The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-03-16
POINTS ABOUT THE Ap|ARY
Bees Store Most Honey in Large
ReceptacIes, Says an Expert.
Charles Oadant Gives His Experience
and Observations in Favor of
Larger Receptacles for Increase
OF Production. One Pound
Sections for Market Use.

tive pound sections? Tho foregoing que
~ was propounded in The American
Bee Journal and the answers were al
most unanimously in favor of the two
pound sections, although everybody
agreed that when it came to selling the
honey, it was much better to have it in
one pound sections. To the farmer who
keeps but few colonies and who wish
Ss TO produce honey for his family use
the question of sale is but secondary,
: md he desires, above all things, TO ret
ms much product rs possible from the
few colonies of bees that no keeps. 1t is
therefore important for him TO know
whether there is really IN advantage in
nsing large honey sections With n view
to settling this matter arc here appended
tho opinions of that expert bee man.
Charles Dadant, rs expressed III n letter
80 Prairie Farmer:
Bees i'll state of nature lodge them
selves in the hollows Of trees They store
honey i'll provision Of future needs
Their instinct leads them to place the
Honey at tho upper part OF their hive
above the brood aud far from the Ell.
;trance, SO that, tho cluster Of bees being
trance, they can better defend these
against intruders. They also want the
Honey in place easily accessible dur
ing cold weather, and therefore as near
1.-THE brood nest Us possible. When we
give our bees an empty box above their
breeding room, we net according to their
requirements, but when tho box is cut
up into small compartments they readi-
Iy perceive that some parts Of this sur
plus room may become difficult of &C.
cess to them during the cold weather.
and they work i'll them much more re.
1uctantly.
The first step taken for the securing
OF surplus honey, after tho invention of
Hhe movable frame hive, was the invon.
fion OF q small box, glassed on four
sides and holding about four pounds of
honey. The bees had access to this small
box through only one holo about an inch
in diameter, 1t was soon perceived that
there was less honey harvested in this
style of box than formerly in the old
wooden bucket plan, laid bottom side
,3Pp on top of the box hive We used
these boxes for short time, but after
tho invention of the extractor in 1867
we tried surplus cases of full size with
open frames right over the brood combs
and without any partition or honey
board. These frames were used for OK.
fracting The result was SO much,in IA
Tor OF the large frame that we soon dis.
carded the glass boxes altogether. A lit.
ltie later on tho honey section. holding
about pound, was invented and found
Just the thing for the comb honey mar.
tket We tried these sections in broad
frames to hold them III the supers, and
I'VE used them side by side with the long
e1tracting frames. The result was by
dar in favor of the latter, and were it
mot that tho city trade demands honey
an small packages we dare the assertion
that no one would think of using any
thing else
10 show how evidently the bees prefer
~ long, open frame to a small section
I'VE Will say that we tried both tho long
frames and 'the frames containing four
sections each, side by side in hives,
placing the small sections in tho center
lover the brood nest In every instance
the bees'filled the large open frames first,
lalthough they We're placed in less fa.
Gvorabie place. In comparative test
:between large and small sections the
result was similar, although the differ.
ance was not SO plainly marked. This
Shows that it is best to use long open
frames, or large sections, in the supers,
when the intention of the beekeeper is
to produce honey especially or exclusive.
ny for his family's use But If honey for
market ls;wanted one must either nse
the one pound sections, which are the
only comb honey package of marketable
value, or. he must use the long, open
frames with the honey extractor.
Decreasing the Production of Cotton.
Much easier said than done is the
plan of decreasing the production Of
cotton and increasing that Of provi.
sions, when the merchants will make
no advances except Oh cotton. The svs.
TEN OF advances has obtained such a
foothold that, however plausible an
other system may appear the fact ex-
lists that time and patience will be re-
CURED in making the change. says The
American Agriculturist, which explains
ias follows: 1t is one thing for conven.
tlon to pass resolutions, but quite an
0ther'te carry them into effect. For in .
stance, If "a" can be induced to reduce
his acreage of cotton, will not ''B'' take
the opposite course and increase his?
NGghbor &c" will take no stock in the