•fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



789 



Show me a ten-frame Langstroth 

 hive with one frame removed, that 

 more bees may pack together in the 

 ranges ; plenty of good honey and 

 plenty of September and October 

 hatched bees ; a honey-board or good 

 <iuilt well waxed down ; a good, 

 roomy entrance kept open ; a perfect 

 water-tight roof, and in a place shel- 

 tered from the prevailing winds, and 

 I will have no forebodings as to this 

 colony coming through any winter, 

 «ven if its only protection is a box 

 made of %-inch lumber. 



Ordinarily there is a saving of 

 stores where bees are warmly packed, 

 but aside from this one advantage, 

 no other presents itself to me. For 

 many years I have kept from 75 to 

 100 colonies, half of them being in 

 chaff hives with the usual parapher- 

 nalia of quilts, cushions, etc. 



Again, I will admit that a weak 

 colony can be brought through the 

 winter when contracted to a small 

 space and well packed, more success- 

 fully than it might if left in a large 

 hive ; but this amounts to nothing, 

 from the fact that where the bees 

 have been during the summer and 

 fall, in a normal condition, and still 

 go into winter in such poor condition 

 as to require such careful nursing to 

 keep them in existence, their kind 

 should perish ! It will not prove 

 profitable to propagate this kind of 

 stock. I believe in the doctrine of 

 the "survival of the fittest," and the 

 fittest only should be permitted to 

 perpetuate the race. 



Last April, an old gentleman stop- 

 ped at my house to see if I would buy 

 his bees. He had 15 colonies in box- 

 hives. He said that they were " all 

 livin'," but did not know anything 

 about their condition, as he had be- 

 come so afraid of them that he would 

 not go near them any more. He of- 

 fered them for $20, and being so low 

 in price, I then paid him his price, 

 and told him that I would haul them 

 home in a few days. I found them in 

 the most dilapidated old hives that I 

 had ever seen bees inhabit. Part of 

 them had to be bound together so 

 that they would not fall apart on the 

 way. The hives were so large that I 

 got, in transferring, good worker 

 comb enough from each to fill ten 

 Langatroth frames, and there was 

 enough drone-comb and pieces mostly 

 full of honey to fill a barrel. 



Nearly all the entrances of these 

 hives were from 1 to IJ^ inches deep, 

 besides other openings where bees 

 passed out; but such powerful colo- 

 nies I had never seen in April. I 

 could but view them with astonish- 

 ment. Musingly I asked myself this 

 question : Of what use is our modern 

 system of contraction, and careful,ex- 

 pensive packing, if bees will winter in 

 such splendid condition as they have 

 in these old excuses for hives ? What 

 do we know ? 



The honey crop of this State for 

 1887 was almost a failure. From 90 

 strong colonies I got but 1,100 pounds 

 of surplus honey. The fall flowers 

 yielded well, which put our colonies in 

 good condition as to bees and honey. 



Holliday's Cove, 5 W. Va. 



For tbo AmencaB Bee JoamaL 



Tie Bee and tlie Bntterfiy. 



GEORGE W. rORK. 



One summer d&y In the month of June, 



A bee was bumming a merry tune, 



And as It went from flower to flower 



It Kathered the drops of the *' honey-shower.' 



Thus while It toiled very hard and Iour, 

 And still was singing that cheerful song, 

 A butterfly happened to pass that way, 

 In ItB life BO aimless from day to day. 



Then to the bee the butterfly said : 

 " Why do you slave so hard to get * bread ?' 

 jRet my food, and then Jhave pleasure ; 

 But you never seem to get any leisure." 



" Yes," said the bee, " what you say is true. 

 I lead a life far nobler than you ; 

 I Ret my food, and much for my keeper." 

 Then into the flower the bee went deeper. 



Soon it returned from out that flower, 

 And kept up its hum for nearly an hour : 

 Seeing the butterfly still at her ease. 

 Again it began, and said : "If you please, 



" He lives in vain who tolls but for self— 

 Often 'tis found that he Rains by pelf ; 

 While he who works hard, unselfishly too. 

 Will live long in hearts that soon forget you. 



" Thus do I live for those who love me, 

 And my work, though small, will always be 

 Honored by all who like to eat honey, 

 That freely I store, without price or money." 

 Chicago, Ills., Dec. 6, 1S87. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



A Rip Van Winkle Bee-Keeper. 



