STATE HORTICULTUBAL SOCIETY. 141 



little honey. And they would remain there at the proper temperature 

 until March or April. It was necessary to keep them dry and warm, 

 and if the house was properly constructed, with sufficient air spaces, it 

 would never freeze — not even potatoes. There was nothing like dead 

 air spaces to keep out cold. 



A great deal had been said and written about the bee moth destroy- 

 ing bees, but the method of preventing their ravages was as simple as 

 A, B, C. There never was a swarm destroyed by them that was good 

 for anything. It frequently occurs that a colony loses their queen. 

 In passing into the air to be fertilized the queen not unfrequentiy 

 gets into the wrong hive and is instantly killed, soon leaving the 

 swarm minus any eggs and minus any young queeus. As a conse- 

 quence in four or five weeks, if we do not take the honey the millers 

 will. The proper course to pursue is to introduce a new queen, which 

 is easily accomplished; and in a period of fifteen days the colony will 

 be supplied with a new queen. A queen had been known to lay 

 three hundred thousand eggs in twenty -four hours. It is very inter- 

 esting to observe their habits. The queen does not feed herself, but 

 is fed by the bees, and requires a good deal of food while la3nng. He 

 said there were a great many patent hives, as well as a great many 

 theories with regard to the best method of raising bees. The Lang- 

 stroth hive was the best It was convenient for handling the honey 

 or controling the colony. A single swarm should furnish from fifty 

 to ninety pounds of box honey Bees increase faster in a cold than in 

 a warm climate. 



He considered artificial swarming the best, and the process was a 

 very simple one. There was always something to be learned 

 in the business. He could take as much profit from fifty good swarms 

 of bees as could be obtained from fifty good cows, and was not afraid 

 to try it with anyone. He would not agree to do it every year, as 

 there are poor honey years, but in an average year he could do ifc 

 every time. 



Amber cane was no doubt a good thing, but he preferred honey to 

 Amber cane syrup, as being finer and a greater luxury. Honey could 

 be produced with profit at ten cents per pound. He was fortunate if 

 he could get twenty cents for his box honey, and he never had a poor 

 article. When nice white comb honey sold for less than eighteen to 

 twenty cents it was not a profitable business, and it ought not to bring 

 less than that price. But strained honey at a shilling a pound ought 

 to satisfy anyone. 



He had been very much entertained with the remarks on the subject 



