PTPTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 303 



would look out more for temper, and I think I would stick to 

 pure Italian blood, even if occasionally a hybrid colony should 

 store most honey. If I had persisted in breeding from pure 

 Italian stock, I might have had just as good hustlers, with less 

 tendency to change, and with better tempers. 



As already mentioned, since 1912 I have mainly Italian stock 

 that is excellent, but not as gentle as I should like. If, from 

 the beginning, I had rigidly stuck to Italians, I might now have 

 bees of best gathering qualities, and by attending to other 

 qualities I might now have hustlers beautiful in appearance, 

 mild in temper, and little given to swarming. 



EIGHT VERSUS TKN FRAMES. 



I changed from ten-frame to eight-frame hives, I think, more 

 than for any other reason because at that time it was the 

 fashion. I do not know that I got any better crops by changing. 

 When it comes to moving hives about, the advantage is decided- 

 ly in favor of the smaller hive. The same may be said of the 

 supers. I am not sure the smaller hives have any other advan- 

 tage, unless it be that they occ\ipy less space and cost i\. little 

 less. But the larger hive has the great advantage that it can 

 have a larger supply of stores on hand at all times, making less 

 danger of starvation in winter and spring. That makes less 

 trouble and less anxiety. An eight-frame hive is sometimes 

 too small for a queen without a second story, where a single 

 story with ten frames would answer. So if it were to do over 

 again, very likely I might continue the ten-frame hivp. 



EXTRACTED HONEY VERSUS COMB. 



I have learned the production of comb honey as a trade, and 

 it would be a good deal like taking up an entirely different 

 business to take up the production of extracted honey. Never- 

 theless I do not know that I can make more money with comb 

 than with extracted honey. At one time there was so much 

 adulteration of extracted honey that the price of the genuine 

 article was affected thereby. Pure-food laws have changed that, 

 so that comb honey has no lo"iger that advanta.ue. 



There is another matter that deserves serious consideration. 

 If I were running for extracted honey I would undoubtedly 



