,illustration3 ,,the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper ,,published ,,monthly ,,by ,,the ,w ,t ,,falconer ,,manfg ,,co ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,march1 #ahib4 ,,no4 #c4 ,hints to ,beginners in ,bee ,culture4 ,,by ,h4 ,m4 ,,dewitt4 ,this is the month that we should begin to feed and build up our bees1 especially our weak colonies1 and to get them ready for the honey harvest4 ,commence by giving them one half pint thin sugar syrup each day2 do not feed them in the daytime1 feed them at night and they will have all the feed taken down before the next morning4 ,this will start them to rearing brood rapidly and by the time the honey harvest arrives they will be strong and overflowing with bees ready for it4 ,make but a limited number of swarms and make them strong and early4 ,late natural swarms should be returned to the parent hive1 about twenty-four hours after hiving them4 ,the colonies that work freely on red clover should be used as breeders in preference to others as the tongues of these bees are evidently longer4 ,the old queen always goes with the first swarm unless she is unable to fly4 ,when making artificial swarms raise your queens and drones from the best colonies4 ,a queenless colony will raise queens at once if it has larvae less than three days old and these queens will hatch within #aj to #ab days4 ,if you give your bees a good supply of empty combs before the beginning of the honey crop and keep them at work they will rarely swarm4 ,but if they once find themselves crowded and get the swarming fever1 nothing will keep them from swarming4 ,the honey harvest lasts but a few weeks1 so you must be ready for it4 8,make hay while the sun shines40 ,when hiving a swarm give them a hive full of worker comb1 or comb foundation if possible1 or else give them narrow stripes for guides1 but do not give them a hive partly filled with comb1 as they would be sure to build a great deal of drone comb in the remaining space4 ,,bee ,,diarrhea1 ,,foul ,,brood1 ,,etc4 ,bee diarrhea in the latter part of winter and early spring is a malady that effects some apiaries4 ,the bees discharge their excrements over the hives and combs1 producing a dark appearance and offensive odor4 ,the cause is either fermented honey1 improper food1 long confinement1 or too warm and poorly ventilated quarters4 ,give them good capped honey and a cleansing flight4 ,if too cold for this out-of-doors take them into a warm room1 make a box1 with the front and top made of wire cloth1 or mosquito netting1 adjust it to the entrance1 so that the bees must enter it on leaving the hive4 ,this will usually prove an effectual remedy4 ,,foul ,,brood4 ,foul brood is the rotting of brood in a hive2 the caps of the sealed brood appear indented and shriveled and the larvae and young bees in unsealed cells become putrid1 emitting a disgusting stench or smell4 ,when the disease has a firm hold1 even though it may be possible to cure it1 ,i would advise the total destruction by fire of the bees1 combs1 frames and hives1 with everything which might harbor the disease4 ,in its primary stages it can be cured in this way3 ,with an atomizer spray the hives1 bees1 brood1 honey and combs with a solution of salicylic acid1 borax and rain water1 repeated on the sixth day4 ,remove the diseased brood from the hive and give them capped honey1 if not too far advanced this may give relief4 ,there is another plan1 which is as follows3 ,take a clean new hive with new1 clean frames1 fill it with comb foundation1 take and run all the bees out of the diseased hive into the clean one1 do this in the evening and as soon as the bees are all in close the entrance with wire cloth1 keep them confined for forty-eight hours until they have consumed all the honey in their sacks in building comb4 ,at the end of forty-eight hours open the entrance and let them fly if they wish1 feed them a little sugar syrup every night for about a week1 and if the honey season is over1 or1 if this is done during a dearth of honey you should feed them regularly so as not to let them starve4 ,i had the disease in my apiary the past season and this is the plan ,i used to cure it4 ,my bees are as healthy now as as if they had never had it4 ,sunny ,side1 ,md4 ,the instructions which friend ,dewitt gives in the first part of the foregoing article will apply this month only to the more southern localities4 ,here in the ,north the hives in many places are still covered with snow and the bees should not be disturbed until spring has unmistakably arrived4--,,ed4 ,new ,inventions4 ,,by ,,john ,f4 ,,gates4 ,the question has been asked 8,are we drifting from our moorings40 ,i used to think that we should not1 but if all bee-keepers anchored to one idea there would be no improvements4 ,while it is safe to our own pockets to be conservative1 yet no class has done more to advance the interests of the bee-keepers than those who experiment1 and seem not to be satisfied with their present condition4 ,had the inventors of the ,monitor been contented with wooden war ships our great ,american ,republic would have been divided4 ,had we all been content with stage coaches where would our railroads have been8 ,had ,edison preferred to sit at his telegraph instrument we should now be without his master ideas4 ,this onward impelling force in ,americans has sought out so many good things in the last fifty years that ,i have not space to tell them4 ,some rejoice in real improvements4 ,well1 we can't grind out out a grist of real improvements to order4 ,we have many discouragements and losses before we succeed in turning out one4 ,many of these inventions must be tested by bee-keepers before a true verdict can be given1 and we should all be willing to lend a hand to be one of the great jury in the discussion of these cases as they are brought before us by our leaders2 the inventors4 ,yet while the tester goes hand and hand with the inventor1 each watching the others movements1 each helping the other to discover and rectify mistakes4 ,it is too true that many good inventions have been swamped and for years laid dormant when they might have been in use1 simply for the lack of wisdom to guide us to small experiments first4 ,yes1 there seems to be too much rush1 new things can't be tested in a hurry4 ,to change an average apiary all at once to some new mode of management1 or