188 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEM> 



To illustrate the benefit that can be de- 

 rived from feeding in some seasons, let me 

 describe one of the out yards. Last year 

 feeding was necessary to secure a crop. The 

 bees it this yard were mostly in 8-frame 

 hives — a few were in 10-frames. The sur- 

 plus to be gathered from this yard was white 

 clover, basswood and fall liovvers. There 

 was but very little fruit-bloom in reach of 

 this yard. About this time feeding was com- 

 menced, and continued right through the 

 white clover season, for at first it was so cold 

 at night that it did not yield any, and to- 

 ward the last it dried ut). But in the home 

 yard, about 13 miles from this, white clover 

 yielded enough to keep up brood-rearing 

 and considerable honey-dew which formed 

 on box-elder leaves, was secured in the 

 spring. I have never seen the conditions 

 vary in a few miles as they did last year in 

 this out-yard. Practically nothing was to 

 be had until basswood, which was fair, but 

 it did not last long, but the bees were ready 

 for it, and secured what there was— about 58 

 pounds per colony in one pound sections. 



Each of these colonies was fed about 30 

 pounds of sugar, which at h cents per pound 

 would be ipl.fiO per colony. Fifty pounds of 

 honey at 1.5 cents a pound would be $7.r>0per 

 colony. Now to deduct |1..'>0 per colony for 

 susar will leave $G per colony. They also 

 secured enough from fall flowers to winter 

 on, and about VI pounds of surplus per col- 

 ony, but we will not say anything about this 

 — we will say the basswood honey was all 

 they got, and we had to feed 30 pounr's more 

 sugar for winter stores — this would make 

 ^l.-W more to suhstract from !};r>.00, which 

 would leave $4..'>0 per colony. In this yard 

 there were VIl colonies, and this would have 

 left S.Wl.SO from this yard lo pay for the 

 work. Reader, do you see the point ? Sup- 

 pose these colonies had been in hifj hives, 

 and had 30 pounds of honey in the sprinar, 

 they would certainly have used this up if 

 they had not been fed, and they would also 

 have certainly put that .W pounds of bass- 

 wood honey in the brood nest. And, say it 

 took 30 pounds of it to keep them until the 

 next spring, they wonld have only 20 pounds 

 for another start. They would not have se- 

 cured any more per colony, or as much, if 

 they were larger, for there were bees enough 

 in this yard to gather all. and more than 

 there was to be had from it, aid it did not 

 cost any more, if as much, to rear them in 

 small liives as it would in larger ones. If we 

 would carry the matter out, and count the 

 fall honey, the small hives, would come out 

 much farther ahead. With big hives, where 

 no feedine is done, the season is often an 

 en (ire failure." 



There is no feature of bee-keeping in which 

 there is greater need of progress, or in 

 which the rewards are more promising, than 

 that of feeding. Mr. Davenport has cov- 

 ered this point so well that but little more 

 remains to be said. Whether right or wrong, 

 the bee-keeping world has put its foot upon 

 "suear honey," but I believe every one con- 

 siders it perfectly legitimate to use sugar in 



raising and wintering bees. This means 

 practically the exchanging of so many 

 pounds of sugar for an equal number of^ 

 pounds of honey. But there are many things 

 in connection with feeding that must be 

 learned ere it can be followed at a profit. 

 For instance, Mr. E. T. Abbott, in referring 

 to the matter of feeding back honey for the 

 production of comb honey, asked if it had 

 proved so profitable as reported by some, 

 why not follow it all the season ? Feeding 

 back extracted honey for the production of 

 comb honey can be followed profitably only 

 during very hot weather, and there must be 

 drawn or partly drawn combs to begin with. 

 In the Northern States where the white hon- 

 ey harvest closes in July, and then no honey i 

 is gathered until the blossoming of buck- 

 wheat or fall flowers, there comes a period 

 in which, if rightly managed, extracted hon- 

 ey may be very profitably fed for the com- 

 pletion of unfinished sections ; and it would 

 be advisable, in view of such feeding back, 

 not to crowd the bees in an endeavor to have 

 them finish up as many as possible of the 

 sections. More honey will be secured in the 

 sections if the bees are not too much 

 crowded. 



A Condensed View of Current 

 Bee Writings. 



E. E. HASTY. 



rn HE question box of the Auierican Bee 

 "X Journal is getting well up toward Query 

 No. 1,000 ; and yet it struck a toothsome 

 question last time. " What proportion of 

 the time of ;; convention is it best to have 

 occupied with essays ?" Replies scatter all 

 the way from none of it to all of it. Pres. 

 Abbott, who might perchance have thought 

 some one was treading on his corns, meekly 

 says, about as much as the people want. 

 It's Elwood that wants the time all occupied 

 by essays — unless the talkers will be careful 

 what they say. Yes, and Dr. Miller calls for 

 the same — in the contingency of no one 

 present knowing anything about bees. How 

 could you, dear Dr. ? And supposing each 

 one present to be nfflicted with 'don't know" 

 of the C. C. M. variety, how should it be 

 then ? Prof. Cook seems to strike the 

 " bull's eye " when he advises to follow suit 

 on the rousing farmers' institutes they hold 

 out West— ten minutes of essay to forty of 

 discussion. 