M. M. BALDRIDGE. 



On Thanksgiving Day, one of my 

 correspondents wrote me as follows : 



" I met a man in La Crosse, Wis., 

 this week, who had come from Min- 

 nesota with 2,000 pounds of white 

 clover honey, and had sold it to a 

 commission man there for 12^ cents 

 per pound ! I went with him and 

 saw the honey. It was in the square 

 one-pound sections, made of one- 

 piece, and was still in the top stories, 

 in wide frames two tiers deep, and 

 all built between separators. None 

 of the propolis had been removed I I 

 took out some of the wide frames and 

 found every section plump, nicely 

 sealed, and full at the corners. All I 

 saw was as white as snow. The next 

 day this honey was picked up by a 

 Milwaukee house at 21 cents per 

 pound for the whole lot— the empty 

 supers and wide frames to be re- 

 turned. Some of the supers had 

 neither top nor bottom, having been 

 shipped in that way I The gross 

 weight of each super was 75 pounds, 

 and 20 pounds were allowed on each 

 as tare." 



Now, can it be possible that this 

 Minnesota honey-producer reads a 

 bee-paper V If not, it might possibly 

 be money in his pocket to do so. It 

 does seem strange that honey-pro- 

 ducers will allow the commission man 

 and retailer more net profit on comb' 

 honey than they get for themselves. 

 But such is often the case. Reader, 

 how is it in your case ? 



St. Charles, 5 Ills. 



For ttxe Anenoan Bee JontiuL 



Tlie Harilin Co., Iowa, Convention. 



The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met at the Court House 

 in Eldora, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 

 26, 1887. The convention was called 

 to order at 2 p.m., with President Ely 

 in the chair. 



After the regular business was 

 transacted, reports were made as 

 follows : 



President Ely had 80 colonies in the 

 spring of 1887, increased them to 12.5 

 colonies, and obtained 1,640 pounds of 

 comb honey, and 390 pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey, being a trifle over 25 

 pounds per colony, spring count. His 

 bees are well supplied with honey, 

 except possibly 4 or 5 late swarms 

 that are rather light, but he thinks 

 that they have enough for winter. 

 He winters a part of his bees on the 

 summer stands, and a part in the 



Mr. Lindley said— I had 45 colonies 

 at the beginning of the season ; in- 

 creased them to 55 colonies, and took 

 500 pounds of comb honey, a little 

 over 11 pounds per colony, spring 

 count. I increased by dividing colo- 

 nies, on the nucleus plan. 



This was the signal for a livelv dis- 

 cussion. President Ely, Mr. Hand, 

 and the Secretary would let the bees 

 swarm naturally. Mr. Smith would 

 divide a colony that refused to work 

 in the sections, and showed signs of 

 swarming by hanging out. This was 

 concurred in by nearly all. 



Mr. Lindley winters his bees on the 

 summer stands, and uses chaff hives. 



Mr. Hand was all ready with 30 

 good colonies last spring, and with 

 " his dish right side up " to catch the 

 expected shower of honey. As the 

 season advanced, and no signs of 

 surplus, he was tempted to kick the 

 dish over, and join the column of 

 " blasted hopes." However, he al- 

 lowed the "dish" to remain, and 

 when basswood bloomed he " caught" 

 500 pounds of nice corab honey, an 

 average of 16^^ pounds per colony; 

 and his bees are all well supplied 

 with honey. He also Italianized his 

 apiary, and increased it to 41 colonies. 

 He winters his bees in a cave, and 

 thinks that this part of Iowa is too 

 cold to use chaff hives. He used 

 them successfully in Ohio, but can- 

 not succeed in Iowa. 



Mr. Webster commenced the season 

 with 12 colonies, increased them to 15, 

 and 2 or 3 swarms went away. He 

 took no surplus honey, was away most 

 of the summer, and the bees were 

 neglected. He winters his bees in the 

 cellar. 



Mr. Smith had 11 colonies in the 

 spring, increased them to 21, and took 

 102 pounds of comb honey, a little 

 over 9 pounds per colony. The sur- 

 plus was all taken from 3 colonies, 

 the rest doing nothing in the sections. 

 He winters his bees in the cellar. 



J. W. Buchanan began the season 

 with 6 colonies, obtained 100 pounds 

 of comt) honey (an average of 16% 

 pounds per colony), and increased his 

 apiary to 7 colonies. He caught 3 