new style of hive1 even if the hives were given to us1 would be unwise4 ,but add the cost of hives and fixtures which the change involves with the loss which one is sure to meet with for a time under any new arrangement1 and can we wonder that there is so little confidence placed in inventions or the inventors4 ,still had we gone more slowly1 tested more carefully1 and on a smaller scale and given ourselves more time to sum up the evidence1 no doubt many times our verdict would bless instead of curse the inventor4 ,no doubt there are inventors who abuse one's confidence1 but they too well have but little chance to deceive us if we go slow4 ,we can change too much1 and again too little4 ,i am aware that ,i have missed some good opportunities by being a little too set in my ways1 and ,i have had too little charity for improvements2 medium ground is safe ground on which to stand4 ,we should watch the signs of the times and not jump conclusions1 nor bite at all that takes our fancy1 nor kick at all that we despise1 we ought always to review1 draw conclusions and watch very closely what the mass of bee-keepers seem to favor1 or decide upon4 ,if we are good readers of indications we need never get left1 and often can go across lots1 thus reaching the head of the procession1 but be sure we know the way across else better we had gone around4 ,ovid1 ,erie ,county1 ,pa4 ,what ,i ,have ,observed1 ,etc4 ,,by ,t4 ,k4 ,,massie4 7,concluded47 ,in the last article ,i promised to give some evidence confirming my conclusions1 but before doing so ,i want to say a word in regard to 8large vs4 small hives40 ,in the discussion of the subject in the different bee journals from time to time1 ,i neglected to note the size of the frame used by the advocates of a large hive1 but ,i imagine they use a deeper frame than the 8,l10 and if so they are evidently right in advocating a large hive1 for such a hive would be better proportioned1 and would conform nearer to the natural requirements of the bees than a small hive with shallow frames4 ,in ,gleanings for ,july #aeth1 page #eec1 friend ,c4 ,j4 ,h4 ,gravenhurst1 in speaking of 8handling hives instead of frames10 hits on the same ideas given in these articles in regard to the winter problem4 ,he tells us that the bees winter better in the straw skeps than they do in the movable frame hives1 as made and used at present4 ,this is because the bees in the skeps have their hives propolished overhead which prevents upward ventilation and keeps the bees dry4 ,he also says he gets more honey with less labor and cost2 then he shows how he sought to combine the skeps with the movable frame hive1 advocating about the same advantages that ,i have given in these articles4 ,but the most clinching arguments in favor of doing away with the useless ,hill device c41 is found in ,ernest ,r4 ,root's review of ,g4 ,r4 ,pierce's book1 8,the ,winter ,problem in ,bee-,keeping10 which appeared in ,gleanings for ,december #af1 '#ia1 page #ieb4 ,mr4 ,pierce says the pollen theory is not the cause of diarrhea2 that diarrhea in bees is caused by cold and lack of stores1 and is only intestinal catarrh4 ,chaff cushions1 or other porous material over a sealed cover are all right and serve a good purpose4 ,mr4 ,pierce is a thorough advocate of protection and packing around the bees2 but the cover must be sealed down that no heat can escape into the packing above4 ,in the first of this series of articles ,i took this same position4 ,i said 8,therefore ,i have drawn the conclusion that a thin walled hive1 protected by a movable winter case1 and packed on all sides with a cushion made of felt and filled with some non-conducting material--one that will prevent all radiation of heat will be best0--and1 in substance1 that we could remove cases and packing on warm days and have our hives purified by the sun and air and protect our bees by wrapping them up with the warm cushions and prevent the radiation of heat at night4 ,in the second article 7,see ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper1 page #afd7 ,i said the 8pollen0 theory1 and upward ventilation1 cut no figure in the winter problem in my locality4 ,now if we place a thin board down solid on the top bars of our brood frames early enough in the fall for the bees to glue up the crevices and thus prevent all air currents from passing up through our hives1 we again get even with our box hive brethren1 and when we prevent all radiation of heat by placing a cushion on top of this board1 the same as we do the sides4 ,and further1 in spring and early summer1 when we give our bees just the ventilation required by raising this board1 we are another long step ahead of them4 ,in the winter of #ahia ,i had ,the ,w4 ,t4 ,falconer ,manf'g4' ,co4 make for me closed end frames with winter passages through the top bars1 and boards to be sealed down for the purpose of carrying out my plan as given above4 8,ernest0 tells us of his experiments in using thin boards and pieces of glass imbedded with white lead paste1 as it was too cold for the bees to seal them down with propolis4 ,under the glass he placed a thermometer1 which1 when the weather outside in the wind was ten degrees above zero1 registered #de to #ej1 and 8the hive was perfectly dry inside40 ,these are valuable experiments in the right line4 ,my ideas1 as it is plain to be seen1 were given to the public before friend ,pierce's book made its appearance1 and before 8,ernest0 tried any experiments on this plan4 ,on page #eib of ,gleanings1 ,l4 ,stachelhausen tells us that having found out the advantages of closed end frames1 he will use no other4 ,the closed end frames have only to be given a fair trial to prove their superiority over all hanging frames4 ,all the 8rattle traps and nuisances0 ,i have mentioned in these articles will soon give way to something better and more simple4 ,friend ,lowry ,johnson also is of my way of thinking1 as his article in the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper for ,december1 '#ia1 page #ahb1 will show4 ,also ,brother ,quigley of the ,missouri ,bee-,keeper1 is advising his readers that a board sealed down on top of frames is better for wintering than cushions next to the bees4 ,see his answer to a correspondent to his paper1 page #add4 ,these articles end here1 but ,i would like the opinion of the reader on the points taken in them4 ,concord ,church1 ,w4 ,va4 ,a ,talk on ,bee ,hives--,fixed ,races--,honey ,crops1 ,etc4 ,,by ,s4 ,l4 ,,watkins4 ,the production of honey is the principal object that a beginner has in view when he contemplates starting in the apiarian business4 ,of course1 he generally buys a few box hives and does the transferring himself2 which ,i think is a good idea1 as he gains considerable knowledge of the inside of a bee-hive and of handling bees4 ,before he invests in bees1 he generally buys and reads a couple of bee books and obtains a few catalogues of leading apiarian manufactures1 to see what style of hive is best4 ,if he is gifted with an average insight into the mystery of common things1 he will quickly choose the hive and system that are most universally used1 and will stick to that system1 and nine chances in ten he will make a success of his bee business4 ,if1 however1 he is gifted with a volatile nature1 he will not be satisfied until he has eight or ten different style hives in his apiary at one time1 and will spend all the money he makes in trying new apiarian fixtures1 until he finally gives the bee business up in disgust4 ,i do not mean to say that all new bee hives are useless--far from it2 but generally speaking1 there is a flood of new style bee hives on the market which are miraculously complicated and contain numerous paraphernalia in the way of wedges1 glass doors1 clasps1 useless bee spaces and other ornaments not worthy of mention4 ,a hive that is too complicated will never come into general use4 ,competition in the honey business requires that we use the cheapest appliances1 combined with the greatest excellences4 ,here in this state 7,california7 where honey is so cheap1 it would be folly to spend #h4jj for a bee-hive1 because a #a4ej hive will answer every purpose equally as well1 the hive does not make any difference in the amount of honey gathered1 bees will store as much honey in a box hive as in any frame hive ever devised2 the queen and race of bees make the difference in the amount of surplus gathered4 ,the simplicity hive1 with its various modifications1 is the hive that gives the best satisfaction among advanced apiarists1 and when used with the ,hoffman frames it is hard to beat4 ,to persons who contemplate starting out-apiaries1 the ,hoffman frame offers very superior advantages4 ,my opinion is1 that bee-keepers who keep out-apiaries1 and who move bees considerably1 will in time settle down to the fixed frame4 ,i shall no doubt experiment considerably with fixed frames the next few seasons4 ,in ,ventura county this state1 the bee-keepers have adopted the ,langstroth as the standard frame1 and there is something like #a1fjj hives in that county1 which produce annually about #fj1jjj worth of honey4 ,the one pound section is rapidly gaining favor with the progressive apiarists of this state1 and are fast superseding the old ,harbinson two pound section4 ,our honey crop here last season was about one fourth of a crop4 ,in the upper ,sierras1 at an elevation of #c1jjj feet and upwards1 there was a good crop4 ,some honey plants yielded well4 ,in all extensively irrigated districts bees did pretty well because of the abundance of alfalfa grown4 ,reports from ,antelope ,valley state that in that section the honey crop was far better than usual1 #bjj to #djj lbs4 to the colony for entire apiaries being the yield4 ,the ,italian race of honey bees ,i have tried pretty extensively1 and found them to be very good1 but ,i like the ,carinolans better4 ,i think they are a fixed race2 the ,italians are not4 ,in an apiary composed of ,italian and hybrids if a ,carinolan queen be introduced and the ,carinolans then be left to reproduce themselves naturally they will hold their own for hundreds of generations before their markings will begin to be eliminated4 ,place a colony of ,carinolans in an isolated location1 and allow natural breeding1 and in ten years they will not deteriorate a single bit2 but take a colony of ,italians1 and allow natural breeding and in a year or two we have nothing but common black1 or very poor hybrid bees2 thus proving conclusively that the ,italians are not a fixed race4 ,grizzly ,flats1 ,cal4 ,a ,few ,words to ,beginners4 ,,by ,t4 ,k4 ,,massie4 ,as ,,the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper is published in the interest of beginners1 allow me to say to them that the first thing to be learned is the fact that no set rules can be given to suit everyone under all the varying conditions of climate1 location1 etc41 and that everyone must use intelligence and make rules to suit his own individual case--must make a vigorous use of his own 8think shop40 ,he must thoroughly acquaint himself with the flora of his location2 he must know when the honey flow is likely to commence and end1 and must manipulate his bees to suit that time4 ,friend ,doolittle's advice to manipulate our bees at the proper time cannot be too strongly impressed upon the minds of beginners4 ,in my locality we have two honey flows each year4 ,the early flow last season ended on the #bdth day of ,july1 the fall flow commenced on the #afth of ,september4 ,there was a dearth from ,july #bdth to ,september #af1 of #ec days4 ,a hive full of bees during these #ec days are not only of no use to me but a positive disadvantage4 ,they are only consumers and not honey gatherers because there is no honey to be gathered4 ,reason would dictate to me that ,i must use every means in my power to build up my colonies as strong as possible from early in the spring to within #ce days of the end of the honey flow1 or about the #aith of ,june1 that about this time1 certainly not later than ,june #beth1 ,i must restrict my queen to as few frames as possible1 so as to have but few bees during the #ec days of dearth4 7,i base my calculation upon the fact that #ba days are required for the egg to hatch and then the bee must be #ad days old before it becomes a forager47 ,now ,i wish to say emphatically that every one whose location is similar to mine must practice restriction or his honey crop will be a failure every time4 ,again by the #afth of ,september4 ,i want my hives as full of bees as possible ready for the fall flow4 ,then going back #ce days from ,september #afth takes me to ,august #abth1 the day on which the eggs must be laid for the bees to have hatched out1 ready for the beginning of the fall flow4 ,but as