490 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Topics of Iiiterest. 



CorrectiDg Soie Misasprelieiisioiis. 



E. R. EOOT. 



I have read Mr. Draper's article over 

 with considerable interest, and it is easy 

 to see that he has " been there," too. I 

 fail to see, however, wherein we should 

 disagree. We use quite different hives, 

 different frames, and different plans of 

 working. His hive, as nearly as I can 

 estimate, has about double the capacity 

 of the 8-frame dovetailed; and his 28 

 large Dadant hives, with supers on top, 

 would be but little, if any, lighter than 

 the 57 8-frame hives that we liad on the 

 wagon. I agree with my friend, that 

 two men would be require^ to lift his 

 large hives. If the reader will refer to 

 the quotations he will see that I was not 

 talking about that kind of hives. 



I did not say that the hives averaged 

 75 pounds (see quotation) ; I said from 

 60 to 75 pounds, and this estimate was 

 made by one of our men, when we 

 arrived at home. I have since found 

 that they would hardly average* 60 

 pounds each. 



Again, I did not say that the roads 

 were heavy with mud. They were sandy 

 and gravelly ; and although it rained 

 furiously for a time, the water drained 

 away. Instead of there being from 200 

 to 300 pounds of mud on the wheels, 

 there was practically none. 



Now, about the poor team. They are 

 blooded Clydesdales, of the heavy draft 

 type, and our teamster has made his 

 boast that with them he could out-pull 

 four average farm horses. On the trip 

 in question, we drove so slowly (stopping 

 at the top of each hill) that we were 

 two hours in making the distance of 

 seven miles. A ton and a half, or, if you 

 prefer, two tons, is not a heavy load for 

 our Clydesdales, and they pulled the 

 load with ease. The excellent condition 

 of the team attests the fact that we do 

 not overload them. It strikes me as if 

 friend Draper were the one who had 

 been overloading his horses. 



I did not say that all the colonies were 

 strong. The apiary was run for in- 

 crease ; and while it produced about 

 2,000 pounds of honey, it increased 

 from 23 to 85 colonies by dividing ; 

 and while the colonies were weak to fair 

 strength (a few strong ones), the hives 

 did not contain "bushels and bushels " 

 of bees. 



Another thing : the hives were moved 

 at night, and the air was so chilly that 

 an overcoat felt good, although I was 

 excercising a good deal, at that. If it 

 had been hot, or during the day, we 

 would have used the cover screens 

 which we had with us. Subsequent ex- 

 amination has shown that no bees 

 suffocated. 



We move our bees either on a cool 

 day or at night. By taking this precau- 

 tion it is not always necessary to put on 

 cover screens. J. A. Green did not. The 

 fact is, we must exercise our judgment, 

 both as to the strength of the colony and 

 the day. 



And now, my friend does not see how 

 two of us could prepare and load 57 

 colonies in an hour and a quarter. To 

 save time it is our custom to " look 

 ahead a little " (I do not know whether 

 my friend does that or not), and before 

 starting I had made entrance screens 

 enough for all the hives. Into each end 

 a wire nail was driven nearly through, 

 so that, when we arrived at the yard, all 

 we would have to do would be to place 

 the screen over the entrance, and a 

 couple of blows of the hammer would 

 fasten it. Then we took with us ham- 

 mer and nails. 



An hour and a quarter for two men 

 for 57 hives, means two and a half 

 minutes for each hive for one man. Two 

 nails in the cover and two more in the 

 bottom, and the fastening of the en- 

 trance screen, was all the preparation 

 needed, after which the hive was car- 

 ried to the wagon. Do not forget the 

 fact that the bees were on fixed frames, 

 and, as a consequence, the hives did not 

 have to be handled like eggs. I do not 

 deny that we worked like beavers ; but 

 we did just as I said, by the watch, and 

 can do it again. Yes, sir ; there were 

 57 hives on the load. They were counted 

 on the wagon, and after unloading. 



Permit me to add, in conclusion, Mr. 

 Editor, that if our friend, Mr. Draper, 

 will make us a call at Medina, we will 

 not only give him a good reception, but 

 prove to him that the statements I have 

 made are literally true. 



Without wishing to boast, I would 

 simply say that we are proud of our 

 large team of heavy draft horses ; and 

 if he could see them once he would 

 feel satisfied that they are having good 

 treatment, and are not overloaded. 

 Allow me to add, further, that the dove- 

 tailed hive is made with special refer- 

 ence to moving, and for use in out- 

 apiaries. The difference in hives will 

 largely explain the apparent difference 

 in opinions. 



