408 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



Speaking of night blooming plants, 

 makes me think of what Mr. Lewis 

 stated above; but we do not think 

 Florida has any more night blooming 

 plants than most other states. As I 

 came into my house tonight, I was 

 arrested by the delightful odor of our 

 night blooming jessamine; its delicate 

 aroma can be scented only at night, as 

 all lovers of this modest shrub well 

 know. But it is never in sufficient 

 quantities, we believe, to be of any 

 value as a honey plant even if there 

 were bees that gathered nectar during 

 the night hours. Nor do we believe 

 there are any blossoms of any im- 

 portance that bloom at night, that do 

 not also bloom in the day; so that 

 there would be no advantage in having 

 a bee that would work night as well 

 as day. The nectar, secreted during 

 the hours of the night, we believe, is 

 deposited at the base of the stamens 

 and pistils, or at base of corolla, and 

 is not evaporative; so that the bees 

 secure all the nectar of the night in 

 their first visits of the early morning 

 hours. — E. G. B. 



E. G. B. 



We have been much interested in the 

 "Arizona bee shed" of the current num- 

 ber of Gleanings. It is much like our 

 Florida bee sheds, on the east coast, 

 except that we use palmetto leaves to 

 make the shade; and these are laid on 

 and nailed, not wired on. But the ap 

 pearance is much like that described 

 by Mr. W. H. McCormick.— E. G. B. 



IRON WEED AS A HONEY PRO- 

 DUCER IN TEXAS. 



P. C. Croxen, writing from El 

 Campo, Texas, says: "There are acres 

 and acres of laid out rice fields here, 

 that are covered with iron weed, which 

 will soon give a splendid honey flow. 

 I took first premium at our county 

 fair last fall with iron weed honey, 

 and the blossom has a long season." 

 Can you tell us whether or not, friend 

 Croxen, the iron weed you speak of, is 

 the same as that which covers the old 

 orchards and lanes and back lots, 

 abandoned or fallow fields, etc., all 

 over Illinois and Indiana? Can you 

 send us the botanical name? What is 

 the color, flavor and body (thick or 

 thin) of your iion weed honey? Are 

 you sure it is from that source, alone, 

 or largely? How do you know it, if 

 so? We shall be glad to have any 

 others, that know about iron weed 

 honey, give the readers of the Review 

 their verdict and data, if they will.-- 



THE FOUR COLONY DOGHOUSE 

 WINTER CASE. 



The four colony winter case as we 

 make it is explained so well by the 

 accompanying cuts that further de- 

 scription is hardly necessary. The 

 base or flour is used the year round, 

 in summer for a stand and in winter 

 for the bottom of the packing case. 



The sides and ends, as well as each 

 side of the roof is built separate. When 

 the case is taken away in spring, it 

 is knocked down, as it is only tacked 

 together at each corner when in use. 

 The opening for the entrance for the 

 bees is cut 3 inches by eight inches, 

 but in the 96 cases we are building 

 this fall, no opening is cut, except we 

 bore three or four %-incli auger holes 

 instead. This will form a vestibule of 

 better protection from snow blizzards, 

 that are likely to sift into the iitves 

 during winter. The tube for egress 

 and ingress of the bees is explained so 

 well no further explanation is neces- 

 sary, only to say it is 3 inches high 

 and 8 inches long, inside. Hereafter 

 they will not be quite so deep. Their 

 position on the hive is also shown by 

 the accompanying cut. As we use 5 

 inches of packing all around our hives, 

 of course this tube would be 5 inches 

 wide from the inside of the case to the 

 outside of the hive being packed. 



The case proper, telescopes over the 

 floor 3,(1 of an inch when set up. This 

 prevents water oozing in under the 

 bottom. Some of our covers are built 

 of planed and matched lumber, run- 

 ning up and down the roof, others of 

 galvanized steel and some of asphalt 

 roofing. The inside demensions of the 

 case for the 10-frame hive are 42 inches 

 by 50 inches, being 10 inches wider 

 than two hives and 10 inches longer 

 than two hives, when placed close to- 

 gether. 



The depth of the case is 10 inches 

 more than the height of the hive to 

 be packed, as we like 8 inches of pack- 

 ing on top with 2-inch space between 

 cover and packing to allow the pack- 

 ing to dry out. This last measurement 

 is for our fiat top cases, which pre- 

 dominate. For packing we do not see 

 much difference between clover chaff, 

 fine straw or chaff of the wheat or oat 

 variety. Some use sawdust or forest 

 leaves with equally as good results. 

 Quality of winter stores being more es- 

 sential than kind or quantity of pack- 

 ing. 



