634 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Sept. 



ANOBSEKVATORY-HIVE WITH THREE 

 FRAMES. 



AND SOME INTERESTING FACTS IN REGARD TO ITS 

 MANAGEMENT. 



fT has been well paid by Prof. Cook, that every 

 bee-keeper should have an observatory-hive — 

 not only for his own instruction and amuse- 

 ment, but also for his family and friends. Prof. 

 Cook has one which he has placed on the window- 

 sill; and when wanting' to examine it, he raises the 

 lower window-sash in order to do so. My own is 

 placed just inside on the window-ledge, and an en- 

 trance is made inthe lower partof thesash. To make 

 a profitable use of it, the hive must accommodate the 

 same frame that is used in the rest of the apiary, al- 

 though of course, a less number (three, I fiod) will 

 work to the best advantage. If you are using a 

 narrow frame in your apiary it will be better for 

 your observatory-hive, as It can then i-est on the 

 window-ledge, with the entrance at the end of the 

 frames, so that, by having both sides made of glass, 

 more of the economy of the hive can be seen. I use 

 the Jones frame, so that the hive, when in position, 

 projects about seven inches behind the ledge, the 

 latter being about that width. This might be con- 

 sidered a serious objection; but on trial it will 

 scarcely be found such, as it will soon become part 

 of the furniture of the room. To stock the hive, 

 take two fi-ames of bees and hatching brood, and one 

 empty comb, and give them a laying queen. If you 

 wish to make sure that they will have plenty of 

 bees, and the two frames of bees and brood are not 

 well covered, then give the third frame of hatching 

 bees instead of the empty comb. It will not do to 

 have them much crowded for room, so thqt, in a few 

 days, if necessary, take away one frame and adher- 

 ing bees, and give them a sheet of fdn. instead. By 

 proceeding as above you will have your observatory- 

 hive in good working order. 



Now, to make a practical use of it and at the same 

 time have the pleasure of seeing all the various 

 workings of the same, you will find it advantageous 

 to have one outside frame permanent in the hive, 

 from which to supply itself with bees. Even this 

 one frame will probably overstock it; but you can 

 very easily reduce the number of bees by taking 

 some away if necessary, liy using three frames, as 

 directed above, you will have two frames left to 

 work with. Now, if you want to m:ike the best use 

 of your queen, take away the other outside frame 

 (free from bees) every four or tlve days, nt the same 

 time rrmovlpg the center frame in its place, and 

 put a frame tilled with fdn. in the center. By re- 

 pojting this operation every four or five dajs dur- 

 ing a moderate flow of honey you will flud that the 

 center frxme of fdn. will be diawn out, some hnney 

 in several of the top cells, and nearly all the remain- 

 ing ones filled with eggs, the remainder of s^hich 

 the qu en will complete while the new sheets of 

 of fdn in the center is being drawn out. In this 

 way ihe frame you take away (if you take one every 

 Ave days) has been in the hive tt- n days, and will 

 th(»reforo coni ain honey, some lar > le about ready to 

 be flapped, and the rest of eggs nearly hatching. In 

 this WMy the fr^ime you take scarcely ever has 

 the queen, as sho will probably be busy on the 

 center frame. This does not make any material 

 difference, as you are to brush all the bees off before 

 taking the frame. 



To facilitate this, make a box about six inches 

 high, and without top or bottom, the latter being 

 just the size of the top of your hive, and make the 

 sides so as to slope outward. This will more readily 

 catch any falling bees. We will suppose that you 

 have the top of your hive covered with glass, which 

 either lifts off or slides out; now, before opening 

 the hive, close the blinds of any other windows in 

 the room, lift up the winduw-.^ash where your hive 

 is; and if you can open aho from the top, so much 

 the better. In this way you will never bo troubled 

 with bees in the room, as they very quickly make 

 their e.xit. 



Now for the frame of eggs and lirva3 you have 

 taken away. You will no doubt find lots of use for 

 it, either to strengthen gume weak colony, perhaps 

 one that may bo queenless, or give 1 : to some strong 

 colony that you may wish to rear queens from, or to 

 stimulate them to early swarming. All this is much 

 sooner done than described. 



You will find that this hive will fully repay you 

 for any labor bestowed upon it. It is very useful as 

 a honey-indicator, as the flow of honey can easily be 

 recognized by the progress made. One lesson of 

 self-sacrifice I have been taught by its use: When 

 the nights were cool, and we might suppose each 

 bee would be looking after his own comfort, they 

 would invariably be found congregated on the cor- 

 ners of the frames nearest the entrance, and so pro- 

 tect the larva? by their own discomfort. 



G. A. Deadman. 



Brussels, Ont , Can., Aug. 13, 1883. 



iTIAKlNG RAISINS, AND SOME OTHER 

 MATTERS. 



I HAVE just been taking a first look at August 

 Gleanings, and have noticed fnend Harris' in- 

 quiry for the method of making raisins. As I 

 have two brothers in Southern California engaged 

 in that business, I believe I can give a hasty out- 

 line of the method there practiced. 



When the grapes are ready to pick they distribute 

 flat boxes, or trays, through the vineyard, into 

 which the grapes are picked, and left right there 

 until they arc about half dry; then a man starts in 

 at the end of the row with one extra box, turns it 

 over the first one containing grapes partly dried, 

 then overturns them, leaving the grapes in the n?w 

 box, with the other side of the branches up, then 

 carries this released box to the next, and overturns 

 it In a similar manner, and so on through the vine- 

 yard, and the grapes are left right there until near- 

 ly dry, when they are taken to an airy storeroom, 

 where the process of drying Is completed, and pack- 

 ing done. 



But all this will be of no service to our Georgia 

 friend, becfinse. first, the climate will not permit of 

 this treatment, as rains are liable to come frequent- 

 ly, which is uot the case in California. Second, if he 

 could succeed in drying his grapes successfully, they 

 would be only dried (/rapes, not raisins. 



No process of drying will make raisins of any 

 grape grown in this country except those grown on 

 the Pacific coast, where the climate is such as to 

 produce the European varieties successfully. It is 

 not the process of drying or curing that makes rais- 

 ins; but raisins grow, and are simply dried. 



IS IT B'OUL brood? 



Not long since I was invited to go out in the ooun- 



