OR, MANUAI< OF THB APIARY. 335 



CHAPTER Xra. 



WORKING FOR COMB HONEY. 



While extracted honey has so much to recommend it, and 

 is rapidly growing in favor with American apiarists, still such 

 reports as that of Dr. C. C. Miller, who in 1884 increased his 

 174 colonies to 202, and took 16,900 pounds of comb honey in 

 one-pound sections, which netted him very nearly $3000 ; and 

 that of Mr. Doolittle, who has secured nearly 100 pounds of 

 comb honey per colony for a long series of years, may well 

 lead us not to ignore this branch of our business. The showy 

 horse, or the red short-horn, may not be intrinsically superior 

 to the less attractive animals ; but they will always win in the 

 market. So comb honey, in the beautiful one-pound sections, 

 mil always attract buyers and secure the highest price. As 

 more embark in the production of extracted honey, higher will 

 be the price of the irresistible, incomparable comb honey. 

 Well, then, may we study how to secure the most of this 

 exquisite product of the bees, in a form that shall rival in 

 attractiveness that of the -product itself, for very likely the 

 state of the market in some localities will make its production 

 the most profitable feature of apiculture. 



POINTS TO CONSIDER. 



To secure abundance of comb honey the colonies must be 

 very strong, and the brood-combs full of brood at the dawn of 

 the honey harvest. The swarming-fever must be kept at bay 

 or cured before the rapid storing commences, and the honey 

 should be secured in the most attractive form. 



TO SECURE STRONG COLONIES. 

 By feeding daily, whenever the bees are not storing, com- 

 mencing as soon as the bees commence to store pollen, we 

 shall most certainly, if the bees have been well wintered, 

 secure this result. Yet bees are naturally active after their 



