THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



307 



Since the publication of that article 

 I have received one or two private 

 criticisms on the subject, intimating- 

 that Mr. Alexander's crop was prob- 

 ably increased by the sug-ar that went 

 into the supers. A writer in the Sep- 

 tember issue of the American Bee- 

 Keeper also takes Mr. Alexander and 

 the Review editor to task for advising- 

 such feeding- of sugar. 



I am surprised that any practical 

 bee-keeper should make any such crit- 

 icisms. Mr. Alexander very explicitly 

 explained that the feeding- was to be 

 done only for a month or six weeks in 

 the early spring-, before the beg-inning- 

 of the main harvest. At this time 

 there would be no supers on the hives, 

 and the small amount used, "not more 

 than two cents worth a day," would 

 be used up in breeding-. 



In the fall, if the bees were fed sug-ar 

 for winter-stores, the sug-ar would be 

 stored in the center of the brood nest, 

 in the cells vacated by the brood last 

 hatched, where it would be the most 

 likely to be consumed during- the win- 

 ter, and surel}^ would be used in the 

 spring before storing in the supers 

 would begin. This is exactly the 

 course advised and practiced by J. E. 

 Hetherington. 



It strikes me that such criticism is 

 more a straining for an effect than for 

 anj'thing else. Every bee-keeper who 

 has had experience in these matters 

 knows that, under such circumstances 

 the chances are very slim that even a 

 small portion of the sugar would go 

 into the supers; and to intimate that 

 Mr. Alexander's surplus is materially 

 increased by the sugar that goes into 

 the surplus, is decidedly unfair. 



NEATNESS IN THE APIARY. 



Neatness in the apiary is something 

 to which I have several times referred, 

 biit, as I go about inspecting apiaries, 

 I become so sickened by the slovenli- 

 ness that I see, that I must say a few 

 more words. Time and again do I 



find men keeping bees who really have 

 no busitiess to keep them. Their hives 

 sit askew, with the grass grown up 

 around them. No foundation is used, 

 and the combs are sure to be bulged 

 and built crosswise. If the owner is 

 asked about his bees, he is sure to 

 answer, "I don't know. I don't pay 

 much attention to them. " How I do 

 hate to find foul brood in such an 

 apiary. I means that some one else 

 than the owner must treat it. 



But this is not the only class of bee- 

 keepers who are neglectful of the ap- 

 pearance of their apiaries. I find 

 even readers of the Review keeping 

 bees in a way that makes my fingers 

 itch to take hold of things and straight- 

 en them up. I don't expect that ever}' 

 man who is making his living out of 

 bee-keeping, is going to keep his api- 

 ary looking like a city park, although 

 there is occasionally one that does. I 

 notice, however, that the men who 

 keep their apiaries looking the neat- 

 est are among the most prosperous. 

 Neatness in the apiary may not be re- 

 sponsible for the prosperity; I suspect 

 that the man who is thorough going 

 enough to keep his apiary neat and 

 clean is also thorough going in other 

 respects. One of the most offending 

 defects in the appearance of many api- 

 aries, is the disorderly manner in 

 which the hives are set down, it could 

 scarcely be said arranged, as there is 

 really no arrangement about it. It is 

 not necessary that the hives be set in 

 long rows, in fact, there are other 

 quite handy and pleasing- arrange- 

 ments, but let there be some sort of 

 regularity about it. 



After the hives are neatly arranged, 

 the next step is to keep down the grass. 

 So far as appearance is concerned, 

 nothing equals the work of a lawn- 

 mower, but it is considerable work in 

 the fore part of the season, in a large 

 apiary. The next best thing to a lawn- 

 mower, are a few sheep. I have seen 

 an apiary kept in fair condition where 



