November, 1915. 



377 



American Hee Journal 



for honey production. Great success 

 here in beekeeping can only be ob- 

 tained by a young man with grit and 

 other qualifications, one who is willing 

 to come here and start right at the bot- 

 tom and learn and work up through toil 

 and hardships until the business is well 

 established. 



I know an apiarist who came here 

 years ago from the North who is a 

 genius in our line, and lie has been 

 hammering away at beekeeping, and it 

 is only in the last few years that he has 

 made any money in beekeeping. 



Locating Apiaries 



It is not a pleasant task to move api- 

 aries to new locations at the demand 

 of landlords. I have had lots of expe- 

 rience of this kind, and in these latter 

 days I am far more particular locat- 

 ing apiaries than formerly. It is better 

 to locate one in a remote place th?n 



near a farm house unless a plot or site 

 can be obtained which the landlord 

 cannot very well utilize, for sooner or 

 later he will get tired of the bees and 

 forget his agreement with the apiarist, 

 and consider all the recompense given 

 too small an amount. 



Mr. J. R. Durden's apiary site here 

 shown is an ideal one, a rock cliff in 

 the edge of the field and the bluff be- 

 low, giving the bees a great sweep over 

 the country and the very best hive 

 stands. In most sections it might not 

 be convenient to get on a rock cliff, 

 but similar places can be obtained 

 where the land cannot very well be 

 cultivated or utilized by the landowner. 

 A worn-out spot left because it is too 

 poor to tend, with a young growth of 

 trees coming back on it also makes an 

 ideal site. At any rate, it pays to look 

 around and find such a place if possi- 

 ble and keep down expense and trou- 

 ble. 



APIARY LOCATED ON A CLIFF-J. R. Durden. Macon, Ga. 



Conducted by J. L. Byer. Mt. Joy. Ontario. 



Favorable Conditions for Next Season 



Colonies throughout Ontario are 

 going into winter quarters in fine con- 

 dition. Last fall hosts of old bees were 

 in the hives, while this year the oppo- 

 site is the case. Clover is looking good 

 everywhere, prospects are bright for 

 the season of lillGat present. Of course, 

 the shadow of the horrible war is 

 hanging over everything, and when we 

 speak of prospects looking so good, 

 one cannot help but wonder how the 

 beekeepers and others in the ravaged 

 countries are faring during these awful 



times. Truly, we have much to be 

 thankful for on this favored continent, 

 and it should bring a feeling of shame 

 to us when we are prone to grumble 

 over some of the small things of life 

 not going as we would wish. This re- 

 flection is purely a personal one — if it 

 is applicable to any other reader, swal- 

 low the morsel. 



Darling was one of our pioneers, and 

 until a few years back a prominent 

 figure at our conventions. He was 

 president of the Ontario Association 

 at one time. I always found him a 

 kind and true friend, a gentleman in 

 every way. I have had no particulars 

 of his death, and was surprised and 

 grieved to hear of his demise. The 

 sympathies of the members of the On- 

 tario Association and other beekeepers 

 will go out to the bereaved family. 



Death of J. K. Darling 



We have learned of the death of Mr. 

 J. K. Darling, of Almonte, Ont. Mr. 



When to Feed for Winter 



When it is necessary to feed the bees 

 for winter, at what time should the 

 work be done ? This is a question 

 frequently asked, and it is a hard one 

 to answer, a; so much depends upon 

 local conditions. The late Mr. McEvoy 

 used to tell me to do most of this work 

 in August, and then finish early in 

 September, advice no doubt good for 

 his locality or he would not have fol- 

 lowed the plan year after year. Not so 

 many years ago, while I did not feed as 

 early as he recommended, yet I could 

 have done so profitably, as our late 

 summer conditions were much the 

 same at that time. But under existing 

 circumstances I would not think of 

 feeding so early. It would be a waste 

 of time and sugar at the former period. 

 We had no buckwheat or any other 

 bloom after clover was over, while 

 now we have acres of buckwheat, and 

 even if no great surplus is stored, 

 enough comes in to keep the bees 

 breeding rapidly until late September. 



This year I started feeding about 

 Sept. 12. Had there only been one 

 yard to feed a later date would have 

 been selected, as much brood was pres- 

 ent in many hives. October 12 was a 

 fine warm day, and I transferred six 

 colonies from single-walled hives into 

 packed hives. Each colony had brood 

 in all stages, most of them having the 

 brood in two combs. These colonies 

 had been fed heavily just a week ago, 

 but that was not responsible for all of 

 the brood present, as much of it was 

 sealed. At this date, Oct. 14, our feed- 

 ing is done, but even when this appears 

 in piint, if you have feeding to do get 

 busy and feed a two to one syrup, and 

 do not worry about it being late in the 

 season. 



My opinion has changed very much 

 of late years on this question, and if 

 it were possible to have all my needy 

 colonies fed the same day, I would 

 probably leave them until late October, 

 and then feed a two to one mixture. At 

 the north yard all the bees were fed for 

 winter where necessary, and all packed 

 away in the winter cases by Oct. 8. 

 Owing to the presence of so much as- 

 ter honey in the hives, we deem it a 

 good policy to prepare early for win- 

 ter so that the honey will be better 

 ripened. Then, again, winter condi- 

 tions seem to set in a little earlier than 

 here in York county, the nights espe- 

 cially being much cooler in the fall. 



Another peculiar condition we have 

 noticed is that although the aster flow 

 comes on later than anything we have 

 in York county, yet brood-rearing 

 ceases much earlier than it does here. 

 In other words, while a buckwheat flow 

 here in late August will cause the bees 

 to fill the hives well with brood, the 



