No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 381 



MR. NELSON: Mr. Chairman, on account of institute work, I 

 havn't had time to take this matter up until night before last, and 

 what I have done I have had to do between times. 



Mr, Nelson then read the following report: 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON APIARY. 



By J. W. Nelson, Chairman. 



In my report, as Chairman, I must begin with the winter of 1903 

 and 1904, one long to be remembered and never to be forgotten by 

 the apiarist, as well as the pomologist, for their interests are insep- 

 arable; a winter the like of which we hope never to have again, 

 commencing with cold and dry weather in October and ending in 

 cold, wet weather in April and May. The first flight my bees had 

 from October 25th, was on January the 23d, or about 90 days, 

 during which time the temperature twice was down to 32 degrees 

 below zero; but they were all alive at latter date, but much re- 

 duced in numbers. The next fly, February 7th, an interval of 15 

 days, temperature at 40 degrees 7 A. M., 52 degrees at 1 A. M., 

 still all alive. The temperature was below zero eleven times in 

 February. March the 13th, some bees flew, an interval of 35 days, 

 5 per cent. dead. The next nice day was the 7th of April, an inter- 

 val of 25 days, making an almost continuous confinement of 160 

 days. Most of the rest were very weak, then followed rainy weather 

 till the 16th of June. My winter and spring losses were about 75 per 

 cent.; but I think at least two-thirds of the loss can be charged up 

 to foul brood. 



The keeping of bees has a double purpose: The direct profit and 

 the necessary pollenization of fruits and flowers. Before the snow 

 is all out of the lanes or the frost out of the ground, the apiarist will, 

 if he watches closely, observe the bees carrying in natural pollen. 

 Where do they get iit? Off of the willows along the streams which 

 produce only pollen, as most of those trees and plants which come 

 first produce only pollen, the percentage of nectar increasing as the 

 season advances till it reaches its highest point in basswood the 

 first week in July. Next to the willows come the aspens, the soft 

 maple, the elm, the sugar maple, the walnuts, the oaks, and other 

 hardwood trees, producing mostly pollen, and the latter mostly 

 honey; nature thus giving a larger amount of pollen in the spring to 

 stimulate brood-rearing so that the necessary amount of bees may 

 be present when fruit blooms to fertilize the flowers and thus insure 

 a crop. 



The extremely wet weather prevented the bees this year in fruit 

 bloom doing much more than to fertilize the flowers, and, although 

 the white and alsike clover contained the most bloom I ever saw. 



