“ NOVlOfi's " GhBANtNG» JN JlRH (JWD'fDRE' 
an 
We are afraid some of our friend's 
money went for "patent rights.” If so 
it’s gone, but friend II. don’t let any more 
go that way. Before warm weather 
comes we II try and tell how not to lose 
queens. 
C. W. Stokes, Atchison, Ivan.: *‘I kent 
the weight of two hives and they kept within 
one or two pounds of each othor nil summer, 
the best one gnvo 140 lbs. I took 701bs. of 
basswood honey, at one time, from one hivo." 
VYo feel quite sure that the latter colony 
must have labored at a considerable dis- 
advantage with 70 lbs. of honey in the 
way. 
John A. Buchanan. Wintorsvillo, 0., 
writes : “Alt my bees had to be fed heavily 
to carry them through tho winter except six 
that were in long hives with long frames ; nnd 
they averaged no better in the spring than 
the rest of the stocks that are in hivos with 
short frames. Some of my hives are tall, the 
i/utc post kind, (American Bee Hivcwe presume 
■ — Ed. bti.KA NtNf.s.) with diver* sticks of wood to 
brood. The spring being cold and unfavora- 
ble fur breeding, bees increased slowly save 
under the most favorable circumstances, and 
this is the case when bees are in long hives 
containing long combs, so the brood can ho 
extended horizontally without the necessity 
of having to divide the cluster to take in 
more frames until they have increased in 
strength sufficient to permit sueli a change. 
S. Hathaway, Muncie, Tnd: "From the 
best information that I can gather in regard 
to the present status of bees in this section of 
the State, 1 am led to believe tiiat three- 
fourths of all the colonies aro dead, and the 
remaining one-fourth very weak in numbers. 
Some of the colonies appeared to have dysen- 
tery; others looked as though they had frozen 
to death; and those the best supplied with 
stores appear to have suffered most." 
If things aro really as bad as the above, 
we don't wonder that bee-keeping is con- 
sidered precarious. We trust, however, 
to learn better. For reports as to what 
may lie done with bees that ore wintered 
see the following: 
Novice I put into winter quarters last 
winter 46 hives, sold two in ths spring, and 
had 38 left, the rest having died. From the 
:ts stocks left I got 112 swarms, and wo esti- 
mate they had 7,000 pounds in stores. This 
may not be interesting. N. 11.— IVe give our 
whole plan for anew honey extractor only by 
request: the same also of our new hive, 
which, we think, will doaway with Mr. Palm- 
er's troubles with propolis. Our own opinion 
is, we have the best lnve ever invented, and 
tlie cheapest. Will never have it patented, 
nor anything wo may happen to invent. 
J. L. Davis, Delphi, Mich. 
P. S.— Send "Gleanings" Quarterly. Your 
mode of managing bees is not adapted to 
Ibis locality. 1 have an extractor very simi- 
lar to yours, hut 1 will not use it except to 
give room for tho queen, which necessity 
does not occur oftener thnn once in four or 
live years. 1 use the Langstroth hive (heighth 
ten inches) and but one size frame for hive, 
and but one size »«udl frame for surplus and 
nucleus hives. W. J. Davis, 
Youngstown, Pa. 
Many thanks, Mr. D., even if your crit- 
icisms be somewhat strong, for how are 
we to improve unless we have kind friends 
to tell us of our failings. If you are ns 
ready to learn as we are, which we can- 
not doubt, we hope to show you that your 
extractor can be used profitably evert/ 
year, and on the other hand we admit, 
that comb honey in some form will be in 
such demand for years to come that its 
production must be considered ; and Mr. 
D. gives a most excellent idea, viz. : us- 
ing the half length frames, montioned on 
another page, for nucleus hives, for box 
honey also, or rather for comb honey, 
and these small combs can be removed 
one at a time as soon as sealed, nnd bees 
brushed oft’ without trouble. We have 
been informed by those having sold hon- 
ey in this shape that it brings the highest 
prices in the market and sells readily 
singly, or in suitable boxes by the quanti- 
ty. _ 
AKE EXTRACTORS “DANGEROUS 
A N effort is being made by patent 
dsiiA hive men and others to make it ap- 
pear unsafe to trust “beginners” with the 
extractor “They’ll make mischief by- 
throwing out the brood, starving the bees, 
etc.” IIow is this, fellow norices? How 
many years experience will it be neces 
sary to have before we learn that bees 
will starve it all their honey be taken 
away at times when they are gathering 
none ? If you wish to have the same 
|j number of colonies in the spring that you 
had the fall previously, invariably, tea say- 
remove oil their honey in September, and 
replace it with sugar syrup which at pres- 
ent cost does not exceed 10c per lb. 
When you can’t sell your honey for that 
write to ns. 
In extracting if you turn considerably 
faster than is necessary to remove the 
honey, you will throw the unsealed brood 
out. If our Young American bee keep 
ors are not bright enough to learn the two 
above simple points in a few weeks, they 
ought to be ahem, obliged to come 
and see “Novice” and let him talk to 
them. Iff say give us the extractor the 
first thing : ' lie want to see the folly 
ou t. too," as we once told our grand- 
mother. 
When we have thrown out some brtiod 
and starved a colony or two, lit nee how 
il works, we ll learn. 
We can give y ou the addresses of bee 
keepers who have bought bees and ex- 
tractors and made a fair profit the first 
year : and so can you, each and every 
one of our readers if you only think so, 
and are willing to work, study and learn. 
We should have much greater fears of 
your bees starving if you took advice 
from box hive bee keepers or venders of 
“closed top or side frame hives, than if 
you used your own “common sense ' un- 
aided. 
Ci'T from a large sheet of coarse brown 
paper, a piece Iwo inches larger than the 
quilt each way. Lay this over the quilt 
and then push down the cap, or upper 
story, and all the upper ventilation is 
closed completely, on we want it, in spring 
as soon as the bees are on their summer 
stands. 