the queens could not under any circumstances fill the hives full of eggs on the #abth day of ,august1 7or any other one day for that matter17 reason would again tell me that ,i must remove the restrictions from my queens two or three weeks before1 or1 say ,july #bdth to ,august #ast1 and then stimulate brood rearing4 ,if the beginner fails to follow this plan he will certainly get no surplus fall crop4 ,we must also make sure that each colony contains a good prolific queen4 ,brother ,demaree's 8,practical hints in ,bee ,culture0 on page #agi1 ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper1 is timely and should be read and studied until perfectly familiar with every 8hint0 he has given4 ,when he speaks of the bees 8crowding the queen0 being simply an effort on the part of nature to assist the bees by curtailing brood rearing during the honey flow he is certainly correct1 yet1 by restricting our queens as ,i have suggested above we accomplish the same end1 provided the restriction is performed at the right time4 ,when he speaks of giving his colonies1 after swarming1 a queen cell instead of a laying queen1 as some 8innocent bee men0 had written him1 he gives a 8hint0 that should be well and long remembered4 ,by this plan he also assists the bees in curtailing brood rearing1 when such brood would hatch out bees that would be consumers instead of honey gatherers4 ,his article on 8,concentration of ,forces0 in ,bee-,keepers ,guide for ,december1 #ahia1 page #cef1 is worth the price of that paper for several years4 8,concentration of forces0 is his remedy against poor honey seasons4 ,his plan of 8concentrating forces0 can be easily carried out in connection with the suggestions ,i have given4 ,he says 8not a swarm should be allowed to issue40 ,he accomplishes this by one single manipulation1 which is simple and easy1 and performed 8just at the commencement of the honey season1 and before any swarms issue40 ,all the colonies strong enough to cast swarms are treated on the following3 ,,plan4 8,all the combs containing brood are removed from the brood chamber1 except one that contains but a small amount of unsealed brood and eggs4 ,this is left in the brood chamber with the queen on it4 ,if she is not found on it she must be hunted up and put upon this comb4 ,the brood chamber is now filled out with empty combs and a queen excluder is placed on its top4 ,the combs containing brood are adjusted in a super or hive body1 and if they do not fill it1 it is filled out with empty combs4 ,it now goes on top of the brood chamber with the queen excluder between4 ,we now have all the brood above the excluder1 except what is in the comb with the queen on it below the excluder4 ,you now have nothing to do but to 8turn up0 to suit the season4 ,treating all colonies in this way the season will have to be more than usually extended if there is a single swarm4 ,colonies treated in this way are the strongest colonies ,i ever handled1 and ,i never seen a season so barren of nectar that they fail to fill the combs above the excluder by the time all the brood they contain are hatched out1 and if the season is a good one they will surprise the natives and make you uneasy about the safety of your honey floor1 like mine did me the past season1 though the season was but an average one40 ,next month ,i will give my experiments with two colonies the past season managed on a plan similar to to ,brother ,demaree's1 as given above4 ,remember1 beginner1 that if you don't manage your bees intelligently you had better never go into the business for you will have no 8luck0 and the business will be a failure with you2 and you might as well try to raise corn without seed as to try to raise honey without a scientific work on bee culture and one or more of the many excellent bee journals4 ,concord ,church1 ,w4 ,va4 7,concluded next month47 ,illustration3 ,,our ,,correspondents ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,i inclose herewith #ej cents for renewal to the ,,bee-,,keeper1 and in a month or so you will receive a little order for supplies from me1 but ,i wish to find out first what ,i need4 ,there is a lot of reading in the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper for beginners1 but there are so many different ideas given that the beginner must have a big head indeed to remember them4 ,i will take the liberty to tell you how ,i began4 ,it was a year ago about ,christ ,christmas when ,i resolved to keep bees4 ,i wrote to the ,new ,york ,volkszeitung1 a ,german newspaper1 for the address of a good bee paper1 and ,i received your address4 ,the same day ,i sent #ej cents and received in time the ,american ,bee-,keeper1 in which ,i found the address of ,mr4 ,knickerbocker of ,pine ,plains1 ,n4 ,y41 to whom ,i wrote for a catalogue and price list for bees and queens4 ,the price of a good colony of ,italians was #h4jj1 and ,i sent him #af4jj and got two colonies of bees about the #bjth of ,may1 which was after all fruit trees had blossomed4 ,the bees commenced to work1 and the #aeth of ,july ,i took out of each hive the surplus case of #bh sections well filled with white honey4 ,i replaced them with new surplus cases1 and about the #abth of ,october both the hives were as full of honey as they could be again4 ,i left the hives in this condition for winter so the bees can consume as much as they please1 and if there should be any honey left this spring it is just as good for me as if ,i took it out in the fall4 ,i left them on the summer stands packed up good and warm and will leave them alone until spring4 ,i do not think much of looking into the hives every little while4 ,i may be wrong1 but ,i think this would make the bees swarm earlier next season4 ,i cannot find any one around here who knows anything about bee-keeping4 ,i sold #dj sections of honey and #af ,i kept for myself4 ,there is at least #ce pounds in the hive yet1 and ,i think ,i did very well for the first year4 ,with regards ,i remain1 ,yours truly1 ,f4 ,,tlegman1 ,seymour1 ,conn41 ,feb4 #aj1 #ahib4 ,,friend ,,tlegman3 ,we are glad to hear from you and your success the first season with bee-keeping4 ,you were unusually fortunate with your bees and must not be discouraged if the coming season or the one following1 you find your bees doing nothing4 ,evidently you are in a good location for keeping bees1 and would advise you to go into it more