Bke Keki'ing. 251 



naming some of the prominent featm-es of the business 

 necessary to success. 



First of all, we nnist have good bees in a good liive. 

 By good bees I do not mean any particular strain, but vig- 

 orous, industrious and amiably disposed bees of whatever 

 color and name. Experienced bee keepers, by general con- 

 sent, give the yellow or It;ilian bees the preference, but 

 there is no doubt that good black bees are preferable to 

 poor Italians, and any judicious apiarian will tind occasion 

 to encourage and extend some families, and change others, 

 with reference to all the conditions named above. I think 

 there is even more difference in the actual value in different 

 colonies of bees, aside from their number, than in the 

 different cows in our dairies. 



By good hives, I do not mean hives of any particular 

 name, but such as are adapted to the location intended, 

 tlie skill of the operator and his special purpose — whether 

 of obtaining fluid surplus or comb surplus in small or large 

 boxes. The next object is to get the good hives full of the 

 good bees, and, so far as practicable, to keep them in that 

 condition. To this end a vigorous and prolitic (|ueen or 

 mother bee is indispensable, with plenty of room for brood ; 

 also, either supplies in plenty on hand or a good range. A 

 nice point is to keep just so much comb free from honey 

 as is needful for brood. Valuable stocks are often crip- 

 pled, if not ruined, when honey is flush, by allowing the 

 workers to fill u]) the brood combs, thus preventing the 

 amount of brood necessary to repair waste, for it must 

 be borne in mind that the waste of bees during the active 

 season is very great. The remedy in this case is either the 



