1902 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



159 



stead of using only starters in the 

 frames he says he finds it profitable to 

 have part of them filled with comb. His 

 surplus arrangements were an illustra- 

 tion of how location modifies practices. 

 Instead of putting on a full case of 28 

 boxes he finds it better to have his 

 cases contain but 14, and one of these 

 he first puts across the rear part of 

 the frames; later another case covers 

 the front part, and as work progresses 

 ordinary storifying is practiced. Mr. 

 B's main crop of white honey comes 

 from raspberry, vast quantities of which 

 are within reach of his bees. 



He winters his bees in the cellar, but 

 often does not put them in until the 

 middle of December. He says that if 

 they get a chance to fly once in Decem- 

 ber they will winter all right, but oth- 

 erwise they often suflfer from dysentery. 

 In the spring he does some feeding and 

 says he believes it pays, but I inferred 

 from some other remarks that as yet 

 he is only trying it experimentally. 



He produces a nice grade of honey, 

 puts it up in cartons and ships only 

 the well filled boxes, saying the others 

 break out in transportation and that he 

 can sell such just as profitably at home. 

 Together with many another bee-keeper 

 he has this season gotten little more 

 than his labor for his pains, the crop 

 having been very meagre, and several 

 swarms had to be fed to keep them 

 alive. 



Providence, R. I., Aug. 6, 1902. 



AUTUMN SUGGESTIONS. 



Preparing in the Fall for Winter and Spring. 

 (L. E Kerr). 



USUALLY receive but lit- 

 tle attention after the close 

 of the honey season; and 

 this is well enough, provid- 

 ing all colonies are all in 

 first-class condition; but, if 

 not, then we should not ne- 

 glect to do the work necessary to make 

 them so. 



Bees, perhaps, are better off when 

 not unnecessarily handled in autumn 

 and late summer, and especially so if 

 much smoke is to used upon them to 

 bring them under subjection. If they 

 have an abundance of honey in the hives 

 so that stores are no object, it will then 



do no harm, but frequent handling will 

 increase their food consumption, and 

 perhaps will be but little benefit in 

 stimulating their queen to laying. 



If queens are. to be introduced to 

 colonies, it should be done early in 

 auturnn, so that every colony will be 

 in good housekeeping shape before win- 

 ter. Queens introduced in early au- 

 tumn will begin laying and will produce 

 young bees which are very essential to 

 the welfare of the colon3\ and by the 

 time winter is on they are in good con- 

 dition to winter, if thev have plenty of 

 stores. If bees lack stores and are to 

 be fed, this also should be done early, 

 giving them warm weather to store and 

 seal their honey. Early feeding will 

 also incite brood rearing and a quanti- 

 ty of young bees will be hatched, while 

 late feeding will not have this eflfect. 



The surplus boxes should be taken 

 of? all the hives thus early, unless a 

 good honey flow is on, when the bees 

 may be working in the boxes; but only 

 in very rare cases is it best to let them 

 store honey in the surplus boxes at 

 this season of the year, but better to 

 have all honey now stored in the brood 

 chamber for the bees t y winter on and 

 carry them through until the next sea- 

 son. We should always leave enough 

 honey in the hives to "spring'' the bees, 

 as well as "winter" them. 



Bees consume honey more heavily 

 after spring opens and brood rearing 

 begins; and at no time in the whole 

 year will it be more important to keep 

 them supplied with a good reserve 

 store. 



Hurricane, Ark., Aug. 2, 1902. 



White Clover. 



(H. E. Hill). 



HE accompanying 

 picture reflects a 

 scene with which 

 every dweller in the 

 clover belt is famil- 

 iar; but there are 

 thousands of Bee- 

 Keeper readers 

 whose knowledge 

 of this great honey 

 producing plant 

 has necessarily 

 been restricted to that gleaned from the 

 pages of books and magazines, having 



