

 member of the North American, and I thought that was about 

 all I could stand after a poor honey crop. 



More than that, what inducements have you to offer for 

 me to become a member ? Do you suppose I am going to buy 

 a 2: 40 horse, and let some other fellow ride? Oh, no! my 

 wallet is not deep enough for that kind of business. What do 

 I mean ? I mean just this : 



The North American Convention is held once a year, and 

 about once or twice in my life-time, (if I live long enough) will 

 the place of meeting be within my reach. Now, do you sup- 

 pose I am going to contribute out of my scant income to defray 

 the expenses of the Association, and let some other fellows en- 

 joy the fun and pleasure of attending the conventions? No, 

 no I Bro. York. I am not built that way. 



Now, I will tell you when I will become a member, and 

 forward my dollar cheerfully : Marry the two organizations, 

 so that being a member will be a benefit and protection to me, 

 no matter whether I may have the opportunity of attending 

 conventions or not. As soon as such union is accomplished, 

 then, and not before, have you any just right to claim our 

 support. 



I will offer a suggestion, in reference to making the North 

 American more remunerative to its supporters : Could not 

 some of our leading apicultural lights devise some feasible 

 scheme by which some kind of accident insurance on bees and 

 apicultural appliances could be introduced ? and arrange it in 

 such a way that members — and members only — could avail 

 themselves of the protection of the Association against loss 

 from fire, tornadoes, cyclones — and Mexican bull fights — which 

 may come our way and destroy and injure our api^iries ? 



Now, while I would not attempt to formulate a plan by 

 which such an object could be introduced, laying all jokes 

 aside, I do believe that some one with the ability to evolve and 

 impress such an object upon the minds of the now able mem- 

 bers of the Association, would perhaps work some good. Take 

 the suggestion for what it is worth, and consider where it 

 comes from. 



But remember, Bro. York, that you may live in a glass 

 house yourself some day, and then you may expect to see a 

 shower of Canadian pebbles with a streamer of membership 

 fees attached ! D. W. Heise. 



Bethesda, Ont. 



The Alsilie Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, 

 with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and 

 telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand 

 to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- 

 nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- 

 tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, 

 are as follows : 50 for 25 cents ; 100 for 40 cents ; or 200 



for 70 cents. 



*-»-*■ ■ 



It^ See " Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 784. 



