THOUSAND ANSWERS 
253 
get a few queens this summer, so if there are any with spliced 
tongues, that is the kind I am after. 
A. There can he no sort of question that there is a decided 
difference in the length of bees’ tongues. Able men on both sides 
of the ocean have settled it by actual measurement, and at least 
some of them have no possible interest in giving anything but the 
truth, unless they are bribed outright to lie — a thing that, for one, 
I cannot believe. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that 
the bee with the longest tongue must necessarily be the best bee. 
Other things being equal, the bee with the longest tongue is the 
best bee. But other things are by no means always equal. The 
bees that still store the most honey are the best bees, whether 
their tongues are long or short. But when you succeed in get- 
ting the best storers, it is just possible that they may excel in 
tongue length. 
Top-bars. — Q. What width of top-bars do you prefer, \% or 
1 1-16? Is there any practical difference? I expect to make a 
number of hives, and want to get them right. 
A. I am using 1J4 inches with good results. 
Q. Do you believe that a half-inch thick brood-frame top-bar 
will tend to prevent the bees building burr-comb on such frames, 
as well as the three-quarter inch top-bar? Which kind do you 
use ? 
A. I do not believe that the one-half inch will prevent burr- 
combs quite as well as the three-quarter. Mine are seven-eighths. 
Trade Marks. — Q. How can a trade mark be obtained for la- 
beling honey when working up a trade? 
A. A trade mark is registered by the Government at Wash- 
ington, D. C., in order to be able to protect it in case of infringe- 
ment or copying. For the details to be followed in securing such 
registry, better consult a good lawyer. 
Transferring From Box-Hives. — Q. When is the right time to 
transfer bees from box-hives to modern hives, and how? 
A. Wait until the bees swarm (in your locality they are likely 
to swarm in May), then hive the swarm in an up-to-date hive and 
set it on the old stand, setting the old hive close beside it. A week 
later move the old hive to the opposite side of the swarm, and 
then two weeks later still, or three weeks from the time of 
swarming, when all the worker-brood will be hatched out, break 
up the old hive and add its bees to the swarm. Then you can 
melt up the old combs. 