extensively4 ,we shall be pleased to hear from you again later in the season4--,,ed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,as my subscription has expired1 ,i send you herewith a postal note for #ej cents1 as ,i cannot do without the ,,bee-,,keeper4 ,i think it is the best bee paper for new beginners or old ones4 ,i put seven colonies in my cellar and left the balance on the summer stands1 so far they have all done well2 some that were a little short ,i fed up4 ,last season was a poor season for bees here1 so those that came off late did not gather enough to get through the winter4 ,my way of feeding bees is to get an empty comb and put it on a thin board1 then put it on the top of the hive and put sugar syrup in it4 ,the bees will fill themselves and carry it and put it in the empty comb below4 ,yours truly1 ,,john ,w4 ,,harris1 ,colfax1 ,ind41 ,feb4 #h1 #ahib4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,i have neglected sending in my subscription but will do so now4 ,you will find inclosed #a4jj to pay arrearages and also for another year's subscription4 ,we like the ,,bee-,,keeper very much and think every bee-keeper should take it4 ,the winter of '#ij and '#ia was a hard one in ,maine for us bee men4 ,i lost all but three swarms4 ,did not get a drop of surplus honey2 something that has not happened before in the forty years we have had bees4 ,up to date what few ,i have appear to be getting through the winter all right4 ,the weather has been quite mild with but little snow4 ,yours1 c41 ,,ezra ,,withee1 ,pittsfield1 ,me41 ,feb41 #h1 #ahib4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,i think the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper is the best paper for the novice there is published4 ,it does not publish things unconcerning bee business1 like others1 as for instance1 in regard to tobacco1 gardening1 c4 ,i will tell you how ,i pack my bees for wintering4 ,i had #ab strong colonies in ten frame simplicity hives about ,nov4 #bjth1 ,i did not molest them in the brood chamber at all4 ,i just took off the top of the hive and set on top of the frames a super without any sections in it and filled it with buckwheat chaff and packed it tight4 ,to be sure the enameled cloth was on top of the frames under the chaff4 ,there was enough ventilation between the super and the side of the top of hive or upper story1 as ,i do not think the caps on the hives were any too light to prevent the foul air from escaping4 ,i will tell you in the spring what success ,i will have had in wintering4 ,yours truly1 ,,otis ,,callahan4 ,wellsboro ,pa41 ,jan4 #be1 #ahib4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,bees are wintering well in ,michigan2 at least mine are wintering well on their summer stands4 ,had a good flight ,february #abth4 ,in looking through them ,i find they have plenty of stores4 ,my crop of honey last year from seven colonies was very good4 ,i increased to twenty colonies and got #dej lbs4 of comb honey besides1 in one pound sections4 ,this is my third year in the bee business and ,i like it very well and intend to keep at it4 ,g4 ,w4 ,,franks ,belzes1 ,mich43 ,feb4 #bjth1 '#ib4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ed4 ,,am4 ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,dear ,sir3 ,we have watched every day for my ,,bee-,,keeper because ,i am anxious to see it4 ,papa got twenty hives and #a1jjj sections from your factory last year4 ,he thinks the outside winter case is very nice4 ,he can put a warm brick in under the cushions and feed the bees almost any time in the winter4 ,he has the outside cases painted red on the sides and ends1 and the top is white4 ,he faces them to the east so the morning sun will warm them up and get the bees up early in the morning4 ,yours truly1 ,,ollie ,,jones4 ,cortland1 ,o41 ,feb4 #ad1 #ahib4 ,illustration3 ,,our ,,extractor ,,wintering ,,on ,,summer ,,stands4 ,the question of wintering is always of interest and for that reason is always seasonable4 ,in treating the question ,i do not expect to give any new points to experts1 but many of the readers of this magazine are beginners1 and are looking to this valuable journal for information on this as well as on all other apicultural matters4 ,many successful apiarists of large experience claim that all wintering should be done in cellars1 or other special depositories2 with these ,i have no quarrel1 but never having wintered except on summer stands1 ,i am unable to speak thereof from personal experience4 ,one objection to this plan of wintering ,i can well imagine will force itself into the minds of a large majority1 viz43 the expense required to fit up as it should be fitted1 with regard to ventilation and temperature1 such a special depository as is necessary in order to guarantee success and the objection of itself will probably prevent that majority from incurring the required expense4 ,for the benefit of the same majority ,i will give in detail the plan of wintering on summer stands1 adopted by myself with perfect success1 and which ,i have made use of for eighteen years or more1 and that too on ,langstroth frames1 with single walled seventh-eight inch pine hives4 ,as theories in regard to matters connected with apiculture are of little consequence when compared with actual facts4 ,i will not attempt to theorize now1 but will detail the facts for the use of any who may desire to know them4 ,when the honey season ends1 which with myself is about the #ajth of ,september1 ,i examine the condition of every colony1 crowd each colony on to seven frames ,i intend they shall all be strong enough to cover fully that number and see that each frame is at least filled with sealed stores in its upper half the whole length4 ,later on when ,i get ready to back for winter ,i extract if necessary from those combs that are more than two-thirds filled with stores and combs throughout the brood chamber are equalized and placed in a position where the colony can at times get at them if desired4 ,when the temperature falls so low that the colony begins to cluster closely ,i force the cluster to one side or other of the brood chamber1 which can easily be done1 by moving the frames on which the cluster is formed4 ,prior to this1 however1 ,i have stimulated the queen by feeding regularly each day a small amount of sugar syrup1 and thus kept the colony rearing brood