DEPAETMENT KEPORTS. 9S 



years before we reach any conclusions that shall be reliable. I should like to 

 experiment more, as there are many matters in apioiilture and economic ento- 

 mology that ought to be investigated ; yet, with my lectures, laboratory work, 

 care of the museum and of the apiary, and all without any responsible assist- 

 ance, I have but little time and energy for such work. 



THE APIAET. 



In the winter of 1S80-S1, which was one of the most severe ever known to 

 the bee-keepers of the country, one-half of our twelve colonies of bees were 

 placed in the cellar and the remainder either packed in chaff or wintered in 

 chaff liives. All of those in the cellar wintered well, while all left out died. 

 Those wintered in the cellar did remarkably well the following summer, and 

 the season's returns were very satisfactory. We nearly trippled our number 

 of colonies, and received more than 100 pounds of honey to the colony. We 

 found our Syrian bees very excellent and superior in every way, except thai; 

 they are very cross, especially when queenless. In a paper read before the 

 American Bee-keepers' Society at its meeting at Lexington, Ky., I gave a 

 description of these bees, and explained their merits and demerits. 



Tiie winter of 1880-81 was very mild and bees wintered well. Onr thirteen 

 colonies, part in the cellar and part in chaff hives, all came from their winter 

 quarters in fine condition. Those from the cellar, in which no colony ever 

 has died, were set out April 7Lh. All of our bees were confined by a divis- 

 ion-board so as to Cover all of the frames, and all warmly covered at ends 

 and on top with saw-dust pillows during the cold nights and days of 

 spring, and all did very well. There was no trouble from "spring dwin- 

 dling," nor could I see that those in chaff hives did better than did those in 

 the common hives just from the cellar. The experience here at the College 

 speaks loudly in favor of the cellar for wintering bees. 



The season, during the early part, was too cold for nectar secretion, and so 

 we got little honey during the white clover bloom. The storage from bass- 

 wood was better, but, owing to the same cause, the yield was light. From the 

 fall bloom the production has been very good. On the whole, the season has 

 been about one-half of an average one. Our bees have always secured to us a 

 profit of over 100 per cent on the value of the bees. The profit is rarely 

 below 200 per cent. 



Of our thirteen colonies, we sold five in the spring, have seventeen at the 

 present time, and have taken over five hundred pounds of honey. 



The coming winter I shall put most of the hives into the cellar, and the rest 

 will be wintered on their summer stands in chaff hives. No pollen will be left 

 in the hives, as it is not necessary, and its presence, by stimulatiug the bees to 

 winter breeding, may do mischief. 



SUGGESTIONS. 



From our experience, recited above, with two students this year, who came 

 to study apiculture, and several letters from others who desire to take the 

 course in apiculture and entomology, it occurs to me that one or two notices 

 of this course in the leading bee journals might add considerably to our num- 

 bers. I believe that a little advertising of this kind would be wise. 



