1874 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
21 
should all change our present frames but if the 
veterans could agree on one frame as being ad- 
visable as a standard, what a “glorious help” 
all around ’twould be. 
We feel sure a brisk trade is soon to spring 
up in empty combs, if they can only be pur- 
chased with the full assurance of fitting nicely 
in our hives, and this can only be done by hav- 
ing all uniform. 
As we were unable to interest any one in the 
matter, we got up the diagram on our price 
list from what facts we could gather hoping it 
might attract enough attention to enable us to 
set the matter right, if we were in error. 
Considerable discussion has been drawn out 
on the amount of space that should be given 
between the hive and frame and also on the 
length of the projection for hanging the frame 
on the rabbet. We would suggest % inch for 
the latter and % inch on the former; as it is al- 
most impossible to get the space so exact that 
we shall not vary more than %, we would sug- 
gest that the workmanship should never allow 
the space to be less than uor greater than % 
inch. We rather prefer the latter to be sure 
that no bees are even squeezed ; and we have 
no trouble with bits of comb built when the ex- 
tractor is used as frequenty as it should be; 
we would also have a full half inch between 
the bottom bar and bottom board. 
Another point must be considered but we dis- 
like to do it, because it may be received by 
some unkindly, but as we feel sure the mass of 
honey raisers will agree with us, we will try, 
’tis this : That any method of supporting frames 
in the hive, as yet before the public, except sus- 
pension, has been proved to be utterly out of 
the question under consideration, as are also 
fl'ames with closed tops, bottoms, or ends. 
However, we shall be most happy to hear 
from the advocates of any of the above, and 
will promise to give any facts or evidence fur- 
nished, a most careful consideration. The re- 
plies we have received to Prob. 4th, Vol 1st., 
have given us a pretty fair view of the general 
decision in regard to frames. 
PHOTO’S OF APIARIES. 
A I. ROOT & CO '.—Enclosed And 31.00 for the 
Gi.kaninos and l’hoto. I am sending mine, 
0 which was made before your articles “How 
to start an Apiary” came out, or I should have follow- 
ed your directions. By looking close you’ll see a few 
Simplicities, among the hives. I mean to test them 
the coming summer and report. 
F. H. Harkins, Ilomc, Minn. 
Could our readers all see the view spread 
before us on the small card we feel sure all 
would unite in saying “Our hearty thanks, 
Mr. H.” As we can’t pass It around to all, 
we’ll try and tell what we ean see with the 
aid of a magnifier. 
About 100 hives are scattered over a level 
field with an octagonal Houey-house in their 
midst, and a pleasant looking wood for a back- 
ground. In the fore-ground stands our Mend, 
as we suppose, in his shirt sleeves and his 
three boys are assisting. We are sorry we 
can’t discover any girls or women about, for 
an apiary in our opinion is incomplete with- 
out them ; has our friend no daughters as well, 
and does’nt Mrs. H. take to bees ? There cer- 
tainly is no danger, for one of the juveniles is 
barefooted, and we are much pleased to see 
that, although hives are open, the Extractor 
going, and H. himself “uncapping,” nothing 
in the shape of Bee-veils is used at all by any 
one, and a little “cub” that we would like to 
pinch stands beside an open hive as happy and 
unconcerned as if he never heard that bees 
could sting. The hives look precisely like 
the Langstroth hives we use, and the Simplic- 
ities too, but why does he tip up the latter ? 
One beauty of them is that they can always be 
kept perfectly level. 
With all those hives full of bees it seems 
that the Peabody machine would never keep 
up, and again the youth filling jars with a 
quart cup should let some of the girls do that, 
and the whole machinery should be arranged 
so that the honey will strain and run itself 
into the jars without even stopping until ’tis 
“dinner time” or something else “funny” hap- 
pens. We would’nt turn those fine looking 
boys out of the apiary by any meaus, for they 
are needed to carry combs so that “Papa” can 
as lie removes them, carefully study the con- 
dition and needs of each stock, while“Katie” 
or some feminine “P. G.” attends to the uncap- 
ping and extracting machinery. 
If the whole lot of hives should “take a no- 
tion” to yield 5 or 10 lbs. each daily, quite a 
number of little folks might be found vastly 
useful. 
By the way, we should be pleased to ex- 
change Photo, of our Apiary for that of the 
Apiary of any of our friends. We want to get 
up a large “three banded” Album. 
FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 
LEA.SE bear with me if I relate a lit 
dpjjj fk tic of our bee experience which has- 
been a good deal disheartening, many 
has been the time this summer that 
7 v both Husband and I have wished we 
had let bees alone, but there was no back- 
ing out now, without quite a loss which 
we could ill afford. Two years ago this winter we 
brought home one swarm of bees, the next summer 
they swarmed twice and gave us about three dollars 
surplus, one of the swarms tilled the hive of 2000 cubic 
inches, box hives, clear to the bottom, 60 we thought 
we would do as some of our neighbors did, pry off the 
top and take out some of the honey, we inquired of 
half a dozen or more of our neighbor bee keepers if it 
would do any harm, they could not sce^that it would, 
so one hot day in Aug. or Sept, we went to work, 
but such a muss as we got into— bees honey and all 
squashed down together, it set us thinking if there 
was not a better way ; so last winter or fall we bor- 
rowed some bee books, bought some, and sent for 
some papers and during the last year we have learned 
something. We had lo stocks in the spring and in- 
creased to 27 but have had to feed and nurse them all 
summer. 
We had a line prospect for buckwheat harvest but 
an early frost killed it, the bees had scarce any stores 
in their hives, and we began to feed near the first of 
July [just enough to keep them] from % to X teacup 
dally, in the evening; as soon as the frost killed the 
flowers we fed for winter stores, in all we fed about 
three barrels, $90.00 worth of A sugar, made into a 
syrup. For their fall feed, we put into thyee quarts of 
the syrup one teaspoonful of cream of tartar and ’tis 
nearly all sealed up nicely now ; We think they are in 
pretty good condition, each hive having from 25 to 35 
or 40 lbs. 
Husband wishes me to ask how you manage to 
get your bees to take down the syrup so fast? [wo 
read your article in the A. B. J.) Our bees were ten 
days or more taking down their winter stores, we 
