46 



GLEAXINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



think the bees are perfectly capable of tak- 

 ing care of themselves, for at legist six 

 months of the year, if they have proper '< 

 food and protection. To have the entrance j 

 left open fnll width, of course we mnst have j 

 the hive contracted to a small compass and j 

 perfectly closed above, or the entrance will ; 

 draw in the cold an-, like the draft to a stove. 

 Stop every crack and crevice, with chaff 

 cushions tightly crowded in. and if you do ; 

 your work well, instead of cold air forcing 

 its way in at the entrance, you will find the 

 bees can keep wann. and send a stream of 

 hot air out at the entrance besides, as soon 

 as they commence rearing brood in the 

 spring. If you have hives that you cannot 

 close up with the chaff cushions, as I have 

 advised, it may be best to close the entran- 

 ces during very severe weather : but I think 

 I would always leave room enough for one 

 or two bees to pass, lest they be forgotton. 

 when warm weather comes imexpectedly. 

 It is very bad policy to confine bees to their 

 hives when the weather is such that they 

 would try to get out. Bees wintered in a 

 dark cool cellar, may have "nire cloth tacked 

 over the front and top to keep them from 

 getting on the floor, if you choose, but in 

 this case you should take them out and re- 

 lease them should the weather get so warm 

 that they are impatient or uneasy. TVhen 

 bees are wintered on their summer stands, 

 they are always ready for a fly whenever a 

 warm day occurs, and are in shape to take 

 care of themselves, imder almost any cir- 

 cumstances, providing they have a free and 

 unobstructed entrance. 



Mr. Quinby and others, have recommeded 

 having an auger hole in the front end of the 

 hive, and adduce as proof of its utility, that 

 the bees at once show a preference for this 

 pass way. I have no doubt of it. and I think 

 if an auger hole were made directly in the 

 top of the hive, they would show a still 

 greater preference for that : but for all this. 

 i do not think it would be best for them. 

 With tall frames. I think such an auger 

 hole might be a great advantage, but with 

 our shallow L. frame I would prefer not to 

 have it. although it would perhaps do no 

 perceptible harm to a strong colony with old 

 and tough combs. You can easily make the 

 experiment, and if you do not like the auger 

 holes, plug them up again. I much prefer 

 you should verify these statements by tests 

 of yom- own. If I have made a mistake, 

 anywhere, write, and I will correct it. before 

 I send out anv more ABC books. 



EZTS.ACTB1> HOmSir. Liquid 



honey taken from the comb with the honey 

 extractor, has now been before the world 

 for 10 years, and much has been the discus- 

 sion pro and con. in regard to its merits, 

 and its desmibleness compared with comb 

 honey, for table use. If I have made no 

 mistake. I extracted the first tun of honey 

 ever taken fi-om one apiarj* , with the extrac- 

 tor ; and as it was put directly into market, 

 and such honey has been kept in market con- 

 stantly ever since. I have had a pretty good 

 opportiuiity of knowing all about it. 



If all the extracted honey put ujwn the 

 market were as good as some we have raised 

 and purchased, there would, I am quite siu-e. 

 be no trouble at all in deciding that it would 

 di'ive honey in the comb almost out of the 

 question. Much has been said about adul- 

 teration, but I have very little fear in that 

 direction. It is almost as impossible to imi- 

 tate a really fine article of clover or linden 

 honey, as it is to imitate fresh strawberries. 

 Let the people taste of the honey they are 

 asked to buy. and they will very soon say 

 whether they want it, and what they can 

 afford to pay for it. 



A really nice article of extracted honey 

 will bring 20 or 2oc.. quicker than a poor 

 article will bring 10 or 1-5 ; and I have seen 

 some. aye. and have offered it for sale too. 

 that I do not honestly think was worth over 

 oc, if it was worth am"thing at all, unless to 

 feed bees. Is all this difference on account 

 of the source from which it was gathered ':* 

 Xot at all. for all the honey we get here, in 

 the great majority of seasons, is from clover 

 and linden. Then where is the great differ- 

 ence V It is, so far as my experience goes, 

 simply because it is taken from the hive 

 before it is ripe. I know there are many 

 who do not agree with me, and I presume 

 in some seasons, and in some localities, the 

 honey may be ready to extract as fast as it 

 is gathered from the flowers. I make this 

 admission solely from what others have said, 

 for J have never seen any honey I thought 

 was fit to extract, until it was all sealed 

 over. StiU farther. I do not believe it is 

 nearly as nice, even when it is all sealed 

 over, as it will be if left in the hive three or 

 four weeks after it has been all sealed. I 

 Avill tell you some of my experience to illus- 

 trate the point. 



In 1S70. we extracted from our apiary of 

 less than oO colonies, over 3 tims of honey. 

 It was put up in 1 lb. bottles, and more than 

 half was sold for 2.5c. per lb. Dnring the 

 fore part of the season, the honey was al- 

 lowed to get pretty well capped over, but 



