THE BEE KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



241 



AT THE KAIKS. — MB. HUNT S CASTLE. 



As mentioued iu the August Rkview, I 

 made an exhibit at the Detroit Exposition, 

 also at our State Fair. It is very hard work 

 to attend these fairs three weeks at a stretch 

 and I was nearly sick for a week after 

 reaching home. My absence at the fairs 

 and my indisposition since my return have 

 made this issue late. I am quite well now, 

 however, and shall probably pull through 

 without my " usual" fall sickness. 



There is not room iu this issue to give a 

 detailed account of the exhibits at the fairs, 

 and perhaps it would not be advisable to do 

 so if there were room. With the exception 

 of Mr. Hunt's castle of wax and honey, the 

 exhibits were about the same as usual. 



This castle was 8 x 32 feet with a central 

 tower about 20 feet high. With the excep- 

 tion of the tower, the castle was about S ft. in 

 height. The lower part was simply a counter 

 like a store counter, except that into the 

 panels along the front were fitted sheets of 

 queen excluding zinc. Above the counter, 

 all was open ( except the posts at each front 

 corner and the central tower, which was at 

 the front) until within about two feet of the 

 top. This space of two feet around the top 

 was covered with comb honey interspersed 

 with panels of nicely molded yellow wax. 

 The corner posts and central tower were 

 covered with comb honey. It resembled a 

 a castle built of comb honey and wax, and 

 was really unique. Upon the lower part, (the 

 counter) extracted honey in fanciful glass 

 packages was arranged in artistic forms. 

 Mr. Hunt had eight varieties of bees ( includ- 

 ing Funics from Pratt and a nest of bumble 

 bees shown in a glass case.) This reminds 

 me that, over at the Port Huron fair, where 

 I went to award the premiums, Mr. R. O. 

 Gould had a nest of large, white-faced hor- 

 nets on exhibition in a glass case. 



In one respect the fairs seemed different 

 to me this year : I missed my old friend and 

 chum, H. D. Cutting, wlio. for the last year, 

 has been working for the Muskegon Chemi- 

 cal Fire Engine Co., and could not get awav 

 as he had expected to be able to do. For 10 

 years I had had him for a companion at all 

 of the fairs. We had tented, cooked and 

 eaten together, slept in the same bed, helped 

 each other through tight pi ces, sympathyzed 

 and rejoiced with each other, and without 

 him I felt like a bird that had lost its mate. 

 I must not neglect to mention that Mr. 

 •J. Van Deusen came all the way from 



Sprout Brook, N. Y., to make an exhibit of 

 his foundation, and that he was rewarded 

 by seeing the blue cards dangling from his 

 exhibit. 



HOUSE APIAKIES A SUCCESS. 



The Review has brought out the most 

 complete knowledge that it is possible to 

 gather in regard to liouse apiaries. That 

 they are a success, or, at least, can be made 

 such, there is no longer any doubt. The 

 first expense is the only drawback; the ease 

 and quickness with which work may be per- 

 formed will repay the interest on the invest- 

 ment. 



If I were to build just such a cellar, honey 

 house, shop and house apiary as I wanted, 1 

 think now that they would all be combined 

 in one building. I see only one objection to 

 the plan, and that is the increased risk of 

 loss from fire. If the building burned, bees, 

 honey, tools, implements and all would be 

 lost, but I should exercise every care against 

 fire and keep everything fully insured. I 

 should keep everything insured anyway, 

 whether under one roof or a dozen, and as 

 an insurance company will pay two-thirds or 

 three-fourths of the loss, I should prefer to 

 take the risk of losing one-third or one- 

 fourth in exchange for what would probably 

 be years of greater convenience in the man- 

 agement of the apiary. 



It is superfluous to more than enumerate 

 the advantages of such a house apiary. 

 Hives, tools and bee keeper always under 

 shelter; everything right at liand, no carry- 

 ing of honey; bees always ready for winter, 

 or so nearly so that their preparation is a 

 very slight job; no carrying them in and out 

 of the cellar; while they enjoy the advan- 

 tages of both out-door and in-door winter- 

 ing. In other words, by having a cellar 

 under the building, the walls packed with 

 sawdust, and using stove heat when neces- 

 sary, the temperature of the room may be 

 kept above freezing, the same as a cellar, 

 while the bees are in a position to take ad- 

 vantage of any warm day in winter by en- 

 joying a cleansing flight. 



One thing shown most clearly by the dis- 

 cussion is the folly of having the hives 

 stationary in a house apiary. The old style 

 was to have the side of the building form 

 one side of each hive, the shelf under the 

 bees formed the bottoms of the hives, while 



