Sept. 17, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



599 



povrerful field-force just in the uick of time. Second, so to 

 contract and specialize their work that practically all of the 

 honey will be forced into the sections. Third, to prevent 

 swarming surely and effectually during the honey-flow. 



In my practice it is not profitable nor practical to try to 

 run a whole apiary for comb honey, but rather to select 

 those colonies that have reached a stage of development 

 where danger of swarming might be apprehended, using 

 the weaker colonies for extracted honey, and to care for the 

 combs and remaining brood. After the second brushing or 

 shaking, experience having taught rae not to hold these 

 hatching bees until the close of the flow, in order to unite 

 them with the colony from which they came, but rather to 

 utilize them asquickly as possible. But when it is desirable 

 to strengthen the comb-honey colonies after the sections 

 are taken off, I do so by drawing combs of brood from these 

 same extracting colonies. 



Spring finds my colonies all in two, three, and four 

 story hives. But the weakest are furnished room as fast as 

 it is needed. The first of May my honey-flow begins, and 

 lasts 3+ or 25 days. Hives, sections, and all are gotten 

 ready. Half sheets of foundation are used, except in the 

 two outside frames, which are drawn combs, and full sheets 

 in the sections. When all is ready I move the hives a little 

 to one side and back from the old stands, having first filled 

 them with smoke, and loosely closed the entrance with 

 grass. I then take the cover off, and knock the bees in 

 front of the new hive, which an assistant has placed on the 

 old stand, as I moved the old hive. I then take up the 

 combs by pairs, and with a quick upward and sudden down- 

 ward movement, dislodge most of the bees, and immediately 

 replace the combs in exactly the same order as they were 

 before the operation. Going through the several bodies as 

 rapidly as possible, on an average it takes five minutes for 

 the two-story hives ; seven for the three story, and ten for 

 the four-story ones. When all the frames are in order I 

 close up the hive, contract the entrance, and go on to an- 

 other which the assistant has smoked, moved, and fixed 

 exactly as the first one was prepared. This gives the bees 

 ample time to load up and get in that stupid semi-torpid 

 condition so necessary to successful and easy handling. In 

 seven or eight days afterward, shake as many bees as are 

 needed to reinforce the swarm, and then tier them up on 

 the weaker extracting hives spoken of at the beginning of 

 this paper. 



The other way of making brushed swarms that I men- 

 tioned was this : Put all the colonies in pairs, and if they 

 are arranged some five or six feet between pairs, it will 

 cause less confusion and mixing of bees while under the 

 excitement consequent on the change and loss of the old 

 home and brood. Ten days before the main honey-flow 

 begins put a super of sections on the strongest one in each 

 pair, and put two or three partly-filled sections in the center 

 of the super. At the same time put a shallow body on the 

 other colony by its side. This should contain full sheets of 

 foundation, except the two center ones, which should be 

 drawn combs. Now, when the honey-flow begins in earnest, 

 fill the two old hives with smoke and set them back a little. 

 Take the body containing the partly-drawn sheets of foun- 

 dation from the hive it is on, and put it on the half-way 

 ground where the old hives formerly were. Put the partly- 

 drawn case of sections on this new hive, shake all the bees 

 from the combs of the strongest of the two colonies, and 

 put the combs of brood on top of the one not shaken. Turn 

 the entrance in an opposite direction, and leave it where it 

 is for eight days. On the eighth day, in the morning, move 

 it away to a new stand. All of the bees that have ever 

 flown will return to where it was, and finally go into the 

 swarm hive, that being the nearest one to their own former 

 location. 



These hives containing such powerful swarms should 

 be propped up at the corners, leaving entrance-room all 

 around. Also another super of sections should be given at 

 this time. Great care has to be taken, and judgment exer- 

 cised, as to whether or not it is best to try to get the combs 

 and sections built out before the main flow or not. on 

 account of its difficult features. I would not recommend it 

 to any but the most expert and painstaking, though I re- 

 gard it as a good one, and results have justified me in that 

 belief. 



Last year was only an average year for honey, but I 

 took 2500 pounds of section honey from 35 colonies treated 

 after these plans, and the same colonies were built up and 

 gave a further yield of 35 pounds of extracted honey in the 

 fall, or a total yield of 3725 pounds, 70 pounds of which was 

 section honey to the colony. 



