BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
1st. I am not posted in cellar wintering and mode of feeding, but I would feed either, honey or sugar, depending on the _cost_ of each.
2d. I would reduce sugar or honey --which ever I decided to use, being governed by the _cost_--to a thin syrup state and feed it by putting it into 7 or 8-quart milk pans, covering them with their muslin clothes, and sitting a partial of such feed in the top story of each hive, _directly_ on the _frames_. In a tightly made hive these pans with cloth covers, are the _best_ feeders I know of and feeding can be done the quickest. I fed in spring of 1886, 1,200 lbs. of sugar and in spring of 1887, I fed 1,000 lbs. to about 60 colonies each spring, with such feeders.
Take common brown sugar, and put just water enough with it to melt it. Boil this slowly, stirring well to prevent scorching, till it is hard enough, then drop it in cold water, to form a cake like candy. Then run it into some convenient dish, like a cake pan, and let it cool. Place this cake on top of the frames and cover with quilt, so the bees can come up and get it. This for the cellar. Do the same for the out-door bees, except to cover the cake warmer, so the bees won't chill. A good idea is to fill the cap lightly with fine straw, and then place it on the hive. Use no liquid food in winter. Combs of sealed honey would be better in either case, but I suppose you would not ask for advice if you had them.--Will M. Kellogg.
**Question No. 34.--How far do you prefer that the top bars of brood frames should project over the end bars to form the supporting arms?**
About one inch.--J. P. H. Brown.
Three-quarters of an inch.--Will M. Kellogg.
I should prefer that there be seven-eights of an inch projection.--A. L. Swinson.
I use a top bar, projecting five-eights of an inch. You will find many frames that project three-fourths.--H. D. Cutting.
Mine are scant seven-eights of an inch for a Langstroth frame, which leave a three-eight inch bee space, and one-half inch to rest on the one-half rabbet.--Frank A. Eaton.
Just enough to catch on the rabbets and leave space for the bees between ends of frames and sides on ends of hives. An inch is about right in my hives.--J. E. Pond.
As I have seen nothing in your valuable Magazine from this part, I will give my report. Went into winter with nine in chaff hives. At roll call this spring all responded in good order. It was the finest spring for bees I ever saw up to May 15; then cool and wet. The thermometer stood from 40 to 50\({}^{\circ}\) every morning till nearly the last of June. White clover was in full bloom May 21st and lasted till July 10. It was so cold and wet that the bees never went into sections till the first of July. After this we have had it dry and hot, no rain to amount to anything till today. Since June 2oth the thermometer stood in the shade 104\({}^{\circ}\). The honey crop is a failure. I increased to 12; will average about 10 pounds to colony. They are consuming more than they are gathering. The outlook is that we will have to feed sugar to winter on. Basswood only lasted five days and is scarce. Yours, W. B. Baker,
_Canton, W. Va., August 2, '87._
[Friend Baker, your report is a model one, concise and to the point. We have had a very peculiar year for honey, all over the United States. You are fortunate to get any surplus. Your report was by mistake laid aside for the wrong month.--Eb.]
_Editor Bee-Keepers' Magazine:_
Please find enclosed one dollar for the Magazine for two years. I cannot get along without my Magazine. This has been a bad season. I got one-fourth more honey last year from nine colonies than I did this year from twenty-six. I propose to use some of my honey to give bees I shall get from my neighbors who will give them to me rather than destroy them in their box hives. I took five swarms from them this summer. A. Murray.
_Staten Island, N. Y., Nov. 29, '87_
[We are glad you like the Magazine. Your plan of getting bees we think a good one.--Eb.]
Please discontinue my subscription, as I do not keep bees at present, and will not in the future. I admire your independent spirit. No ring controls _your_ paper. I have had the new Heddon Hive ; do not think it comes up to the recommendation it gets from some advocates. Yours truly,
G. M. Fuller.
_Oakfeld, N. Y._
[We are sorry to lose you as a subscriber. Our friend Heddon ought to insert your letter among his recommendations. Thanks for your kind words, and doubly so, as we know them to be the truth.--Eb.]
We have had a very poor honey season. Bees in good order and mine for sale cheap. J. P. McElrath.
