August, 1911. 



237 



American l^ee Journal 



Sioney in them. All the covers are then 

 Teplaced, and the colonies build up 

 rapidly for the main honey-flow. 



Now there is another way in which 

 we make our increase, under certain 

 ■conditions. If the colonies are all in 

 about the same condition for a honey- 

 flow that may come early in the spring, 

 we use all our efforts toward building 

 them up to rousing colonies so that we 

 may reap the largest possible amount 

 ■of honey from them. In this case 

 we will not use the strongest col- 

 onies for our 10 colonies of increase 

 that we wish to make, but, instead, we 

 select the weakest, of which there are 

 always several in the apiary. These 

 are divided into 2 or more, in very 

 much the same way as described above. 

 As soon as these are strong enough 

 again, they are further divided until the 

 apiary has the full number of -JO. While 

 these new colonies will not store any 

 honey for us during the first flow, we 

 have, however, been able to reach our 

 full number of colonies in the yard 

 without disturbing those that were 

 strong for the honey-flow, and we thus 

 got a crop of honey, and our increase, 

 too. Those that were divided would 

 not have produced very much honey, 

 hence it was the better plan to use them 

 for making the required increase. 



Another time, when we can make 

 more increase, is immediately at the 

 •close of the honey-flow, making use of 

 the " tail end " of the flow, as it were, 

 for getting the new colonies in fine 

 shape. Our method of procedure is 

 the same as in the early spring, using 

 the excluders a week ahead of time, 

 then making the new groups of as 

 many colonies as is desired. In this 

 ■case the strongest colonies are again 

 •drawn from, unless another subsequent 

 flow is in sight, in which case the weak- 

 •est are again divided, and the strong 

 ones kept prepared for the flow. 



We also have another opportunity to 

 make still more increase in the fall of 

 the year, by taking advantage of not 

 only the dark fall flow of honey that 

 the new colonies may be able to gather 

 and build up strong on for the winter, 

 but by using supers of honey from the 

 strong colonies in the yard from which 

 no increase is made, and helping the 

 new ones with it. After the new colo- 

 nies are formed, another shallow story 

 •or super is given them some time later, 

 ■as first described, and they are then 

 ready for winter, after forming their 

 brood-nest in the two stories in the 

 .best possible shape. 



Thus we are enabled to make a lot 



of increase throughout the year, and in 

 such a way that we do not interfere 

 with the honey-storing colonies, and 

 consequently procure a good crop of 

 honey besides the increase in number 

 of colonies. It is possible thus to 



make from 20 to 30 colonies in each 

 yard above the 40 that will then be left 

 in the yard in the fall, which are again 

 used to establish as many new 40-col- 

 ony yards as there are colonies at our 

 disposal for this purpose. 



Bee-Keeping 



In Dixie^ 



Conducted hy J, J. Wilder. Cordele. Ga. 



Honey Reports and Prospects 



When last reports came in the spring 

 honey-flow in most locations was 

 just on. Conditions changed, and an 

 average crop was gathered. Saw pal- 

 metto on the east coast of Florida gave 

 an average crop. Gallberry iti south 

 Georgia and Florida gave nearly an 

 average crop. Owing to the drouth 

 last winter and the past spring, the 

 gallberry was burned very close by the 

 farmers in some sections, and there the 

 flow was light. Then, too, the con- 

 tinued drouth cut the blooming period 

 off considerably, but the flow was un- 

 usually heavy while the bloom lasted. 

 The poplar gave a good crop. 



The prospects were never brighter 

 for a heavy flow from cotton. At this 

 date (July 12) the bees are working in 

 the second and third supers, and the 

 strongest colonies have the first super 

 completed. The plant is very rank, and 

 will yield for 30 or 40 days yet. From 

 reports, bee-keepers in the great cot- 

 ton-belt will have a great harvest from 

 this source. 



The patridge-pea in middle Florida is 

 yielding, and the prospects are good 

 for an average crop from this source. 

 Cabbage-palmetto and mangrove along 

 the east coast of Florida are in bloom, 

 and the flow is unusually heavy. Bass- 

 wood in Alabama and farther western 

 States gives a good yield. 



The abundance of heavy rains of late 

 have brought up the fall weeds, and 

 prospects are good for a late fall flow. 



Cotton as a Honey-Plant 



There is perhaps no honey-plant that 

 has come into more prominence in the 

 bee-keeping world of late years than 

 the cotton-plant. It has been com- 

 pared to the clover of the North, but its 



great value as a honey-plant has been 

 known for only a few years. 



One good feature about this great 

 honey-plant is that it gets better and 

 better each season. I can remember 

 when bees gathered only enough nectar 

 from it to stimulate brood-rearing, and 

 now we get from one to three supers 

 of surplus honey from this source alone. 

 I don't know whether it is because we 

 are better bee-keepers than we used to 

 be, or have a better stock of bees, or 

 that the plant grows more prolific than 

 it used to, and is more general. I am 

 inclined to think it is mostly due to 

 the latter. 



On land where we used to make a 

 bale of cotton to 4 or 5 acres, now we 

 make from 1 to 2 bales per acre, using 

 high grades of commercial fertilizer, 

 and more prolific vareties of the plant. 

 It yields more where it grows best, and 

 of a much longer duration. As a nec- 

 tar-yielder it is not excelled by any 

 other honey-plant in Di-xie. I have often 

 heard cotton-planters remark that while 

 laying it by in the early mornings, 

 their pants' legs would get thoroughly 

 saturated with the nectar while follow- 

 ing the plow, by the limbs and leaves 

 coming in contact with them, and later 

 in the day the heat would evaporate it 

 there, and the pants w-ould be sticky, 

 and have a greasy appearance. It evap- 

 orates by or 10 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, during hot, dry weather, and the 

 flow comes on again about 3 o'clock 

 p.m. But it is on all day, if it is cloudy 

 or the atmosphere be damp. 



It sends its nectar out between the 

 inner shuck of the blossoms, and the 

 cells on the main stems of the leaves on 

 the underside — here it is very promi- 

 nent, and in great abundance, and the 

 bees have only to make one visit each 

 to a leaf for their load. But the nectar 

 in the shuck of the blooms does not 



<«S Si| 



Fio. 3.— Each New Colony Receives Another Set of Co.mbs. Kig. 4.— Sciioli-'s Ideal Group oi- 5 Rkadv i or the Honev Harvest 



