DEPARTMENT llEPORTS. 97 



siicrifice. This insures a ((iioeuless colony for nearly or quite two Aveeks_, which 

 is equivalent to the loss of a fair colony of bees, as a good fertile young queen 

 will start a fair colony in this time, especially as this is generally at tlic time of 

 the Lest honey season of all the year. 



THE EXTRACTOK. 



The great value of this machine has been again demonstrated, during the 

 wondrous honey yield of August and September. Although the bees had plenty 

 of room in the supers — both boxes and frames — still they would fill up the brood 

 space as fast as the bees came forth, so as utterly to preclude brceduig. By ex- 

 tracting I kept the brood chamber replete with brood, while by omitting the 

 same, breeding stopped entirely. I found, too, that this sent the queen into the 

 supers, Avhere she would hi\- if there was a possible chance; whereas she re- 

 mained below entirely Avhen room was given her in the brood-cliambcr. 



POLLEN A REQUISITE TO BROOD REARING. 



Tlie fact that there was no brood reared in colonies destitute of pollen till the 

 bees had gathered and stored some, seems a positive demonstration that pollen 

 is an essential element of the food of the larva3, though it is not required by the 

 mature bees. The rapid increase of brood in the spring Avould also indicate that 

 it is as well, if not best, that tlie bees have no pollen till they can fly out in 

 spring. 



FEEDING MEAL. 



The observations the past spring, su>tained also by those of 18 74, show that 

 bees are pretty apt to be able to gather pollen as soon as it is best for them to 

 ily in the spring. — by tlie middle of A})ri]. — and tliat feeding meal is unneces- 

 sary. 



EVERGREENS FOR SHADE. 



Evergreens for shading the colonies, especially Norway spruce, not only serve 

 an excellent purpose, but can be trimmed so as to make the apiar}' grounds very 

 attractive from their beauty, and are to be strongly recommended. 



SAWDUST ABOUT TflE IIIYES. 



The sawdust about the hives, underlaid with brick, by keeping the grass down, 

 serves an excellent purpose, as it enables one to sec at once any bees that fall 

 upon it, and thus ensures against loss of queen. 



LATE FALL FEEDING, 



As all tlie bees wintered so well during the past winter, I could sec no special 

 difference between those fed late the previous fall and those that Avere not. All 

 bred so late a? to vitiate the experiment. 



HONEY-PLANTS. 



The experience of the summer shows that the follovt'ing honey-plants not only 

 yield well, but that they bloom from early in July till autumn, covering a period 

 when there is a dearth of native honey bloom : mignonette, borage, and black 

 mustard. Chinese mustard is inferior to black mustard. It blooms earlier, and 

 the bloom fades away much sooner. Sun-flowers are unAvorthy cultivation, 

 while the Kocky Mountain bee-plant blooms too late to be valuable Avlicre there 

 is jilenty of fall bloom native to the region. AVitli no native bloom to furnish 

 autumn honey, it Avould be valuable. All of the above do well on light sandy 

 soil. 



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