_Abury, N. Y._
[We regret to hear of poor season, but that has been the universal cry throughout the United States. We hope, however, it has not discouraged you.--Eb.]
[We are glad you like the Magazine. Convention in the United States Hotel, corner High and Town streets, Columbus, Ohio, January 10 and 11, 1888. An interesting programme will be arranged. Reduced rates at the above hotel. Frank A. Eaton, Sec.
Buffton, Ohio.
1888--January 17, 18, 19.
The New York State Bee-Keepers' Association will meet at Utica on the
egin{tabular}{c} _Farmer_:Goud morning, sir. What are you paying for corn to-day? \ _Grain Bayer_:We are paying 45 cents to-day. \ _F_:-What is the weight of my Todd! \ _G_: _B_:-The net weight is just 4,950 pounds. \ _F_:-(Opening Its Calculator)-then 1 had on 52 \ busbals and 80 pounds, and it comes to 84x70. \ (see Grain Tables, pages 15, 88; also Rules, Art. \ 94,95). \ _G_: _B_:-(After figuring it up)-Correct. Why, since \ _then can you figure so \(pprox\)_raight_? \ _F_:-Oh, ever since 1 \ late. It is a capital work and saves time, labor. \ dollar? \ \end{tabular}
This valuable little book will save you in thousands of ways many times what it has cost you. * The price of book alone is 50 cents, post paid to any address in the world. We will furnish it with the BeE-Keepers' Magazine one year for 50 cents.
**THE ROFAL OFEE.**
ROPP'S COMMERCIAL CALCULATOR, a book sold everywhere for 50 cents, we will send you FREE, for one new name as subscriber to Magazine and 50 cents.
Get a new subscriber at once and avail yourself of the unusual offer. We have never been able to place before our subscribers a more engaging offer than this. It is certainly worth your while to try. We will furnish sample copies of Magazine here to all those who may desire them.
**BEE-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE, Barrytown, N. Y.**
**E. & O. WARD,**
Produce Commission Merchants.
We give our personal attention to the care and sale of all kinds PRODUCE-including HONEY and BEES-WAX.
Send 10 cents in postage stamps for our Circular of advice of great value to shippers in regard to preparing, packing, and shipping produce to our market. It also contains a recipe for preserving Eggs. Address
279 WASHINGTON ST., bet. Warren and Chambers, NEW YORK.
_We employ no Agents._
_Reference: Irving National Bank._
Mention this Magazine when answering advertisement.
**BARRYTOWN, JANUARY, 1888.**
**THE HONEY PRODUCERS' UNION.**
**The New York State Bee-Keepers' Association inaugurated a movement**
**Correspondents writing matter for publication will**
**order a favor on the editor by writing on only one side of the paper, and giving their full name and address. The latter will be given in the MAGAZIN, unless there is a request to the contrary. Kindly write**
**matter for the MAGAZIN on a separate sheet from business communications, so that we may not have to have on a large or small scale. We all are**
**Related manuscript cannot be returned unless stamps**
**are forwarded for that purpose.**
**Song of the Bees.**
**B. AIREN.**
**We watch for the light of the morning break,**
**And color the grey eastern sky,**
**With its blended hues of saffron and lake,**
**Then say to each other, 'Awake' Awake '!"**
**For our winter's honey is all to make,**
**And our bread for a long supply.**
**Then off we hie to the hill and the dell,**
**To the field, the wild wood and bower,**
**In columbine's horn we love to dwell,**
**To dip in the lily with snow white bell,**
**To search the balm in its odorous cell**
**The thyme and the rosmary flower.**
**We seek for the bloom of the gelantine,**
**The line, painted thistle and brier,**
**And follow the course of the wandering vine,**
**Whether it trail on the earth supine,**
**Or 'round the aspiring tree-top twine,**
**And reach for a stage still higher.**
**As each for the good of the whole is bent,**
**And stores up his treasure for all,**
**We hope for an evening of heart's content,**
**For the winter of life withoutlament,**
**That summer is gone, with its hours misspent,**
**And the harvest is past recall.**
**This number of the MAGazine will**
**appear a few days late that we may give**
**a report of the convention at Utica.**
**A.
Another direction, in which we were highly gratified, was the manner the daily papers of Utica reported our meeting. We have never seen such accurate reports nor more intelligent reporters. It seemed as if each one of them was a bee-keeper, and could appreciate all the best points in the meetings, and get them down. If the balance of the columns of the _Utica Herald_, the _Utica Press_ and the _Utica Observer_, are filled with as accurate reports, of which we have not the least doubt, persons living in Utica and vicinity are to be heartily congratulated. Altogether the association was better treated in Utica than in any of the other meeting places.
