1910 



(iLKAXIXlxS IX BEE CL i/ll IIK 



265 



iiies, the failure would have been nearly as 

 marked. 



For the purpose of an analogous com])ari- 

 son. supi)ose a number of berry-fruit farms 

 aggregating ToU acres, all situated within a 

 circular area three miles in diameter. Sup- 

 jiose an abundant croj) of berries It is evi- 

 dent that with such a crop, and so many 

 acres of bushes, 100 i)ickers would each be 

 able to gather the maximinn number of 

 • piarts per day, because it would be imjjos- 

 sil)le for a picker to go carefully over any- 

 where near 1^ acres, the proportionate area 

 of each, as fast as the fruit rii)ens. With a 

 stint of l}^ acres each, assuming that -"^oo 

 l)ickers is the approximate number required 

 to gather the fruit with greatest })roht to the 

 growers in the average reason, it is evident 

 that eaclr could still gather the maximum 

 amount when there is an abundant cro]). 

 Ass'.iming two acres to lie all a incker could 

 I'.ossibly attend to in a season of less than 

 the axerage cro}). when no picker coukl 

 jiossibly gather anywhere near the maxi- 

 mum, no matter how much area was allotted 

 to him. very little advantage to the individ- 

 ual i)icker would accrue V)y the emjiloyment 

 of a less number than is required in the 

 average season. This is evident from the 

 fact tiiat. when the fruit is thinly distribut- 

 ed, and of small size, the picker's time is 

 largely taken up in searching over a large 

 area to gather a given quantity. 



Let us now assume that 750 acres of this 

 circular area is a hrst-class alsike-clover or 

 other good honey-jiroducing range, and that 

 a bee-keeper resides in the center so his liees 

 can reach e\ery jiart of it with a flight of 

 not more than 114 miles. Assuming that 

 \^ acres of llora i^er colony is the area that 

 v.ill yield the greatest profit in the average 

 season, from analogy it is clear that neither 

 IDO nor 500 colonies would overstock it. and 

 much less would they do so in a season of 

 bountiful croj). On the other hand, in a 

 season of failure of surplus there would be 

 only a slight overstocking, wherein the 

 small loss woidd be insignificant as comjiar- 

 c I with the great gains of the axerage and 

 bounli a\ croi)s. In the medium season the 

 larger number would jirosper nearly as well 

 as the sm-ller. because l}i acres of thickly 

 growing honey-jiroducing flora woidd un- 

 doubtedly be as much as the average colony 

 could work: and when it comes to nearly a 

 failure of nectar secretion, the larger number 

 Viould show only a slight falling-otl". for the 

 reason that the time of the V>ees is nearly 

 all consumed in Hying from flower to flower 

 in the almost fruitless search. This state- 

 ment is impressive when we remember that 

 apinnently. in the season of 1909, we had 

 ihe most luxuriant and abundant bass- 

 wood bloom we ever saw that certainly 

 ])romised a bumper crop, but there was nev- 

 er a smell of basswood honey in the hives. 



Further confirmation of the i)r()i)ositif>n 

 that, in a season of scarcity of nectar secre- 

 tion, a few colonies in a normally good lo- 

 cation will do very little better i)er colony 

 than the number that would i)roperly stock 



it in a good season, is found in the fact that 

 in a poor season the bee-keeper with a few 

 colonies is found to have a "short crop," 

 and is "obliged to feed." just as is the apia- 

 rist who o})erates on an extensive scale. 



It is well to bear in mind that annual 

 variations and jiermanent changes in the 

 amount, area, and varieties of honey-pro- 

 ducing flora have occurred and will continue 

 to occur in nearly every locality. These 

 variations and changes are traceable to two 

 ])rime causes: viz.. to the absence of uni- 

 formity in those conditions that go to make 

 up the climate, such as heat, humidity, 

 precipitation, winds, clouds, and electrical 

 conditions: and. second, to the hand of man: 

 i. e.. to the operations of the luml^erman 

 and husbandman in the destruction or pro- 

 duction, as the ease may be. of honey-pro- 

 ducing llora. 



Ken more, X. Y. 



To be continued. 



GIVING INDOOR FLIGHTS TO BEES DUR- 

 ING THE WINTER. 



BY G. T. WHITTEX. 



On Dec. 16 I transferred a strong colony 

 from a ten-frame hive into an eight-frame 

 glass hive, the change Vieing made out of 

 doors, the temperature ;U°. The bees were 

 all in the new hive in about 20 minutes, 

 when they v,ere taken inside and placed in 

 a south wintlow in a cold room, and given a 

 flying-cage two feet square, the hive enter- 

 ing the cage at the back, with an entrance 

 o\\X of doors through the cage. 



Feb. 19 they were moved into a warm 

 room and gi\"en a flying-cage the same as 

 before. The temperature of the room was 

 from ()0 to 70°. 



March 4 the hive was placed on top of a 

 new circular hi\-e. The bottom-board was 

 removed to give the bees a free jiassage down 

 through the lower hive and out into the cage. 



Mafch 12 the bees with the queen were all 

 smoked down into the lower hive, and the 

 top hive removed. They were then given a 

 frame of honey from the original hive, this 

 bei;-g placed in the cage. They at once 

 made themselves at home and began build- 

 ing comb, hlling it with honey from the 

 frame. This hive is made on the plan of a 

 half-circle, with glass on all sides. 



The frames are of standard size, and are 

 placed long side up. and so arranged that 

 thev can be turned around in such a wa>- 

 that each frame stands at right angles to 

 the next one. thus giving an opportunity to 

 see every movement of the bees on the 

 frames. The frames contained only foun- 

 dation of different dimensions, from none 

 to full sheets. They are now, March 2;i. 

 working on six frames, and ha\e them well 

 filled. 



The second day they prepared a brood- 

 nest, and the queen commenced to lay, and 

 continues to do so. The frames are opened 

 from once to many times each day for in- 

 si)ection. This does not ai)i)ear to distin'o 