as long as possible4 ,after the cluster is forced to the side of the hive ,i place a 8,hill's ,device10 or some substitute therefor1 over the frames1 and cover the bees with a light porous blanket4 ,burlap or cotton duck is as good as anything for this purpose4 ,the 8,hill's ,device0 under the blanket forms a means of communication for the bees with every frame in the hive1 and that too without danger of becoming chilled4 ,as the hive in use is wide enough for ten frames ,i use one and a half inch division board in each side of the hive1 which allows the seven frames to be spread apart a little more than desirable for summer use4 ,after covering the frames in closely so that not a bee can show his head outside1 ,i put on an upper story and fill it one-third full of forest leaves pressed lightly down1 and use a cover with one and a half inch hole bored in each end for ventilation4 ,i give a large entrance1 using a bridge about four inches wide for the bees to crawl under1 which prevents the easy access of sudden draughts into the hive4 ,the only other protection than that prescribed above1 found in my apiary is a close osage hedge1 six feet high on the north and west sides4 ,with the above means of protection my bees have withstood the rigors of our eastern winters for years1 with a temperature varying from #bj degrees above to #bj degrees below zero1 and some seasons without a purifying flight from middle of ,november to middle of the following ,february4 ,many mornings with the thermometer below zero in ,january ,i have found a warm current of air being forced out from the entrance1 so strong as to be perceptibly felt upon the back of the hand4 ,i know not and care not whether others may agree with me or not1 ,i state the facts as ,i find them1 and have no hesitation whatever in advising every beginner to follow the methods outlined above4--,j4 ,e4 ,p4 in ,b4 ,k4 ,m41 7,mass47 ,,surplus ,,honey4 ,under the modern system of bee culture we obtain two kinds of honey1 known as comb and extracted4 ,comb honey is brought before the consumer just as it was stored by the bees1 while extracted honey is the pure honey emptied from the comb by means of the honey extractor4 ,if not adulterated by middlemen both are equally healthful and nutritious4 ,honey is not a luxury1 but a necessary addition to our food1 it being the pure sweet as secreted by the flowers from which it is gathered by the bees1 being healthful and much safer than the poisonous confections sold under the name of 8candy40 ,comb honey is preferred by many on account of its fine appearance4 ,it must be placed in the market in good shape1 indicating that it is intended for food and not simply as a luxury1 a sweet morsel to be tasted by the children4 ,some of our writers on bee culture 7but ,i am happy to say only a few7 went wild some time ago advocating one-half pound frames4 ,they argue that it can be sold at a higher price1 but all bee-keepers know that forcing bees into such small combs greatly reduces the crop1 and if such a course could be pursued by our bee men it would at once convey the idea that honey was only a substitute for candy or chewing gum4 ,my advice to the bee-loving readers of this magazine is to let them severely alone in their craze4 ,a season or two will abolish such small things4 ,the man whose soul is so small and his ideas so contracted1 and his business principles so mean as to place a half pound honey package upon the market for the purpose of extorting a half penny or so from his fellow man deserves to be classed with--you may draw your own comparison4 ,anything smaller than a one pound section or frame is a loss to the producer as well as the consumer4 ,a one pound comb makes a nice package1 and such frames can be nicely crated and safely shipped4 ,comb honey should be removed from the hive as soon as all the cells are sealed over4 ,if left to remain it becomes darker by the bees passing over it4 ,when taken from the hive it should be placed in a dark room until sold or shipped to market4 ,some writers advise smoking it with sulphur to kill the wax worm4 ,i never found this necessary1 as ,i never have found worms on my comb honey4 ,honey should be nicely graded1 and the finest shipped or sold in separate lots4 ,my frames hold two pound each1 of these ,i place six in a crate having glass at each end showing quality of honey4 ,these crates suit the retail as well as the wholesale dealers and consumers generally buy a whole crate--#ab to #ac pounds4 ,many of my customers in adjoining towns buy from three to six crates4 ,unfinished or partly sealed combs can be emptied with the extractor and put away for next season4 ,extracted honey should be placed in nice1 clean1 attractive packages4 ,for home trade self-sealing jars do very well4 ,for shipping1 kegs are found to be the best4 ,just here ,i would give a word of warning4 ,do not extract before your honey is sealed1 if you do it is not ripe and too thin and will sour1 thus spoiling your reputation as a honey producer4 ,don't be too eager to obtain a large quantity1 let the quality be good and you will have no trouble to find plenty of buyers4 ,it is only the poor1 unripe article that cannot be sold1 and which gives some of our writers in the bee papers so much trouble to find a way to dispose of their honey4 7,penna47 ,h4 ,h4 ,,flack4 ,,expose ,,your ,,hives ,,to ,,the ,,sun4 ,in a village in ,germany1 where the number of bees kept was regulated by law1 a bad season had proved that the place was overstocked1 from the great weakness of all the colonies in the neighborhood4 ,there was but one exception1 that of an old man who was generally set down as being no wiser than his neighbors4 ,the honey harvest came round1 and when he had stored away double the quantity that any of the rest had saved1 he called his friends and neighbors together1 took them into his garden1 and said3 8,if you had been more charitable in your opinions1 ,i would have told you my secret before10 and he pointed to the facing of his hives--one degree more to the east than was generally adopted4 ,the sun came upon his hives an hour or two sooner by the movement1 and his bees were up and stirring1 and had secured a large share of the morning's honey before his neighbors' bees had roused themselves for the day4 ,,snow ,,and ,,outdoor ,,wintering4 ,the heavy fall of snow which we have just had is