We regretted to see that after all that has been said regarding advertising at sessions of the convention, a member availed himself of an opportunity by puffing up his wares and predicing the universal use of his patent. This person is one of the best fellows you ever saw, and one we think much of, but we hope that this advertising will not be repeated. We do not want the Heddon advertising business to be a feature of our State convention.
We desire to acknowledge our indebtedness to the _Herald_, _Observer_ and _Press_ of Utica, N. Y., for the report of the N. Y. State Bee-Keepers' Association Convention which we print. The accuracy of the reports leave nothing to be desired, and permitted us to enjoy every minute of the meeting instead of having to act as reporters ourselves.
The SCENT of BEES.
Mr. R. E. Brand, in another column, gives us an account of some interesting experiments by which he has become convinced that _actions_ rather than _scent_ determine the actions of bees towards a robber. We think that further investigation will convince Mr. Brand that it is probably a combination of both. Mr. Thos. W. Cowan, referring to the Alexandria hive in his work entitled "British Bee-Keepers' Guide Book," says on page 43, in reference to the use of the two boxes or hives one above the other : " Should the colony which is placed in the lower box persist in swarming, the swarm is hired in the second box * * and a floor board, which will form a separating board, having perforations, is put on the body-box, another entrance having been first opened above the old one. After two or three days, the swarming fever having been sati-fied, the bees may be united by the withdrawal of the separating board, and having the same scent will work together peacably without any attempt at swarming again." This method in principle is the same as Mr. Brand with division board. Mr. Cowan only refers to the scent as an active agent in restoring quiet in the hive. This would require us to assume that a swarm on leaving the parent hive assumed a new scent. On page 4 of the same work, Mr. Cowan says : "As success in uniting depends on the bees having the same scent and being filled with sweets."
Rev. L. L. Langstroh, in his work, says : " Members of different colonies appear to recognize their hive companions by the sense of smell, * * just as each mother in a large flock of sheep is able, by the same sense, in the darkness to distinguish her own lamb from the others." And further on he says : "A few seasons ago, however, I discovered that bees often recognize strangers by their actions, even when they have the same scent." Thus both scent and actions appear to play a part
### 38 THE BEE-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE.
in the maintenance of peace in the "queens" dominions." The matter, however, will bear further investigation.
**NE. YOUNG. Mr. Young, of whom every one who has met him has such pleasant memories, will surely be pleased to know that he has returned home in safety, and that he has not forgotten America and its bee-keepers. A few days since we received the following : Mr. Editor : Will you kindly allow me to express, through your honored bee journal, my most cordial thanks for all the friendliness and affiability which were so profuely shown to me during my memorable visit amongst the American and Canadian bee friends. I will, as long as I live, take delight in the recollections of my trip, and never! no, never! forget the world's most able bee-keepers, nor their great hospitality towards me as a stranger. I only regret that my time was so limited that I had no opportunity of personally calling on the many more, whose names were so well known and dear to me, through the bee journals. Respectfully yours, Ivar S. Young. _Christiania, Norway, November, 1887_.
We believe that all those who had the honor and pleasure of entertaining this gentleman will acknowledge that every moment of his stay was an enjoyable one to his host, and that they regretted the hour which marked his departure.
**THE _Advertising Reporter_ during the last year has been of great service to us. In former years we have incurred many bad debts by inserting advertisements of parties who did not pay. Now, with the addition of this invaluable assistant, we are always sure where we stand. The last volume, No. VI, is very complete.
