GLEAXINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



it are tkere? or how many are to be or have 

 been added or taken away? 



The fourth and final point is food. 

 ''Food" is more comprehensive than 

 "stores" or "honey," for they are food. 

 And we may have to give or take food or 

 lioney from a colony, and the food given 

 may be honey or syrup, and honey taken 

 may be for other colonies or surplus for 

 ourselves. 



We will arrange the four jDoints in a 

 group like this : 



say that it was not "invented," but was the 

 slow outgrowth from countless efforts to 

 secure the end now attained. 



The following illustration is arranged to 

 show some of the many points the record 

 can cover. 



The first column carries the colony num- 

 bers. The top of each column carries the 

 date the record was m.ade, i. e., colonies in- 

 spected, and the indicated condition found 

 or the indicated Avork done. 



"C" is for the con- 

 dition of the colony as 

 a whole. "Q" is for any 

 thing relating to 

 queens. "B" is for any 

 thing relating to brood 

 and ^ bees. "F" is for 

 any thing relating to 

 food or crop. 



If, now, we can get a 

 set of simple signs to 

 use in these scjuares, we 

 have only to put the 

 proper one in the prop- 

 er square to tell us 

 what it might take a 

 dozen words to write 

 out in long hand. And 

 eight well known signs 

 plus a few letters and 

 numbers do it all. The 

 signs are o, -f, — , X> 



-, % >, V. 



Nothing to learn 

 about those, surely, un- 

 less, perhaps, the "§,r- 

 row head," which is us- 

 ed for "to" or "from," 

 and will be explained 

 later. Three other items 

 must be provided for, 

 namely, the date, and 

 whether a thing has 

 been done or is to done. 

 If the date is properly 

 handled it w^ill tell the 

 other two. 



With this somewhat 

 long preamble we come 

 to the record system 

 itself; and in laying it 

 before you I wish to 



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