2S2 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



there were few bees on it and no surplus from that source. August 

 was the only month with us that could he called a good month for 

 honey, as September was too cool for honey production, and on the 

 21st, a big frost closed the season, which I consider a very poor one. 

 Still the bees made at least 50 per cent, on their value, which is 

 more than I can make on any other branch of farming. On the 25th 

 of May I received some bees from Alabama. Out of 14, 3 from 

 nuclei, four were entirely destroyed and at least 33 per cent, of 

 the bees of the other 10 were dead and a good portion of the 

 brood destroyed leaving, save two from nuclei. In spite of the 

 poor season, these nuclei became strong, full colonies and gave me 

 28 sections worth |4.00 a piece. If this can be done in a cold, wet 

 season, unfavorable for honey, without extra care, what can be done 

 in a good season with favorable weather in fruit bloom, raspberry 

 bloom, basswood, buckwheat and fall flowers. With us the much 

 talked of golden-rod is hardly a honey-plant as the bees do not often 

 work on it. I have seen fields yellow with bloom and not a bee on it. 



COLOR OF HONEY. 



The early honey is mostly of an amber color; white clover and 

 basswood, white. I have had honey during chestnut bloom of a 

 blue color, and fall flowers in September on mountains and ravines 

 the whitest of all. Buckwheat honey is very dark colored and is 

 much admired by many. I get for it as much per pound as for white 

 honey. Bees work mostly on buckwheat between the hours of 9 

 and 12 A. M.; on sumac until dark. There is a clear, white honey 

 made in June which is very bitter to the taste but is not injurious to 

 the person. I have had samples analyzed in at least four different 

 years, but could never find what it is made from, all attempts to find 

 out having proved to be merely guesswork. There is also another 

 honey of a black color that the bee-keeper would be glad to get rid of, 

 but as it generally comes in very small quantities and is mostly used 

 in brood-rearing, it does but little harm, if our friends, the chemists, 

 do not succeed in getting it classed as an adulterant. If they do, 

 it will do us no end of harm, for no law that can be passed will pre- 

 vent the bees from working o-n the excretions of insects (falsely 

 called honey-dew) when the nectar in flowers is scarce and no bee- 

 keeper could swear that his honey did not contain some of the stuff, 

 nor is there any method by which he could keep it out. 



I have introduced the subject of bee-keeping in all of my insti- 

 tutes and find the farmers interested, and as I pass around among 

 them I see some beehives mostly empty, and when I inquire the 

 cause the answer is, "Oh, they just died;" and that brings me to the 

 question of legislation. We need a law and it should be a very 

 stringent one to eradicate foul brood. I am not in favor of a 

 county law giving the authority to the county commissioners; I 

 think it would not be satisfactory. But what I think would be bet- 

 ter, would be to divide the State into districts with a foul brood in- 

 spector in each district, nominated by at least five of the leading 

 bee-keepers of his district, approved by the State Association and 

 appointed by the Governor, whose duty should be regulated by a 

 commission of ten members, five of whom are to be appointed by 

 the president and five elected by the association, all of whom must 