very favorable for outdoor wintering1 and we would advise our readers not to shovel it away from the hives1 but if you have time put a little more on with a snow shovel4 ,we would much rather have ten feet of snow over hives than none at all4 ,a friend of ours once told us how he had made a great mistake by digging away the snow from some of his hives1 but at the same time learned a valuable lesson4 ,his apiary was situated in somewhat of a valley1 and one morning after a heavy fall of snow which had been considerably drifted1 he looked out and was dismayed to see his entire apiary buried beneath the fleecy flakes4 ,one portion1 however1 was much worse than the other--that at the north end being buried in some places ten feet deep4 ,the south end was not so bad1 and so he determined to clear what he could and leave the rest to perish1 as he supposed4 ,after considerable shoveling he got about #be colonies pretty well cleared off1 and by dint of hard work managed to keep them clear till spring4 ,when warm weather came these #be colonies were flying in and out1 while the snow was still lying upon the other portion4 ,thinking the latter were dead he paid no attention to them till quite late in the spring1 when the tops of some of them began to show above the snow1 and what was his surprise and delight to discover every colony in splendid condition1 some of them filled with brood1 and all ready for a good season's work1 while at the same time they had not consumed nearly so much stores as those he kept clear of snow6 ,upon investigation he discovered that the heat from the bees had melted spaces about the hives varying in size from a square foot to a square yard1 and the air from the hives became purified by contact with the snow1 while at the same time the temperature was kept so even and was so little affected by the cold breezes of winter that very little stores were consumed4 ,the method of purifying air is one which is taken advantage of by some of our native animals4 ,we have often amused ourselves by watching the otter who will stay underneath the ice for hours together engaged in fishing1 and when finding it necessary to breathe will place his nose against the ice1 expel the air from his lungs when it forms a bubble between ice and water1 and then inhale it again4--,c4 ,b4 ,j4 7,canada47 ,,strawberries ,,in ,,october4 7,from ,western ,garden1 ,oct4 '#ia4 ,to-day's mail brings a fine specimen plant of the ,new ,wonder ,strawberry from ,j4 ,b4 ,alexander1 of ,hartford ,city1 ,ind4 ,it is a strong plant1 and the peculiarity about it is that it has three ripe and fourteen green berries on it1 besides quite a number of blossoms4 ,our readers should try a few plants of this wonder4 ,see ,golden ,rule ,nursery 8ad40 elsewhere4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some women cannot keep bees1 any more than some men2 but many can1 and to their great profit4 ,often a farmer's wife or daughter welcomes an occupation for the sake of its novelty1 something to break up the routine of cooking1 washing and sewing2 and bee-keeping1 even if it brings only a few pounds of honey for the table1 is undertaken and carried through with pleasure and delight4--,ex4 99 99 99 99 99 ,let it be remembered1 says ,julia ,allyn1 that the more bees there are on farms the greater will be the product of the farms2 for the bees distribute pollen and fertilize flowers more thoroughly than they can be fertilized otherwise4 ,the ,american ,bee-,keeper1 ,,published ,,monthly ,,by ,,the ,w4 ,t4 ,,falconer ,,manfg4 ,,co4 ,,terms3 #ej cents a year in advance2 #b copies1 #he cents2 #c copies1 #a4bj2 all to be sent to one post office4 ,postage prepaid in the ,u4,s4 and ,canada2 #aj cents extra to all countries in the postal union and #bj cents extra to all other countries4 ,,advertising ,,rates3 #ae cents per line1 #i words2 #b4jj per inch4 #e per cent4 discount for #b insertions2 #g per cent4 for #c insertions2 #aj per cent4 for #f insertions2 #bj per cent4 for #ab insertions4 ,advertisements must be received on or before the #bjth of each month to insure insertion in month following4 ,address1 ,,the ,,american ,,bee-,,keeper1 ,,falconer1 ,n4 ,y4 ,subscribers finding this paragraph marked with a blue cross will know that their subscription expires with this number4 ,we hope that you will not delay in sending a renewal4 ,a blue cross on this paragraph indicates that your subscription expired last mouth4 ,please renew4 ,,editorial4 ,some of our readers being beginners1 are often perplexed to know just what methods of the many different ones advocated by our contributors will be the best for their individual needs4 ,now1 there are many methods of manipulating bees and hives1 any one of which followed out will bring success4 ,take 8,wintering0 for instance4 ,some of the most successful bee-keepers winter out-doors4 ,others in-doors4 ,some with chaff hives2 hives with air spaces or with outside winter cases4 ,some winter in cellars1 and others in special depositories or in bee houses4 ,each method has its strong supporters4 ,about the only thing to be considered in adopting either method is the climatic location4 ,for instance1 bees in the ,southern states will not winter well in cellars1 nor are chaff hives necessary1 while in the ,northern states1 outside cases packed1 dead air spaces1 chaff hives or in-door wintering is a necessity4 ,a great many letters of complaint have been received from persons to whom we have been sending the ,,bee-,,keeper1 because we asked them to pay for it4 ,many of them say they never subscribed and do not think they should be compelled to pay4 ,we do not send this magazine to anyone unless ordered to do so1 excepting to the former subscribers of the ,advance ,bee-,hive and ,bee ,world1 whose subscription lists we have purchased1 and we have continued after their original subscriptions have expired1 excepting when ordered to stop doing so by the subscribers themselves4 ,we have frequently mentioned the necessity of ordering us to stop if the magazine was not wanted1 and have sent postal card notices to to those whose subscriptions have expired six months back or more4 ,now1 we do not wish any one to take this magazine against their wishes1 nor pay for it either1 but we do wish you would notify us on a postal card or otherwise1 if you want it stopped when your subscription