IG-i EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE 



fine open winter. Of course we had an open winter last winter, very- 

 different from what you had here. 



Mr. Wheeler. — Is that anywhere near Denver? 



Mr. Foster. — Yes, Boulder is thirty miles from Denver. My 

 bees are located north and west of Denver, and I am right on the edge 

 of the smelter smoke district. Our bees die very badly from what we 

 call smelter smoke, although I suppose Miss Fowls would call it the 

 disappearing disease. It does not seejn to appear there except where 

 it is within range of the smelter fumes. And three of my best locations 

 are where I move in the colonies from the foot-hill locations in July, 

 the smelter smoke seems to be most disastrous in March and April 

 and we move them out to the foot-hills and take advantage of the 

 spring blooms in the foot-hills, and then in the latter part of June or 

 early in July we move them back to the alfalfa or sweet clover locations 

 when the danger from smelter smoke has passed. I think the shaking 

 up of the colonies in the moving does them good, I notice they produce 

 better than those that have not been moved, partly from the better 

 location and partly from the fact of moving. This past season the 

 colonies which we divided produced as large a colony as those which I 

 did not divide. Most of the divisions were made in the latter part of 

 May or June. Of course Dr. Phillips would say, I suppose, that in 

 this wintering, if you give them winter protection that you get the 

 same results with less colonies. Well, that might work out all right. 

 I haven't had courage as yet to depart entirely from the methods 

 which I find have paid me in the past, I don't think I ought to experi- 

 ment too drastically. I am trying to test out the best way jof getting 

 a big crop of honey. I have had a good many colonies that would 

 equal Dr. Phillips', fifteen solid frames a brood, but I haven't averaged 

 twelve. I don't think I will for some time. But it is not those colonies 

 which produce the biggest crops, unless I can get that brood just at 

 the right time to give me the bees before our main honey flow. It is 

 the total results that I am after, not the individual operation per 

 colony. 



My remarks have been rather rambling; I was called on unex- 

 pectedly. If there are any thoughts that I have stirred up and any- 

 body would like to ask anything further, why, I will do the best I can. 



Mr. Wheeler. — Don't you think it is the difference in location 

 that makes the difference between you and Dr. Phillips? 



Mr. Foster. — Well, perhaps. But I would certainly, if I lost 20 ' 

 to 50 per cent of my colonies every winter, I would do some drastic 

 experimenting with the four-colony case, as he recommends. But it 

 is not the strongest colonies in the fall that produce my largest crops 

 the following season. It depends largely I think upon the queen and 

 the attention I give them, and the fact that they are not too strong at 

 the wrong time. I have had a great many of my colonies too strong 

 in April and not strong enough in July. I believe we have that trouble 

 every year. The seasons vary, but nearly every year I have quite a 

 little trouble in bringing the colonies up to their proper strength in 

 July, instead of getting them in May where they ought to be in July. 

 We have fruit bloom and dandelion flow in May that builds them up, 

 and in the latter part of April, that builds them up to good strength 



