8 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
Bee Motes for January. 
BY L. C. BOOT, MOHAWK, N. Y. 
Of hives and frames there is an endless variety. I 
could not, if I would, touch upon the advantages or disad¬ 
vantages of all. There are a few practical points that 
are essential, and if the hive you are using possesses 
them, don’t change. The question of importance to be¬ 
ginners is, between the hanging and standing frame. 
Each has its advantages. After studying the subject with 
much interest, I fail to find any hive and frame that meets 
as many requirements as does the Quinby hive. For 
boxing or extracting honey, for adapting space of the 
brood-chamber to the size of stock, or for placing in 
winter quarters, I find no hive its superior. A hive large 
enough to hold a sufficient number of frames for extract¬ 
ing, or boxes for the honey that should be gathered by a 
strong swarm in a good season, must necessarily be too 
large to be placed in winter quarters. Hives with hang¬ 
ing frames must b« placed 
bodily in the cellar, which is 
not only laborious, but they 
occupy too much space. 
The Quinby hive can be left 
on the summer stand, while 
the frames are packed away 
Fig. 3. frame. ag described in November 
last. Figure 1 represents a hive with hanging frames, 
with boxes in place on top. This hive is a modification 
of the Langstroth, and is 12 in. wide, 12 in. high, and 20 
inches long, inside measure. The frames hang on rab¬ 
beting at the top. The Quinby hive is shown at figure 2, 
with top, front, and one side removed, showing the man¬ 
agement of the boxes. One top and one side box are 
displaced, to show the means of access from the frames. 
The box showing holes in the bottom, belongs on top of 
the frames, where a thin honey board has holes to match 
those of all the top boxes. The other box has a strip of 
glass in the end, with y t inch space at each side; this 
end is placed to the side of the frames. The hive is 19 in. 
deep, 27 in. wide, and 18 in. high. This gives room for 
16 frames, when used for 
extracting, or boxes to 
contain 150 lbs. of comb. 
A frame to be practical, 
and adapted to the wants 
of the bees, must bo made 
strong, and with no cross 
pieces. I am asked if a 
cross piece through the 
Fig. 4. — frame. center, either horizontal 
or perpendicular, will not 
assist in securing straight combs. I answer no, and if it 
would, there are disadvantages in other directions. 
When such a piece crosses the frame either way, the 
queen does not readily cross it, but confines the brood to 
one side, and it is thus a decided hindrance to breeding. 
.' Others use a frame with but. one strip across, and that 
about half way from the bottom. Quite recently a frame 
has been advocated with no bottom strip. This may 
have its advantages, but it is not a practicable frame to 
handle. For ease and convenience, it is often necessary 
to rest the weight of the frame and its contents on the 
corner. One will readily see that such a frame as shown 
in fig. 3, would not hold its form, and a tender comb 
must necessarily be broken. It would not even be safe 
to stand such a comb on the end by the side of the hive, 
an almost absolute necessity many times. 
The material used for frames is often too light, fre¬ 
quently only 3 / IS or inch thick. The frame represent¬ 
ed in fig. 4, is of the Quinby style, and is made of strips 
Vi inch thick, and well braced at the corners. Some of 
the best beekeepers not 
only make their frames 
strong in this way, but for 
further security they bore 
holes through the frames, 
and fasten the combs by 
pinning them in with 
thorns from the red haw. 
Hives do at times get turn¬ 
ed over, or a frame may 
accidently be dropped, and 
it the frames are made 
strong, and the combs are 
well secured, there will be 
little danger of their being 
broken. As to the proper 
size and shape of frames, 
beekeepers will ever dif¬ 
fer. Both extremes have 
their advocates. Those as 
shallow as 6 or 7 inches, 
are recommended by some, 
while others would have 
them 14 inches deep. The 
length will vary according 
to the depth. For warm 
climates, the shallow frames may be preferable, but for 
a northern latitude I would not recommend them. In 
this, as in all things, I advise avoiding extremes. A 
frame will nearest meet all requirements that is about 12 
inches deep. The Quinby frame isllX by 193*, inches. 
Those who desire a smaller frame, should take from the 
length rather than the depth. 
Nearly all writers advise thoroughly painting hives. So 
far as the good of the hive is concerned, and for looks, we 
can all agree as to the advantage, but considering the 
best possible results to be reached, I find objections. I 
am satisfied that well painted hives retain moisture that 
would otherwise, and should pass otf through the pores of 
the wood. It has long been acknowledged that straw 
made the very best wall for hives, and unpainted wood 
more nearly resembles the porous nature of straw. A 
hive that is set up and fastened together with hooks or 
clasps, is less open to this objection than one firmly nail¬ 
ed together. 
Each hive should be furnished with a good, substantial 
roof, thoroughly painted, and projecting at least two 
inches over the top of the hive, (fig. 5). It is all import¬ 
ant that each hive, in all its parts, be exactly like every 
other hive in the apiary, as at times it becomes necessary 
to change frames, and what is taken from one hive should 
readily fit another. 
■ - *» <- - -«-«*---- 
A Colt witli ss, ISatl Iffalsito—“ A. C. 
W.,” Weymouth, Mass. The habit of tunning out ol the 
shafts when the horse is being unharnessed, is taught by 
carelessness. The first attempt should have been cor¬ 
rected. When the habit has become confirmed, much 
patience and care will be required to break it entirely. A 
good plan would be to secure the reins to the buggy or 
wagon before you leave the seat, in such a manner that 
the horse can not go ahead. Then, as soon as you have 
dismounted from the wagon, unhook the traces, and 
secure the ends by passing them through the breeching, 
or tieing each trace in a loop. Then very slowly loosen 
the hold-backs and breeching from the vehicle, talking to 
the horse meanwhile, to restrain him from moving. He 
will now be loose, and the lines may be unfastened and 
slowly gathered up, while still talking to the liorse. 
When this has been done slowly and deliberately, and 
every movement having been instantly checked up to 
this time, the horse should be taken by the bridle and led 
out of the shafts. If the shafts do not come out of the 
loops easily, ease them until they do. In a short time the 
horse will understand his business. The fault is not his, 
but his driver’s, who permits him to go before he is ready. 
A Fine Crop of Fine Potatoes. 
Mr. J. H. Burnett, of Onondaga Co., N. Y., last 
spring bought one pound of Snow-flake pota¬ 
toes, of B. K. Bliss 
& Sons; they were 
cut into eyes, planted 
in good garden soil, 
without extra manure, 
and with the same cul¬ 
tivation as other pota¬ 
toes. When he came to 
dig them, he was so 
much surprised at the 
result that the earth 
was carefully removed 
and the potatoes 
left just as they grew. 
The crop was kept 
on exhibition in this 
manner for a day, and 
was visited by a large 
number of farmers and 
others, and a photo¬ 
graph was taken, from 
which the engraving 
was made. One end 
of the row was partly 
shaded by a grape vine, 
and the yield less, 
but according to Mr. 
'B., the potatoes else¬ 
where were remarkably 
even, and in such a 
solid mass that there Was no room for a jack-knife 
between them. The crop weighed 60 lbs. 9 ozs. 
Fig. 2.—THE QUINBY HIVE WITH STANDING FRAMES. 
MR. BURNETT’S CROP OF SNOW-FLAKES. 
