THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW^ 



65 



'tary, G, H. Knickerbocker ; Treasurer, C. G. 

 Dickinson. Its object is to furnish its mem- 

 bers prompt, reliable information as to the 

 honey crop throughout the United States. 

 Six or more reporters are appointed in each 

 honey-producing state, and they forward 

 their reports to the Secretary on the first 

 days of June, July, August and September. 

 The Secretary compiles these reports, and, 

 on the tenth of the month, forwards to each 

 member the reports from the whole Uuited 

 States, The membership fee is fl.OO, and 

 sending that amount to the Secretary, G. H. 

 Knickerbocker, Pine Plains, N. Y., entitles 

 one to the reports for one year. Great pains 

 are taken to secure reliable men for report- 

 ers ; and, as fast as possible, their num- 

 ber will be increased until every honey 

 producing county will be represented by a 

 reporter. The Exchange has the support 

 and endorsement of such Veil known men 

 as Dr. Miller, Dadant, Grimm, Manum, 

 Crane, Cushman, Vandervort, Mason, 

 Tinker, Pond, Gary, Root, Hetherington, 

 Martin, Barber, Isham. Doolittle, Clark, As- 

 pinwall, VanDeusen, Heddon, Taylor, Cook, 

 Hilton, Cutting, Valentine, Demaree, Shuck, 

 Foster, Secor, Wilkins, Rassmusseu, and 

 many others equally as well known : and the 

 Review most heartily adds its support. The 

 selling of our product needs more study just 

 now than does its production, and anything 

 that helps in that direction ought to be en- 

 couraged. 



OONTEAOTION OF THE BKOOD-NEST. 



There seems to be but little to say in the 

 way of summing up. There is no doubt but 

 that contraction of the brood-nest is profit- 

 able in the production of comb honey in 

 localities where there is an early harvest of 

 white honey, followed by a dark fall crop; in 

 short, it is advisable under exactly the condi- 

 tions that we mentioned in our introductory 

 editorial of last month. Dr. Miller intro- 

 duces one point that we failed to notice, viz., 

 that a young bee in the hive is a help, though 

 the harvest may close before the bee is old 

 enough to join the field laborers. 



By removing the queen, P. H. Elwood, and 

 others, not only prevent increase, but put a 

 stop to brood rearing more effectually than 

 it can be done by contraction; and, when the 

 queen is returned, the honey that has accumu- 

 lated in the brood-nest is rushed into the 

 sections, to make room for the queen. This, 



of course, compels £he bees to handle some 

 of the honey twice over, but we don't care 

 anything about that, it's the resell fs we are 

 after. We have never tried that plan, but 

 feel sure that we would prefer contraction, 

 as being less laborious, where the prevention 

 of increase is not also desired. In the pro- 

 duction of extracted honey, contraction is 

 not so important, as the honey can be ex- 

 tracted even though it is stored in the brood- 

 nest; still, it is more convenient, and the 

 work more easily and quickly performed, 

 where the brood is in one apartment and the 

 surplus in another. The time when we have 

 found contraction the most desirable, is in 

 hiving a swarm. The sections are transfer- 

 red to the swarm, and the bees forced into 

 them at once by contracting the brood-nest. 

 Work is speedily re^^umed in the supers, and 

 the sections finished up; whereas, with a large 

 brood-nest, the honey would be stored in it 

 instead of in the sections, the latter being 

 left untouched until the harvest is nearly 

 passed and gone. 



LANGSTBOTH ON THE HONEY BEE, REVISED 

 BY DADANT. 



Continued from March No. 



Chapter III treats of the "Food of Bees." 

 During its sojourn in the honey-sac, nectar 

 undergoes a chemical change. Most of its 

 cane sugar is changed into grape sugar.— 

 Whether the cappings over honey are air- 

 tight is an undecided question. The Dadants 

 are of the opinion that they are not, but they 

 admit that the difference of opinions may be 

 due to the fact that the cappings are very 

 fragile, and crack imperceptibly, when ex- 

 posed to the variations of temperature out- 

 side of the hive.— In some localities, the use 

 of flour as a substitute for pollen, before it 

 can be gathered in the spring, is a great ad- 

 vantage.— When rearing brood, bees need 

 water, but, when bees are shipped, ( without 

 brood we presume) they do not need water; 

 at least, Messrs. Dadant did not succeed in 

 getting bees alive from Italy until, very re- 

 luctantly, the shippers consented to send 

 them without water. 



Chapter IV discusses "Bee-Hives." Some 

 space is given to the hives of olden time. 

 Earthen hives, straw hives, the Huber Leaf 

 hive, the Gravenhorst hive, the Berlepsch 

 hive, etc., hives that have seen their day, 

 are given a brief description. Then follow 



