650 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



It has been steadily increasing for the last 20 years, until last sprirug 

 it covered the ground with a mantle of gold as far as the eye could reach. 



This honey commercially is of little value, but as a stimulant to build 

 up our bees, and put them in prime condition for the white clover in June, 

 is of the greatest value. 



I was reading in one of our magazines not long ago where some writer 

 seemed to doubt as to the dandelion producing very much nectar. 



Let me read you from the record of my scale hive for one week, com- 

 mencing May 22, 1913. 



This was a 10 frame hive, with a 5 inch extraction super on top, con- 

 taining a strong colony of Italian bees. 



Firuit bloom was over. The clover blosso-ms were jvist beginning to 

 appear. Nothing on which the bees could work except dandelions. 



22d. Shower in the morning, clear in the afternoon, gathered 7 pounds. 



23d. Cloudy in the morning, clear after 10, gathered 8 pounds. 



24th. Clear day, gathered 131 pounds. 



25th. Clear, cast an 8 pound swarm. 



This was the largest swarm I ever had this early in the season. 



It was hived and placed on a new stand, for the ireason that I wanted 

 every queen cell there was in the mother colony, which I v/ill explain 

 later. 



26th. Fair and warm, gathered 6 pounds. 



27th. Fair and warm, gathered 7 pounds. 



This record for the 2fith and 27th, seems wonderful to me, that a 

 colony casting off an eight pound swarm could muster forces enough to 

 gio out and gather nectar and pollen to the amount of 6 and 7 pounds, 

 the first and second days after it had swarmed. 



It shows you what an immense amount of nectar was within reach of 

 the bees at tlhat time. 



• And I have often wondered what the scale would have shown if this 

 colony had not swarmed or what other colonies in the apiary of equal 

 strength gathered during these three days, the 25th, 26th, and 27th of 

 May. 



It is my guess that the amount was from 15 to IS pounds. 



Now, if our president will allow me, I would like to digress from our 

 subject long enough to read further from the recoird of this scale hive 

 during the first half of April last spring. 



My bees were set out of the cellar the last day of March. 



April 1, 2, 3, cold. 



4th, warm, gatliered 1 pound from soft maple. 



5th and 6th, cold. 



7th, 8th, and 9th, snow. The snow fell to the depth of 18 inches, ac- 

 cording to the record of the weather man, and containing 2.15 inches of 

 water. 



April 10th, sun shone bright, shoveled the bees out of the snow. Flew 

 in the afternoon. Saw many on the snow. I think all succeeded in 

 getting back to their hives before night as it was warm and the snow 

 settled at least 2 inches. 



11th, warm, still day. Bees flew strong. Snow settled down to about 

 12 inches. Scale showed a gain of 1 pound. What! Something wrong 

 with the scale. 