Now, as to whether or not it is best to use full sheets of 



foundation in the brood'chambei;, my conclusions are, after 

 numerous trials, that it is not best if the greatest amount 

 of honey is the main desideratum ; but if good combs are 

 more or equally important, then it is perhaps best to use the 

 full sheets, though I have known of flows where full sheets 

 were of little value, for the bees simply would not waste the 

 time necessary to draw them out, but merely added wax and 

 built onto the foundation, not drawing it in the least. And 

 if any ma.n is so crazy as to think I don't know of what I 

 am saying, I can show numbers of these combs yet. 



Neither will full sheets secure all-worker combs with 

 me, regardless as to who may say the contrary. In July 

 last I prepared a number of colonies to brush as soon as the 

 sumac flow started, which is usually about the 27th in this 

 locality. From the best of these I secured ii+ pounds in 14 

 days, and every one weighed an even pound, as they came 

 off the hives. To those who have ever used the 4xSxl;'s 

 section comment is unnecessary. 



Now, I think this about illustrates the possibilities of 

 the brushed or " shook " swarm method with me, the only 

 trouble that I have ever found with it being that I could 

 not command the honey-flow. J. E. Chambers. 



THE TEXAS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



Along in September, 1895, if I mistake not, the Central 

 Texas Bee-Keepers' Association was organized, and held 

 semi-annual meetings until the summerof 1898, when it was 

 decided to hold annual meetings. The Association met at 

 different places until the last meeting it held, which was at 

 Hutto, Tex. At that meeting it was decided to accept the 

 offer of the Texas Farmers' Congress, to meet in 1901 at 

 College Station, Tex. Accordingly, in July, 1901, all three 

 of the bee-associations of Texas met in connection with the 

 Central Texas Association. Officers elected were, J. B. 

 Salyer, president; H. H. Hyde, vice-president ; Louis H. 

 Scholl, secretary. 



Before the program was taken up I, myself , made known 

 to the members a plan of organization which was adopted, 

 and a committee on program appointed, of which I was a 

 member. The committee reported that we disband the 

 Central Texas Association and call ourselves the Texas 

 Bee-Keepers' Association ; and that we affiliate, as far as 

 possible, with the Farmers' Congress of Texas. The Asso- 

 ciation was organized with the officers as previously elected. 

 A resolution was offered and adopted, asking the State of 

 Texas for an appropriation for an experimental apiary, and 

 a legislative committee was appointed. 



The special session of the Legislature made an appro- 

 priation for the establishment of an apiary, through the 

 influence of the Association and Prof. Mally, of the A. & 

 M. College. 



At the meeting of the Association in July, 1902, a legis- 

 lative committee was again, fortunately, appointed. Dur- 

 ing the summer several cases of foul brood developed in the 

 State, thus making it necessary that we have a foul brood 

 law. Accordingly, the Association and the A. & M. College 

 went to work and secured a foul brood law for Texas. This 

 law is now in force, but practically inoperative, from the 

 fact that from some oversight no appropriation was made 

 to get the law started. However, where the bee-men will 

 get together and agree to foot the expense, their own and 

 any other apiaries may be inspected and treated by the 

 State entomologist or his assistants. 



By an arrangement with the publishers, the members 

 of the Texas Bee-Keepers' Association get reduced rates on 

 all journals, and by paying one dollar they are members of 

 both the Texas and the National Associations. 



Such, in brief, is the record of the Texas Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, and, in my opinion, it is a very worthy one, 

 and one to be proud of. Every bee-keeper in Texas ought 

 to be a member of the Association, and help fight the bat- 

 tles that it is fighting for the bee-keepers. One and all 

 must admit that it has done a great work, and any bee- 

 keeper ought to feel ashamed of himself to stay out, in view 

 of the battles that have been fought and won with so few 

 members. 



I think the future is bright for the Association, and we 

 have only to press on in the future as we have in the past, 

 victoriously attacking any new problem that presents itself. 

 We have an Association that we may well be proud of, and 

 one that is doing a great work. Let us, one and all, rally 

 around it. 



I shall not attempt to forecast the future of the Asso- 

 ciation, as that would be impossible ; however, I am sure it 

 will be a bright future. Homer H. Hvde. 



(To be contidued.) 



