128 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



MAR. 



THE GOIiDEN bee-hive:. 



WITH A GOOD MORAL ON PATENT HIVES IN GENERAL. 



FERMIT me to say, through Gleanings, that I 

 use the "Golden" bee-hive, and would not ex- 

 ■ ■ change It for any other hive in use that I have 

 ever heard of. The inside is almost identical with 

 the hive used by A. J. Cook, described in his Manu- 

 al, pages 133 and 133. The frames are lOJi inches 

 deep by 11 J4 inches in width, outside measurement. 

 Frames go crosswise, with'division-board behind. I 

 commenced using it four years ago, and would say 

 to Mr. Lewis A. Easterly, of Sandy Ridge, Ala., that 

 I have in my experience found the hive just the re- 

 verse of his. I paid for the use of the hive, one hive 

 and a swarm transferred into it, and an extractor — 

 $15.00. It was the best invested $15.00 I ever made. 

 I have made over 200 of them, and expect to make 75 

 more this spring. They are the leading hire here. 

 Several bee-men who have the Langstroth and Sim- 

 plicity hives are transferring their bees into the 

 Golden. 



I had an old bee-man work for me one week last 

 summer, who has 40 to 50 stocks in Simplicity hives; 

 he said he was certain I was getting one-third more 

 honey in the Golden than could be obtained in the 

 Simplicity. ********* 



The first winter, 1879-'80, 1 used it, I had 32 stocks 

 In them ; lost none. The winter of 1880-'81 I win- 

 tered 86 with ten loss; 1881-'82 I wintered 90 stocks 

 with the loss of one. I put in my cellar this winter 

 119; so far they are all 0. K. 



Now a few words as to honey results : The summer 

 of 1880 1 had 33stocks in the Golden; 15 in box hives, 

 spring count. I got 4500 lbs. of honey. The summer 

 of 1881 1 had 50 stocks, spring count ; I sold down to 

 that number in the spring; sold to one man $100.00 

 worth. I got 3500 lbs. honey, about one-third in sec- 

 tion boxes. The summer of 1882 I sold down to 80 

 stocks, spring count. I got 8000 lbs., 2000 lbs. of it in 

 section boxes. 



OVER A TON OF HONET IN EIGHT DAYS FROM EIGHTY 

 COLONIES. 



On the 19th day of July — Saturday — last summer, 

 my bees began to work on basswood. I had kept 

 well extracted up on white clover, for I expected a 

 basswood flow. On the Tuesday following, three of 

 us began to extract; swarming was also going on, 

 and by Saturday night we had taken 2200 lbs., eight 

 days' gathering; during the same time my comb- 

 builders put up 800 lbs. comb honey. Now, at the 

 price I got, 12c for extracted and 20c for comb on 

 track here, my bees gathered $434 worth of honey 

 In eight days. How is that for Golden bee-hive? 



I have arranged the hive for comb section-box 

 honey; each top holds 36 sections, upon which ar- 

 rangement there is no patent; indeed, there is no 

 patent on the hive as I use it now, while 1 have not 

 changed the body of the hive an iota. I know the 

 hive Is a success. I commenced at the beginning 

 four years ago; result, about 18,000 lbs. of honey. 



Trusting you will give this a place in your valua- 

 ble paper, — yes, valuable, for I owe much of my 

 success to its teachings, — I remain truly yours, 



^ B. F. Little. 



Brush Creek, Iowa, Feb. 9, 1883. 



I am very much obliged Indeed for your 

 good report, friend L.; but if you will ex- 

 cuse me, it seems to me you have most ef- 

 fectually spoiled it as a testimonial for the 

 Golden hive, or the men who sold rights, by 



that little speech toward the last, where you 

 say, " Indeed, there is no patent on the hive as 

 I use it now." Mitchell, and all the rest of 

 them down, have had a patent on some un- 

 important trifle hitched to the hive; but 

 every progressive bee-man, almost invaria- 

 bly, of his own choice, soon drops these 

 things, just as you have done, and still the 

 patent man goes on taking money for rights. 

 Is this " right," I ask you ? I never intend- 

 ed to intimate that one could not get honey 

 with the Golden hive, but only that it is a 

 swindle to ask people to pay for a right to 

 make any thing about it that is of any prac- 

 tical use. Very likely you and many others 

 would succeed better with a frame of differ- 

 ent dimensions from the Simplicity; but 

 why buy a right for making them so ? If 

 you will look over our back volumes you will 

 see, friend L., that the Golden hive has 

 been used a good deal for defrauding in dif- 

 ferent ways. 



bltje: thistle. 



SOMETHING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION. 



^p^] LEANINGS, page 87, gives an account of Divi- 

 flhsj? sion Grange, London, Ont., regarding blue 

 ^'^^ thistle, and resolution therefrom, apprehend- 

 ing great danger to the farming community in con- 

 sequence of the introduction of the same. Now, 

 while I earnestly hope that no bee-keeper will intro- 

 duce, or be the means of introducing any weed, 

 plant, or shrub, that will in any way interfere with 

 the agricultural interests of our fair land, I hold 

 that we are fully justified, and should be encouraged 

 and assisted by the farmers and the public, in chang- 

 ing the present condition of our waste places, fence- 

 cornors, and road-sides, of which many are grown 

 up with worthless shrubs, brambles, burrs, ragweed, 

 dog-fennel, etc. These, with justification to all con- 

 cerned, should be destroyed, and the ground re- 

 seeded with clover, figwort, or, in fact, any good 

 honey-plant or shrub would be an Improvement on 

 the former, to say nothing about the increase of 

 nectar, and the enhanced value of real estate, if 

 such change were made. 



Well, I started out in search of the evils of the 

 blue thistle, and here is what I have found. Judg- 

 ing from the tone of many letters that have been 

 written on the blue thistle, I was not very favorably 

 impressed; I therefore addressed a letter of inquiry 

 to a gentleman In West Virginia. Note his reply: — 



Your letter of inquiry regarding blue thistle Is re- 

 ceived. I would say that I have traveled over a large 

 portion of Shenandoah Valley, and find that the best 

 farmers court its presence, regarding a crop plowed 

 under as good as clover to enrich the soil. Try a 

 field of it, and you will be convinced of its untold 

 value as a honey-plant. J. A. Shade, M. D. 



Pleasant Dale, W. Va. 



I at once introduced it into my experimental gar- 

 den, and here is my report, after two years of trial: 



Biennial; root fleshy, tender, and very large; It 

 makes a perfect root first year, but does not grow 

 any the second year. Blooms June 1st, and contin- 

 ues without any diminution fully four months, un- 

 less interfered with by frost or drought; seed as 

 large as red clover, and can not spread by being 

 carried by wind. At close of flowering season the 

 root will be found in an advanced stage of decompo- 

 sition; bears cultivation, and Is highly benefited 