expires4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,paddock ,pure ,food ,bill now before the ,united ,states ,senate is one in which every bee-keeper should be interested4 ,the bill provides for the prevention1 by government inspection1 of the mis-branding or mis-labelling of all articles of food and drugs4 ,in other words1 if a can containing honey is marked 8,pure ,honey10 it will necessarily be exactly what the name implies1 and not an adulteration4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we have been making an extensive inquiry as to the styles of hives in most general use throughout the country1 especially in the ,eastern and ,middle states1 and we wish our friends would send in their views in regard to the advantages of the ,simplicity or ,langstroth style of hives over the old style box hives4 ,send it to us either as a regular contribution or correspondence for publication4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we notice in ,gleanings1 ,the ,review1 ,progressive ,bee-,keeper and other journals the 8ad40 of the 8,chicago ,bee-,keeper's ,supply ,company10 in which they state their office as being #fh-gj ,south ,canal ,street41 ,chicago4 ,parties interested have endeavored to find such a concern at this street number but they have failed to do so4 ,a man by the name of ,kline1 claiming to be the secretary of the company1 offered this magazine a very liberal 8ad40 some months ago1 but as our information regarding the concern was not satisfactory we declined to accept the 8ad40 ,all bee-keepers will do well to deal only with old established manufacturers and dealers4 99 99 99 99 99 ,hereafter we will put the name of the state in which they are written at the end of all articles1 so that our readers will know that a method or system advanced by a bee-keeper in ,georgia1 for instance1 will not be of much use to any one in this state1 especially if it relates to handling bees4 99 99 99 99 99 ,c4 ,h4 ,dibbern is not satisfied with his bee escape invented the latter part of last season1 and claims now that he has another almost perfected which will beat anything yet4 ,a great man on bee escapes is our friend ,dibbern4 ,by the way1 ,m4 ,e4 ,hastings has recently invented an escape something on the principle of the ,porter1 which appears to be about perfect4 ,we will endeavor to give an illustration and description of it next month4 99 99 99 99 99 ,edward ,r4 ,newcomb1 formerly of ,pleasant ,valley1 ,n4 ,y41 has moved to ,chicago and has given up his supply business2 also the manufacture of the ,stanley ,automatic ,extractor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,everyone whose subscription has expired1 or is about to expire1 will do well to take advantage of our seed offer given in another column2 a #a4ej box of seeds1 c41 for only #be cents4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ever-increasing migration to the ,tropics from ,american ports will probably receive a fresh stimulus from the article on the ,highlands of ,jamaica1 which ,lady ,blake1 the wife of the ,governor of ,jamaica1 contributes to the ,march number of the ,north ,american ,review4 99 99 99 99 99 8,,the ,,flowers ,,of ,,chili40 ,this week's issue of ,frank ,leslie's ,illustrated ,newspaper being the colored number1 contains a beautiful page of portraits of the handsome women of ,chili1 a sleighing scene in ,chicago1 character sketches from the tenth annual dinner of the famous ,clover ,club of ,philadelphia1 illustration of the ,young ,women's ,christian ,association and ,margaret ,louisa ,home of ,new ,york ,city1 and of the 8,captain ,prat10 the formidable ,chilian ironclad4 ,the ,children's ,department contains a beautiful story entitled 8,majorie's ,valentine10 and the ,graphological ,department is full of interest1 while the fashion letter and editorial pages1 together with the beautiful colored front page1 make this number the handsomest that the ,arkell ,weekly ,company has ever published4 ,price only #aj cents2 #ab numbers #a4jj1 with flower premiums catalogued at #a4be by ,messrs4 ,peter ,henderson ,co41 #a4be4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the complete novel in ,lippincott's ,magazine for ,march1 8,a ,soldier's ,secret10 is by ,captain ,charles ,king1 who alone among living ,americans has the secret of the military tale4 ,what he does not know about army life in the ,west is not worth knowing1 and what he knows he can impart with unsurpassed and unfailing charm4 ,the post1 the bivouac1 the battlefield1--whatever goes on at these he makes to live again before us2 for he has been a part of it all1 and his heart is with the cavalry still4 ,his last story has a very recent theme2 the ,sioux war of #ahij1--;and will be found equal to any of his previous work4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,important ,,trade ,,notices4 ,we are in want of bees wax and will pay #be to #bg cents per pound cash1 or #bh to #cj cents in trade for good to choice pure bees wax delivered at ,falconer1 ,n4 ,y4 ,if you have any1 box it up and ship it to us by freight or express1 7which ever is cheapest74 ,be sure and send it to us at ,falconer1 ,n4 ,y41 and write your name also on the package so we will know from whom it comes1 also write us at the time you ship4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colored ,,and ,,cull ,,sections very cheap4 ,we have several thousand #d #d #a and #a #ae-af sections which are not first class1 some being very poor and others good2 altogether they are a fair lot and very cheap at #a4ej per thousand1 which is the price at which we will sell them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,alsike ,,clover ,,seed is considerably higher price now than quoted on page #bg of our catalogue4 ,we can now supply a limited quantity at #be cents per pound1 #c4jj per peck or #aa4jj per bu4 ,postage #i cents per lb4 if by mail4 ,price subject to change without notice4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we wish to call attention to the fact that we can furnish the ,hastings ,feeders to anyone wanting them4 ,they are first class1 and in some ways much better than any other in use4 ,the price is #cj cents each2 #c4jj per dozen4 ,postage #ac cents each extra4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,obvious printer errors corrected silently4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original4