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82 



NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



deal of trouble. I have made cement 

 blocks. My mold is hinged in the mid- 

 dle, so that after the block is made I 

 can open the mold and take the block 

 out. It keeps the hive up off the 

 ^ound, and keeps it dry. I have had 

 a good deal of trouble with large white 

 ants, which practically eat up all the 

 sap-wood in the bottom board. In 

 having my hives pitched in that way, 

 on cement blocks, I will not have the 

 trouble in settling I had otherwise, 

 and the 2x4's I give a coat of tar — hot 

 tar — and it preserves them, and is 

 good for keeping the ants away. 



IMr. Baldridge — I made two or three 

 of the cement blocks, but I don't make 

 any more. I like the 2x4's, one under 

 each end of the hive; that is all I 

 need. 



Mr. Hall — ^How many have used 

 stands? I have made them out of a 

 big trough; they make a very nice 

 block, one for each end of the hive, 

 after you have filled them; the moist- 

 ure can't collect and the weeds can't 

 grow up in them. 



Mr. York — The question asks as to 

 hive-bottoms, and not to hive-stands. 



Mr. Horsemann — ^I don't think they 

 would be practical at all for hive- 

 bottoms; they would be too cold, es- 

 pecially in the spring time. I would 

 not think of using them except as a 

 hive stand. 



Mr. Baxter — Besides that, they are 

 too heavy. There is nothing like 

 wood for hive-bottoms, and you want 

 the bottom board loose, so that you 

 can raise the hive at will, and wood is 

 the only thing to use. 



Side Packing for Hives in Winter. 



"What is the comparison between 

 air- space and chaff packing on the 

 sides of the hive for wintering?" 



Mr. Baxter— ^he chaff hive Is much 

 the better. I have some chaff hives; 

 we put 3 or 4 inches of chaff between 

 the walls of the hives, with two % 

 inch boards, with dead air space of 

 about 1 inch. When packing in the 

 spring, 'we invariably find the chaff 

 hive much the stronger; although they 

 have one frame less of comb, the bees 

 have more stores left, and they are 

 ready to gather honey quicker than 

 the others are. 



iMr. Thompson — What do you find in 

 the way of accumulation of moisture 

 on the other part of the hive? 



Mr. Baxter — I never have any; we 



guard against that when packing in 

 the fall; I had one experience one 

 winter. When you open the hives ia 

 the spring, you will find them as dry 

 as can be. 



iMr. Thompson — Don't you ever find 

 water running from the entrance? 



Mr. Baxter — ^Sometimes, yes; but 

 never an accumulation inside the hive; 

 it condenses, falls on the bottom. I 

 never find any ice when you unpack 

 them in the winter time. 



'Mr. Thompson — Did you make any 

 comparison between the chaff and the- 

 air space, and the amount of water 

 that runs through the entrance? 



Mr. Baxter — No difference. The 

 amount that runs from the front of 

 the hive amounts to almost nothing. 

 In those very same hives, when un- 

 packing, you don't find any moisture 

 on the hive, only on the bottom board,, 

 and simply in front. 



Mr. Huffman — Would that packing, 

 according to Mr. Baxter's experience, 

 be governed somewhat according to- 

 location; would that not have a good 

 deal to do with it? I think in Wis- 

 consin we have colder weather — more 

 frost; I think under those conditions 

 more ice would gather in the hives, 

 and consequently more dampness; I 

 think the locality has a good deal to 

 do with the packing and outdoor win- 

 tering. 



Mr. Baxter — Remember that the hive 

 is a chaff hive. The packing I use is 

 dry leaves inside the hive. I have a 

 board which I move over from the 

 west side of the hive — take out two 

 frames and move it over so I can 

 pack that side with leaves; I have 

 telescope covers, 6 inch top, filled with 

 leaves; that is inverted over the 

 frames. I take the cloth away and put 

 matting all across the top of the 

 frames, then leaves on top of that; 

 all the moisture goes up into those 

 leaves and condenses there or escapes. 

 I have a hole in the back end of the 

 hive; the entrance is below in front; 

 there is a current of air through there. 

 If you remember the winter of 1884-' 

 85, that was a tester; that winter I 

 engaged to teach school, against my 

 best judgment, because a certain man 

 promised he would come and pack my 

 bees for me; I knew that he could do 

 it all right, but something prevented 

 him and he didn't pack them. I had 

 three apiaries, one at home, and two 

 out-apiaries; the one at home I packed 



