222 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 
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The practical management of the Apiary, as heretofore, has been satisfactorily 
carried on by Mr. John Fixter, the Farm Foreman. The interest shown in the Apiary 
has been very encouraging ; large numbers of visitors have examined it, who have been 
gratified by the attention shown them and by the explanations given in all matters con- 
nected with bee-keeping. One experiment was particularly observed, namely, what has 
been called the “House Apiary.” This is treated of by Mr. Fixter in his report 
appended hereto. Many of the experiments begun in former seasons have been 
continued ; but those on wax foundations were not taken up this year. In addition to 
the explanations given to visitors, two valuable addresses were delivered by Mr. Fixter 
to the students of the Ottawa Normal School upon the subject of bee-keeping, and he 
also attended two meetings of Farmers’ Institutes, one at Russell Village, Russell County, 
Ont., and the other at Bell’s Corners, Carleton County, Ont., at both of which the 
directors of the institutes requested that the subject of bee-keeping should be brought 
up. 
5% The season at Ottawa, with reference to bee-keeping, has been a very remarkable 
one. Although in June there was a good amount of blossom on flowering plants, bee- 
keepers in the district were all surprised to find how little honey was stored by their 
bees. 
Notes are being taken, with the dates, of the different kinds of flowers which are 
attractive to bees, and will be published at some future date. The Breaking Buckthorn, 
or, as it is more generally known, the Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus Frangula), was 
noticed to be particularly visited and for a very long period by bees. A supply of the 
seed of this shrub was, therefore, collected and distributed to all bee-keepers who asked 
for it before the supply was exhausted. 
The condition of the Apiary I consider quite satisfactory, and it is a branch of the 
Farm work which is growing in popularity from year to year (a fact, it must be stated, 
almost entirely due to Mr. Fixter’s skill and good management). 
RESULTS OF THE WORK OF THE SEASON. 
On August 28th all the supers were removed from our hives, when 212 partly filled 
sections were found. This was all the surplus honey which had been made during the 
year, and the whole of this was returned to the bees for their winter sustenance. It 
should also be mentioned that not only has there been an entire lack of surplus honey, 
but the bees have also failed to swarm, so that the number of colonies was not increased. 
These results appear the more extraordinary when we consider the large quantities of 
honey made per colony during the past two years. In 1895 the average was 54 sections 
per colony, and in 1896 it was 50 sections, besides 16 lbs. $ oz. of extracted honey per 
colony, all having been under the same management and care. There seems to have 
been an unusual deficiency of nectar in the flowers. The bees worked industriously, but 
were barely able to accumulate enough for their own subsistence. Indeed it was neces- 
sary to supplement their stores with considerable quantities of sugar in order to keep 
them supplied. 
This discouraging condition of affairs prevailed all over the eastern parts of Ontario. 
In the western parts of that province better results are reported. 
The following extracts from letters received will show the peculiarity of the season 
of 1897, in the Ottawa district :— 
“Ottawa, January 7, 1898.—<As you are probably aware last season was one of the 
most peculiar, if not the most peculiar, in the history of bee-keeping in this section of 
Canada. 
W's il ee 