**WE desire to commend the officers of the Vermont Bee-Keepers' Association for their enterprise in getting up so neat a programme as they have forwarded us. Singularly enough, the
THE BEE-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE. 39
went up stairs, but as they expected, there was only rubbish, cobewbs and dust. They came down quickly and began a thorough search for an "inner door that led somewhere." They examined every foot of the floor and the wall opposite the entrance, but found nothing. They turned now to the old clothes-press. It was black with smoke and age. At last certain marks on the side led them to exchange glances, and to renew examination.
Ha! On the top of the desk, easily found because the dust was removed by the hand, was a push button. Pressing on this, and pushing on the end side of the clothes-press, this end or door gave way and opened inward. Behind this clothes-press was a narrow door made in the side of the house. It was a heavy oak door studded with nails and bolts, and fortunately the key was in the lock. Everything is in readiness, the bolt slides back, the latch lifts, the door swings in, and with raised revolvers Sam and his friends enter. What a sight! a brilliantly lighted room, or rather a cave made by excavating. The earth thus removed filling the collar under the house. Benches were ranged along the sides, and on them and disposed around the cave were the tools and machinery employed by counterfeiters. Two men in their shirt sleeves, wearing work aprons were at work. A revolver covered each, and thus guarded they were quietly handcuffed. Resistance was useless. They knew the character of the men they were dealing with.
The prisoners were conducted to the front room--the bed room--and provided with mouth muzzles, for the evening's exercises were not yet concluded. Quitly they waited. About midnight came the three knocks and the two knocks on the door. Sam opened it to the length of the chain. "All right," said a voice, and the door was unchained, and the old hermit and a man with him, both carrying heavy satchels, walked in. The light was dim and before the door closed the hermit and his companion were over-powered and chained. They were surprised, and still more surprised when,* 40 THE BEE-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE.
about eight inches square by sixteen inches deep, with one end closed and the other opened, and fastened to a long strong pole, and obtained two or three other poles of different lengths with a hook on the end of each.
These they will require should the bees in swarming cluster on a high branch of a tree, the hooked poles being used to jar the limbs and shake the swarm into the box.
Adjoining the kitchen is a little room built originally for a little milk-room, and which was used as such, when the Heath's owned the neighboring acres and kept two or three cows, but for sometime it has not been used and the children have been allowed to appropriate it for bee purposes.
Here, at Molly's direction, the boys have brought a long, broad table which extends the whole length of one side of the room, and on the other side have placed a large safe with fine wire doors which can be closed securely, and is to be used for storing away the surplus honey, that it may be kept free from dust, and safe from any robber bees that may be foraging for stolen sweets.
The new hives have already been arranged in a row, at a little distance back of the original six hives, and now the boys feel quite well prepared for the swarming business.
"Now, Molly, there is no school today, and we want to help you divide the hives," said Rob. " You promised us if that first hive did not swarm by to-day you would divide it as you thought the queen was about ready to come out. But look, it seems as if a great many bees were gathering about that very hive, see how they are flying from all quarters, back and forth, the air seems full of bees, and what a peculiarly loud, sharp hum they make. I do believe it's a real smarm," said Tom.
"Yes indeed, boys," said Molly. " Get your gloves and veils on as soon as you can, we must not let them escape us. Now Nan, you watch and see where the bees go if they cluster, while the boys and I go to the bee room and get the things we need. Teddy, you run into the houseand get a sheet, and
**The Bee-KEEPERS' MAGAZINE.**
**when I looked at them, would need soon to be divided."**
**" Why, what a number of bees are left in the old hive! " exclaims Tom, I thought we would find it almost empty when I saw so many going into the new hive."**
**" No, we have quite a strong colony left and we can take out some of these surplus pound boxes which are full of honey, and put in others so as to give them room to work in. There are certainly a dozen all capped over. Let me brush the bees off carefully. There Tom, take them and put them in the safe, and be sure and close the doors so that no stray robber bee can find them. Now I will look for the queen bee. I do not find her anywhere. She must have gone with the swarm. Here is the comb with the queen cells, one already to hatch out. I will take the others away so there will be no danger of this queen's being killed. Now we will put in some empty surplus boxes and leave the bees to take care of themselves for the present."**
**" How do you know when the queen cells are about to hatch? " asked Rob. "The bees show us," answered Molly. "About a day or two before it is time for the queen to come out the bees tear off the end of the long thimble-like cell in which queen is imprisoned, and leave only a thin partition for her to break through. Sometimes, about the fifteenth day, if you hold up the cell in a strong light you can see the queen moving about, and the day she emerges you can see the points of her sharp mandibles as she cuts her way out. She turns her body 'round and 'round**
