A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to the Interests of Honey Producers. 

 $L00 A YEAR, 

 w. z. HUTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL. XVI. FLINT, MICHIGAN, AUG. 10, 1903. NO. 8. 



LOSING UP THE SEASON 



TO THT BEST ADVANTAGE. 



BY JAS. A. GREEN. 



The approach of the close of the 

 honey season is a time of importance 

 to the producer of comb honey. He is 

 anxious to secure as uuich lioney as 

 possible, so he is apt to put upon the 

 liives a great many sections that will 

 never be tilled. We all know that 

 this is very undesirable, though a 

 great many appear never to have 

 learned just how much of a loss and 

 a waste it is. How it may be pre- 

 vented or reduced as largely as pos- 

 sible is the question to be considered. 



THE FOLLY OF TOO MUCH ROOM. 



The first method is that of lessen- 

 ing the surplus room. This is a very 

 good plan to follow if judiciously pur- 

 sued, but if carried too far, or a mis- 

 take is made in the probable duration 

 of the honey flow, it may result in a 

 serious curtailment of the season's 

 crop. Yet, to go ahead full swing, 

 giving empty supers as if it were in 

 the height of the honey flow, will al- 

 most as certainly bring loss in tlie 

 shape of damaged sections and wasted 

 time under ordinary methods of pro 

 cedure. 



To my mind, a medium course is bet- 

 ter. I would guage as carefully as 

 possibly tlie storing strengtli of the 

 colonies and the probable duration of 

 the flow, neither contracting unduly 

 or giving room recklessly. 



MASS THE UNFINISHED SECTIONS ON 

 THE BEST COLONIES. 



I would go over the hives as often 

 as possible, removing a super when- 

 ever a fair proportion of the sections 

 was completed. Partly finislied sec- 

 tions should be massed on those colo- 

 nies that will be most likely to com- 

 plete them. This precaution will very 

 largely reduce the number of sections 

 nearly or quite filled but not complet- 

 ed, which is what makes this matter 

 of unfinished sections so aggravating. 

 Besides, if the flow comes to a sudden 

 end, you have these sections in good 

 shape to be promptly finished by 

 feeding back. 



A SUPER ON TOP SHOULD BE SIMPLY A 

 TEST TO SEE IF ROOM IS NEEDED. 



As to the practice recommended by 

 some, of putting the last supers on 

 top, instead of beneath the partly fin- 

 ished ones, it has some points to com- 

 mend it, but on the whole I am against 

 it. It will often reduce largely the 



