AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 305 



the size of lot and the means to build and maintain it. Every bee-keeper must 

 therefore be a rule unto himself, according to conditions and surroundings. 



The hive I use for extracted honey is the old Jones hive, inside dimensions 

 measuring 3,240 cubic inches. For my locality and surroundings it is non-swarm- 

 ing, also labor-saving, because it contains sufficient stores in the brood-chamber to 

 winter any colony at all times, which is considerable if the apiary is extensive. What 

 a comfort to know your bees won't swarm ! And when the season closes, feel as- 

 sured your bees have sufScient to winter ! These are two great items in bee-keeping. 



Many of these hives in the heat of the honey-flow will have four and five supers 

 on top of the brood-chamber, the super being the same as the brood-chamber of the 

 hive in use for comb honey, measuring 2,592 cubic inches, and now report the same 

 success with comb honey — no swarms, with an average of 84 pounds per colony for 

 several seasons. 



Considering the productiveness of queens, some cannot do more than keep an 

 8-frame Langstroth hive filled with eggs and brood. A poor locality or season is 

 sometimes the cause of this, while some queens will fill two 8-frame hives. Then 

 study the queen's egg-capacity, and accommodate her accordingly. Weed out all 

 bad queens. Sometimes a queen doesn't come to her best until the second season. 

 Having on several occasions determined to destroy such, I repented, and found them 

 extra the second year. 



Have drones flying from colonies that do the best, selecting such colonies for 

 queen-rearing, and you will soon breed them up to the standard of excellence. 



In many localities, after fruit-bloom, there is a period of ten or more days that 

 there is no secretion of nectar or bloom of any kind to be found. At this period the 

 bees become fat and lazy ; the young bees having nothing to do, often ball their 

 queens, and start queen-cells. The queen not being so abundantly fed, eases off in 

 laying, and before clover comes in bloom the bees have the swarming-fever ; their 

 usefulness is gone until a swarm issues. In such localities, feeding may be resorted 

 to with good effect. Where there is a perpetual flow right along until the end of 

 the season, swarming is more easily controlled. Put on supers for surplus as soon 

 as they begin to show signs of new comb on top of the frames of the brood-chamber ; 

 double up all weak or middling colonies, if it is honey you want; for in unity there 

 is strength — two will always accomplish more than one; trying always to have all, 

 or as many as possible, in comdition for the first harvest, which, in this locality, is 

 from maple, willow, dandelion and fruit-bloom ; securing a surplus from this source 

 means a very large surplus at the end of the season. For as backward as the season 

 was last year, my first comb honey was put on the market on June 10th. To ac- 

 complish this, means bees of proper age, and plenty of them. To secure this, means 

 good queens, and well-wintered bees, with great spring care, shelter and packing — 

 especially top-packing. A super filled with cork or cedar sawdust, is the best with 

 air-tight dummies ; contracting the brood-chamber to the extent of the bees and 

 brood then in the hive, letting well enough alone until you see evidence of crowding 

 at the entrance Of the hive, when you may add one or more frames to suit the re- 

 quirements of the colony. There is nothing that will encourage early breeding in 

 spring equal to new pollen. 



Let the above rules guide you whether for comb or extracted honey — depend 

 upon it, your efforts will be crowned with success. 



Migratory Bee-Keeping. — A few words on migratory bee-keeping, and I have 

 done. The question often arose, in my mind — Would it not be cheaper, and no risk 

 in wintering, nor trouble from spring dwindling, to destroy our bees in the fall and 



