220 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



cold wet period set in and lasted several days, when it was found necessary to feed 

 several of the swarms with syrup (2 parts of granulated sugar and 1 part of water) put 

 moderately warm into a Miller feeder and fed in the evening. Swarming began June 

 14th. The increase in the number of colonies was very small, and the honey flow 

 of the past season has been poor, not only in the Ottawa district, but in many parts 

 of Ontario and Quebec ; several bee-keepers have stated that the past season has been 

 the poorest for many years. The apiary on the farm gave an average of 23J lbs. of 

 honey per colony. There was very little honey gathered from clover this season, the 

 bees made most of their store from the basswood (or American Linden) and the honey 

 did not increase in weight after the basswood ceased to flower. No honey was gathered 

 by our bees from buckwheat, as there are no fields of this crop Avithin several miles of 

 the farm. In the experimental work with foundation combs, the following swarms 

 were selected for the experiment : No. 20 was a swarm that came off a colony of Com- 

 mon Black Bees on June 23 and weighed 9 lbs.; No. 21 was partly Italian and partly 

 Common Black Bees, both swarming together on June 24 ; the weight of this swarm 

 was 9ijf lbs. 



On August 4th two thoroughbred Italian Queens were presented to the farm by 

 Mr. Holtermann to be introduced into the apiary. Two hives of Common Black Bees 

 were selected that had a good quantity of honey and brood, with young bees just coming 

 out. The old queens and 12 workers with each, were first taken from the swarms and 

 put into a cage, until it was found that the Italian queens had been accepted by the 

 swarms. The Italian queens were introduced as soon as the old queens were taken 

 away, the cage being placed lengthwise on the top of two frames of honey and brood, 

 the bees being allowed to eat their way through about one inch of honey and sugar 

 before the queens could get out. Drone ti'aps were placed at the entrance, so that if 

 the queens attempted to leave, or if any attempt was made to carry them out, they 

 would be easily seen. Both swarms took kindly to their new queens, and 27 days 

 afterwards young Italian workers were noticed. 



September 24th : the hives were all weighed and several were found to be short of 

 stores to carry them through the winter. All hives that did not weigh 50 pounds were 

 fed, September 27th, with a syrup, two parts of sugar and one of water, fed moderately 

 warni, in the evening, in a Miller feeder; 6 swarms before being fed weighed 214f lbs., 

 and were given 116 lbs. of syrup. In 18 days afterwards they were weighed again and 

 weighed 297 lbs., making 33f pounds less weight than was fed. On November 9th the 

 hives were all weighed again, immediately before being put into the cellar. These same 

 six swarms weighed 286 pounds, being 11 pounds less than on October 12th. This experi- 

 ment indicates that a person feeding should allow about one-third more syrup than the 

 weight required to make up each hive to 50 pounds. 



The temperature of the cellar, November 9-30, 1894, varied from 40° to 44°F. 



REPORT UPON AN EXPERIMENT WITH SOME BRANDS OF 

 "FOUNDATION," BY FRANK T SHUTT, M.A., F.I.C., F.C.S. 



Wax, like honey, is a true secretion and not a material gathered by the bees, special 

 cells or glands having for their function its production. It differs from honey, how- 

 ever, in its formation in certain particulars. Honey would appear to be the result of 

 the action of a diastase or ferment, produced by certain cells in the bee, upon the cane 

 sugar contained in the nectar gathered from flowers. Wax is manufactured, so to 

 speak, in the bee, and is the result of the physiological function of certain glands, as 

 already stated. Wax, therefore, is produced at the expense of the honey or sugar (as 

 the case may be) consumed by the bee. Thus Dumas and Milne-Edwards found that 

 bees fed with 500 grammes of sugar produced 30 grammes of wax, the same weight of 

 honey only yielding 20 grammes. It would also appear that although pollen is not 

 absolutely necessary to the production of wax, its consumption by the bees greatly re- 

 duces the amount of honey or sugar otherwise required (Berlepsch). From this it is 

 evident that wax is secreted, primarily at the expense of the tissue and, secondarily, of 

 the food consumed. 



