GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
35 
1874 
OUR, 
* ‘ Ln («> *s t- In toll! ge>ae®^ ,! 
tOR>RK 
Questions not to© length y, may be answered through 
this department even if not received until within two 
davs, of the first of the month ; and in two days more, 
nothing preventing, you may have your paper contain- 
ing the reply, If our Menas would use a separate: 
piece of paper for this, and in fact for each of the de- 
partments, and write on oivc side only t'would he quite 
-i favor.butif it’s too much trouble, don’t do it, for we 
want to hear from you anyway. 
Herb we -are -once more; this 27th day of Feb. 1874, 
and Bee Culture stands about as follows : — No posi- 
tive case of the dreaded malady has yet been reported ; 
unusually favorable reports come from all quarters, 
H)otli in regard to out, and In door wintering. 
Bee Keepers Mag* for Feb., we noticed last month. 
WE would suggest to Adair the propriety of return- 
ing the money sent him for his Hoc. Annals. Three 
oiwnths behind time can hardly be considered excu- 
sable. 
Although Mrs* T upper's Journal for Feb* did not 
come to hand until the 26th, she presents us one of the 
most valuable Nos. yet Issued. 
^ The A* B. J. made its appearance on the 9th, with 
an unusually flue selection of valuable articles. Both 
In typography and arrangement, it is not only a cred- 
it to our branch of industry, but to American Jour- 
nalism as well. 
The Bee World for Feb* made its appearance on the 
25th. Its typography is somewhat improved, and 
Mr. Moon seems to have a fine corps of contributors; 
but for mercy's saJce , why does he not get some one 
to read his proof. If the man can neither read, write, 
nor spell, himself, he certainly should not leave his 
readers to infer that no one in Home , Go*, can 4 do any 
better. Among all the host bf transient Periodicals 
with which our country is now flooded we have never 
before seen any thing so laiiientabl^ delicient In the 
principles which any common school education should 
give, as Mr. M?s attempts at editorials. We say this 
with no ill feeling toward Mr. M. but on the contrary 
would be much pleased to add to our list of Bee Peri- 
odicals, one published in the South. 
On page 220 of -4. Jl*J* for 1870, J. L. Davis writes: 
ik But I do say that I can raise Queens for $1.00 apiece 
if taken as soon as fertile,” by which It appears we 
were not the first to suggest the idea. 
Several complain that their Italians look like hy- 
brids in the winter; we think this only owing to the 
faded colors of the old bees, and that when the young 
bees get out, their markings will be equally as fair as 
last season, unless the Queen has been superceded. 
Instead of the long arguments, as to who is right, 
and who is wrong on wintering, would it not be as 
well to watch and see who is most uniformly success- 
ful? Those who perfectly understand it should win- 
ter, aye, and “spring too,” without loss. We hope 
all Will be as faithful in reporting losses as successes. 
N’. C, Mitchell, writes to ask our readers to defer 
concluding him really untrustworthy until May or 
June, When he will make good all promises. He also 
insists, Moon is much th etoorse man of the two, yet 
wu have let him go “scott free”; to which we reply 
that Moon has done nothing, so far as we know, 
whereby the good community requires he should be 
shown up”; unless it be, forsooth, his murdering of 
the English Language . 
(Continued from page 26.) 
Our reason for putting the Quinby frame 
last, was mainly on account of its size, and as 
there must be a stopping place some where, we 
had concluded that about the capacity of the 
L. frame was enough. Our objection to the 
American frame in A. B. J. was written while 
using the old style with cross bar in the mid- 
dle, and of a depth of 15 inches or more ; when 
made 12 by 12 they can be readily used in a 
tight hive like the L. without a movable side. 
Yours were probably the old movable side 
American hives, and perhaps this was some- 
what the reason for the lack of brood. It is 
our impression you could have done nearly, if 
not quite as well, witli the L. hive. We agree 
with you perfectly in regard to the Queen’s 
dislike to enlarging the brood nest downward. 
Being enabled to use 8 combs instead of 10, 
would be with us a heavy argument in favor 
of the large frames, and were we to handle 
them personally, without expecting any aid 
from feminines and juveniles, we might give it a 
preference. In our attempts to get the bees to 
work in boxes, we have for two seasons had il- 
lustrations of heavy Q. frames that were 
enough to intimidate a good sized child. 
In regard to the divisible frames; we made 
similar ones two years ago, and formed a plan 
of having the hive so narrow, that With rabbets 
clear around, we could put in the small frames 
cross wise, and the whole ones length wise, 
thus securing the advantages of the Gallup 
hive for Queen-rearing etc." and the Quinby 
hive for honey. After getting over our first 
enthusiasm on the idea, we concluded the ad- 
vantages were not sufficient to compensate for 
the complication rendered necessary for a div- 
isible frame ; and so we turned back to our old 
Langstroth frame again, as we have many 
times before, satisfied It was nearest the desid- 
eratum, all things considered. 
The long, one story hives had better be made 
with a permanent bottom board “let in” like the cover, 
for it will be found quite difficult to make them tight 
otherwise, in so long a hive ; besides as they are not to 
be used two story, there is no especial nfeed of a loose 
bottom. Further directions next month. 
WE have 1$ colonies under flVnlany manure heaps, 
(now covered deep with snow also) with the south 
side of the hive exposed, in such a way that they can 
fly, at any glimpse of snushlnc^ad Jibitum, and yet the 
manure affords so much protection that we think wat- 
er would not freeze, under the same conditions, du- 
ring the most severe winter weather. Is it possible 
that we have at last a plan of wintering our bees on 
their summer stands without exposing them to a 
freezing temperature? Tills would. chime with the 
broad one story hives nicely. 
Were we to judge of the value of Conventions 
by the excellent addresses of Prof. Cook, and M. Quin- 
by, given respectively In A. B. J. for Feb. and Utica 
Morning Herald of Feb. 5th, we should have no doubt 
of their great utility. The Convention at Utica, fur- 
nishes a great number of practical facts, and much 
credit is due them for their concluding summing up 
of the report in a tubular form ; but why does it not 
embody also, the yield of Capt. Iletheriiigton's large 
apiary? Attend Conventions by all means, when 
you can do so without making the expense of the 
Aninry, on an average, overbalance the total receipts. 
Will the kind Mend who sent us the above papers 
accept our earnest thanks for the same. 
