206 EXPERIMENTAL EARM8 



3-4 EDWARD V!I., A. 19a4 



of shade trees with some arsenical poison as soon as the young caterpillars hatch from 

 the egg, or as soon afterwards as possible. This work, if properly done, will destroy 

 every caterpillar and render unnecessary the collection of the eggs in winter and the 

 use of unsightly tree protectors, bandages of cotton batting, or sticky substances, all 

 'of which are more costly and objectionable. It might be well to point out that, when 

 municipal bodies adopt the plan of collecting the cocoons in winter, it would be well 

 to place these for a time in some place where any parasites which might be passing the 

 winter in the cocoons could emerge and escape, but where the young caterpillars upon 

 emerging would find it impossible to gain access to any trees. This might be done by 

 putting them in an upper room of some building from which the parasites could fly out 

 of the windows, but from which the young caterpillars could not crawl to trees which 

 would serve them as food. Deprived of food, they will soon starve after leaving the egg. 



THE APIARY 



The Apiary, as in tl^e past, has been under the management of Mr. Jolm Fixter, 

 the farm foreman, whose report I append herewith. The same experiments which 

 have been carried on for some years have most of them been repeated on account of 

 the large amount of interest v/hich has been evinced in the subject by correspondents 

 and visitors to the Central Experimental Farm. The services of Mr. Fixter have been 

 asked for at a great many meetings of bee-keepers, and, whenever his duties at the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm would permit of it, he has attended these meetings and given 

 addresses. 



REPORT OF MB. JOHN FIXTER. 



The season of 1903 has been a poor one in the Ottawa valley, but in the greater 

 part of western Ontario the crop has been excellent both as to quality and quantity; 

 parts of the province of Quebec also report good crops, principally where Bokhara 

 clover grows extensively; also in districts which had sufficient moicture in the spring. 



The season opened very early; the colonies were set out on their summer stands 

 on March 21. The temperature on that date being 48; and the day bright and mild 

 was most favourable for the cleansing flight of the bees. Then followed several days 

 of cool windy dull weather, which kept the bees confined to their hives ; this continued 

 all "the rest of March. April was also very unfavourable, being cool and windy. Dur- 

 ing the greater part of the latter month there was only about three-quarters of an inch 

 of rain, all growth and bloom being thus kept back. May set in warmer; the bees gath- 

 ered pollen freely, and built up fairly well. It was necessary to feed the bees during 

 May to keep up brood rearing. Only about a quarter of an inch of rain fell during 

 May, and up to June S-the land was so dry and hard that no clover of any account came 

 in bloom. After June 8, abundance of rain fell, many flowers appeared, and the small 

 amount of surplus honey was gathered after that date. Swarming was light owing 

 to the poor season. There being no fall honey flow from any source all supers were 

 removed on August 26. 



On September 1 all colonies were weighed ; any that did not weigh 50 pounds and 

 ever were fed. When feeding, care mtist be taken not to feed weak swarms, but the 

 fetrong ones; then, when these have filled the frames these latter should be given to 

 the weak colonies : otherwise the weak colonies are liable to get robbed. A much bet- 

 ter plan of bringing colonies up to the required weight is, in the extracting season, to 

 save some of the well-sealed combs to fill up the light colonies with them. There is 

 then very little danger of their being robbed. 



