190 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REV IE . 



amount of brood at the time the packing 

 was removed shortly before the middle of 

 the present month. 



In order to make the experiment a crucial 

 one for bees under like conditions during a 

 spring of like characteristics the greatest 

 care was taken in attending to all the de- 

 tails. A platform was placed under each of 

 the colonies to be packed, to effectually pre- 

 vent the packing material from attracting 

 any moisture from the earth. Each one was 

 surrounded with a box of sucli size as to al- 

 low a space of two inches between it and the 

 hive in front and from three to four inches 

 at the rear, on the sides and on the top, 

 planer shavings freshly made from dry pine 

 lumber were used, packed moderately hard, 

 for iilling these spaces. 



honey per colony though the force of tho 

 conclusion is much weakened by the taci 

 that one of the six colonies gained nearly 

 two-thirds of the total ](>% pounds gain. 

 On the other hand that protection effected 

 some saving is rendered tolerably certain by 

 the fact that each of the protected colonies 

 made at least a little gaiu while all except 

 two of those without protection lost in 

 weight. But granting that two and three- 

 fourth pounds of honey saved is a fair ex- 

 ponent of the advantage to be derived from 

 spring protection what shall the verdict bs 

 with regard to the policy ot giving such pro- 

 tection ? At best this would be barely suf- 

 ficient to pay for the labor of packing and 

 unpacking the colonies leaving nothing to 

 recompense the procuring and storing of 



COLONIES PACKED. 



COLONIES NOT PACKED. 



Total. 



Average . 



none, 

 a little. 



none, 

 a little. 



471.1 

 65 



53^ 



54.54 



38% 

 50V4 

 37% 



441/2 



47 

 49 



2671^4 



44.54 



The table largely explains itself. Advan- 

 tageous results are shown in two ways, viz., 

 by increased weight and by the larger amount 

 of brood. In the latter respect the differ- 

 ence is hardly appreciable, but that differ- 

 ence though less than one-half of one per 

 cent, is in favor of the colonies without 

 spring protection. In the former point tlie 

 colonies not packed just hold their own, 

 while those packed show an average gain of 

 about two and three-fourths pounds, so we 

 may set it down as the net advantage of 

 packing in this experiment that it effected a 

 saving of two and three-fourths pounds of 



material. Taking this into account and the 

 result would show a considerable percentage 

 of loss in ilie operation. Hut circumstances 

 might perhaps be easily changed so as to put 

 an entirely Lifferent face upon the matter. 

 The colonies used in the present experiment 

 are in a place pretty well protected from cold 

 winds which is a condition to be reckoned 

 with. If this protection were wanting spring 

 packing might prove very profitable. 

 Whatever t he event may prove to be with re- 

 gard to packing I am strongly impressed 

 with the idea from my experience in this 

 line last year and this that the value of the 