**"** As she does this, and the line she forms is apparently a true circle.
**"** Well let us leave hive number one and look at number two. Take care, Tom, you must keep back of the hive if you want to work in safety. Now Rob, use the smoker a little when Tom has lifted off the top part containing the surplus boxes. This colony has done quite well, too, but we will not take out any honey now. First let us look for queen cells. Yes, there are some forming, but probably there will not be a swarm here for a week or two. There is the queen now. Rob get me a cage, you know what it is, a narrow wire cage about three inches long. I will catch the queen in it and take her into the house and clip one of her large wings, and then when the bees swarm she cannot fly away, and we will be sure to save the swarm. There, I have her, and I will imprison two or three of her subjects with her. Now come into the work-shop and get me a pair of small sharp pointed scissors and I will let her come out on the window pane, and while the other bees are feeding her you will see how carefully and quickly I work. There now, Madam Queen, you are clipped, and we can find you easily when we want you. Now we will put her back again and feel easy about this hive.
**"** Now comes hive number three. Only a very little honey here. What is the matter? Here are queen cells forming. Do you suppose the colony is queenless? Where the queen dies or is lost the bees do not work as well. I will hunt for the queen, or better, I will look first to see if any eggs have been laid lately. Here in the brood I find the larvae in different stages of development, but no recently laid eggs. Now let us hunt for the queen bee. No, I cannot find her. Now we must either introduce a new queen or wait for the queen cells to hatch, which from present appearance they will not do, for a week. That is too bad, for during the busy season they need a queen more than at any other time in the year, for the worker bees die off faster then," said Molly.
**"** Well, why cannot we take the queen cell which was about to hatch, which we took out of the first hive and put it in this one? " asked Rob.
**"** So we can," said Molly, "I am glad you thought of it. Bring it to me and I will fasten it to the comb with a bit of fine wire. There, we will try it and see if it will be successful."**
**"** Now for hive number four. They have commenced to work in the surplus boxes, but if we find the queen all right and no prospect of swarming, we will not disturb them. Yes, everything is going on well here. We will look
previous meeting were present, it was decided to defer the report until later in the meeting.
The raspberry is cultivated for its fruit as well as for honey. I have spent $1,000 in cultivating plants especially for honey, but never got my money back. I tried the spider plant, but unsuccessfully. The new Japanese buck-wheat is making quite a breeze among honey makers now..
Some of our customers last year raised as high as 50 bushelts to an acre. Small packages of the seed were sent to bee-keepers all over the United States last year.
John Aspinwall of Barrytown, in speaking of the tulip tree, said that in passing under a tree one day he pulled down a blossom and it was filled with honey. All of the blossoms were covered with honey and there were myriads of bees there, many dead from an abundance of honey. There had been no rain for several days.
Mr. Root--Most plants fail of producing honey some seasons, but there is seldom a season when our bees do not get a supply of honey from some source.
Mr. Dickinson--My experience is that the supply of honey depends largely on climatic conditions at all times. In my opinion, any one who plants anything for honey alone will get left. When clover yields honey, it is of a fine quality. In my experience, when you find bees working on white clover, you find them on the red. Buckwheat is simply buckwheat, and nothing more, and as far as the Japanese or other varieties are concerned, I cannot see that one is better than another. Raspberries produce a large amount of honey, and if I had to take my choice between this plant and the clover I would take the former. My bees work on red, white or alsike clover. I never should encumber farming lands with weeds of any kind for the sake of trying to raise honey.
Mr. Aspinwall -- The introduction of weeds is to utilize waste places, but I do not believe in using cultivated lands for this purpose.
B. E. Fo-ter, Utica--We got about 40 pounds of honey from artificial pastureage this year, but I do not think it pays. I have kept bees twelve yearsand never knew them to gather two pounds of honey from buckwheat.