138 



IRE AMEBIC AN BEE-KEEPER. 



spread it so rapidly and effectively as 

 feeding back. 



Were it not for these troublesome 

 matters, feeding back to make partly 

 filled sections available for the market, 

 would, no doubt, be profitable. To 

 test the matter somewhat, three years 

 since, I fed one colony extracted honey 

 sufficient to complete three cases of 

 sections — not sections partly filled but 

 new sections with — foundation. When 

 completed I found I had fed 124 

 pounds and had in three cases 78 

 pounds of comb honey in fine shape. 

 There was not a pound of honey in 

 the brood chamber either when the 

 experiment was begun or when it end- 

 ed. In this case there was perhaps 

 profit enough, as markets usually are, 

 to pay for the labor involved besides 

 leaving the colony in greatly improved 

 condition. 



Now, suppose I had varied this ex- 

 periment by taking six cases partly 

 filled, containing, say 60 pounds of 

 honey. As the foundation would be 

 well drawn out, and consequently the 

 honey more rapidly stored, I estimate 

 that the 124 pounds would have been 

 sufficient to complete the cases and 

 turn out at least 150 pounds of well- 

 capped comb honey. We may approxi- 

 mate the profit of comparing the ex- 

 penses with the result. The 60 pounds 

 of unfinished sections would be worth 

 not more than the extracted honey, 

 which being added makes 184 pounds, 

 at say eight cents, giving au expense 

 of 814.72, which, taken from $24, the 

 value of 1 50 pounds of comb honey at 

 sixteen cents, leaving a profit of 8'.). 28, 

 or sixty-three per cent. The improved 

 condition of the bees and the increas- 

 ed sableness of the product may be 



considered an equivalent of the neces- 

 sary labor. 



To insure the largest success I have 

 found that the following several par- 

 ticulars must be faithfully observed : 



First — If separators are not used, it 

 will not do to put the unfinished sec- 

 tions into cases haphazard. The comb 

 of some must be trimmed and sections 

 equally worked out must face each 

 other in order to secure shapely sec- 

 tions of honey. 



Secondly — Fairly strong colonies of 

 proper characteristics must be selected 

 for the work. Italians will not do well. 

 So far as my experience goes, a cross 

 between the Italian and the black, with 

 the blood of the latter predominating, 

 rather than that of the former, is best. 



Thirdly — The brood chamber must 

 be contracted to the capacity of five 

 L. frames. 



Fourthly — The work must be done 

 during warm weather and should be 

 undertaken promptly on the cessation 

 of the flow from white clover and 

 bass wood. 



Fifthly — The feeders must be kept 

 constantly supplied with honey, which, 

 I think, should not be diluted, but fed 

 as it comes from the extractor. 



The feeders should be capacious, 

 and immediately above the sections. 



By observing these hints and the 

 dictates of sound common sense any 

 one may, I think, attain fair succes ; 

 but as I have intimated the work is 

 not a pleasant one, and it is well 

 worthy of consideration whether it 

 would not be better to keep a few 

 more colonies and thereby obtain equal 

 results with less of wearing labor. — 

 B. K M. 



