THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



149 



it might be. But do you really think it very 

 dangerous to those who read the bee-jour- 

 nals ? 



Your statement " As a rule, there are very 

 few places when 200 would do as well as four 

 in any season " i)robably does dot refer to 

 absolute surplus— at least, it would not here ; 

 but if average surplus is meant, it may be 

 admitted without contradicting the state- 

 ment " When the season is poor for 200 col- 

 onies, it is poor for four. " 



It is the force of ttie latter statement 

 which is so generally ignored in warnings 

 against overstocking. When four colonies 

 have no competitors, will they gather as 

 as much from 1500 ( not I'AWQ ) acres in a 

 poor season as in a good one ? It is gener- 

 ally assumed so. But why should they ? 

 They have many more flowers to visit, in a 

 poor season, in this locality, to get the 

 same amount of nectar. If this applies to 

 four colonies it applies to a greater number, 

 up to the limit at which overstocking begins 

 to count. 



But is a locality overstocked when its 

 average yield per colony, or when its total 

 yield, begins to "diminish. ? " I think the 

 latter, and do not believe the two are coin- 

 cident. But the ordinary teaching does 

 not say they are not — perliaps rightly, as 

 that would be a theory, though a probable 

 one. And learners, being positive people as 

 a rule, infer it does say so. 



Mr. H. Ranchfuss informs me that an iso- 

 lated colony stored between 200 and 300 

 pounds of surplus from several hundred 

 acres of alfalfa, cut in the usual fashion ; 

 and that an isolated apiary of 80 colonies 

 added nearly nothing to its stores when all 

 but 100 acres had been cut. He thinks 8 or 

 10 acres to the colony, instead of l^o, fi'e 

 necessary for their best work. Tliese are 

 facts, but I do not see that they are just to 

 the point, which is how to get the most 

 honey from a given locality, I suspect — let 

 no one say I assented — that total surplus 

 will keep on increasing considerably below 

 the best average line. Now, Dr. Miller, 

 please prove that it won't. The limit of loss 

 by overstocking has been frequently over- 

 passed — granted : but perhaps just as fre- 

 quently not reached. We want to make 

 money, as well as to make sure we are not 

 losing it. 



Here's an article ( American Bee .Jour- 

 nal '!»."), page 2 ) written by (i. M. Doolittle, 

 one of the successful veterans, saying that 



few colonies and high averages are better ; 

 and the idea is practically endorsed by Dr. 

 Miller, another successful veteran ( he en- 

 dorses it when he emphasizes a limit in 

 only one direction ) — and basing my prac 

 tice on their word I undertake, by the in- 

 come from 100 colonies and no side issues, 

 to save enough money to go to Europe 

 with, some time — and yet there is no solid 

 evidence to show that I might not make }i 

 more money by keeping twice as many col- 

 onies, and be enabled to go to Europe 2 years 

 sooner, and get a piano besides. Mr. Editor, 

 please make Mr. Miller give both sides. 



Mr. Hasty, the editor of Gleanings is en- 

 titled to all the credit for the map idea. I 

 had no idea he was going to take it up in 

 that way in saying " What is wanted now is 

 to construct in the Hi nit/s of bee-keepers an 

 up-to-date map " etc. But this much may 

 be said for a real map, that so far as I know 

 Michigan would be all blue, and Colorado 

 would certainly be all red. Several of our 

 honey-producers were 8-frame men in the 

 East, and in spite of i)revious prejudices, 

 changed their views to suit this locality. 



Akvada Colo. Feb. 4, 189G. 



Wiring Frames for Natural Comb Building 

 — Prevention of Increase. 



B. F. AVEKILL. 



rn HE present high price of foundation in 

 'iJ connection with the depression of the 

 times, may make it desirable for some to 

 know, that very perfect wired combs may 

 be obtained in frames fitted only with comb 

 guides or starters. I experimented last year 

 with about twenty colonies and, with little 

 trouble, secured wired combs in all the 

 frames. I used, altogether, less than two 

 pounds of foundation. I wired the frames 

 with three horizontal wires and in the major- 

 ity of instances the bees built the septum 

 along the wires with surprising accuracy. 



I found the best plan for attaching the 

 foundation, to use a narrow strip the length 

 of the top bar, and imiied it firmly to the 

 to[) wire : or else use three narrow, triangu- 

 lar strips a suitable distance apart for L. 

 frames. Perfect wired combs may be in this 

 manner obtained with very little attention. 

 The hives must be as level as possible cross 

 wise of the frames, to obtain the best results. 



As many of my bee-keeping friends, who 

 work their apiaries for box honey, experi- 



