258 ANNUAL REPORT 



faced the south ; but he aims to give them plenty of room so that 

 the hive is not absolutely crowded in the hot weather. 



Mr. Allen. I don't think our friend approves of a dead shade. 

 I am acquainted with the gentleman, and I know where he keeps 

 his bees. I don't think he approves of having a dead shade, and 

 so far as my observation is concerned, I don't think it is neceasary 

 A partial shade would be my idea. 



President Wilcox. I will next have read a paper pertaining 

 more to honey making than bee culture: It expresses some views 

 I heartily agree with. Allow me to introduce Mr. Thielman said to 

 ,he the " bee king of the state." 



Mr. Thielman then read a paper on the production of comb 

 Ihoney. 



PKODUCTION OF COMB HONEY. 

 By C Thielman. 



Ladies and Gentlemen: — I am requested to read a paper on 

 production of comb honey to this assembly. I will try and give a 

 few of the points which came under my observation and study, viz; 

 my 20 years of beekeeping, and which have proved with me practi- 

 cable arid profitable, and in which I have been very successful. 



The first condition for successful beekeeping is, a good locality 

 with plenty oE clover, linden and other forest trees and shrubbery. 

 As a rule the clovers and linden furnish the bulk of the honey 

 crop in the northern part of the U. S. though sometimes they fail 

 to yield honey, when as a rule other sources give us a honey crop, 

 such as corn, mint, tame and wild buckwheat, asters, golden rod and 

 other fall flowers, and one year I even got a nice honey crop from 

 the birch trees, without them being in bloom. The honey could 

 be seen in drops at the junctions of the leaves and the newly 

 growing twigs. This was very fine honey no honey due. This 

 proves that nature furnishes honey sometime? in the absence of 

 flowers. The next essential is strong colonies of worker bees; 

 without them we cannot obtain the best results and in order to 

 have the bees in the right time, we must skillfully and judiciously 

 manage our spring's work. After successful wintering Ave must 

 try to keep our colonies warm. This will assist in brood rearing. 

 Manycolonies have succumbed to this neglect. I find good honey 

 the most valuable for brood rearing. If honey can be had, sugar 

 should not be fed. Much could be said on this subject, but I will 

 abstain from it here. From my experiments and what I have 

 seenamong other beekeepers, I have concluded that the Langstroth 

 (or similar in principle) hives are the most desirable for comb 

 honey production. They are simple and easily managed and are 

 well adapted for the surplus arrangements, though most any ex- 



