90 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



April 



to others than bees. We all do well 

 to make a close study of bee forage, 

 and whenever we notice bees thick 

 upon any bloom, be sure to find the 

 name of the plant that attracts. The 

 Bulletin just issued by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. Washington, D. 

 C, has extended and carefully pre- 

 pared tables of bee-plants, with time 

 of bloom. We should all do what we 

 may to make such tables fuller and 

 more complete and accurate. It is 

 also very desirable to make a note of 

 the color and excellence of the honey, 

 and the power of the plants to secrete 

 at times of severe drouth. 

 Claremont, Calif. 



(From Farm Journal for February). 



THE BUSY BEK 



You have such a February face 



So full of frost, storms and cloudiness. 



From every outward appearance, 

 beemen will not put on such a face 

 this coming spring. The winter so far 

 has been favorable, and gives indica- 

 tion that it will be milder and shorter 

 than the preceding. This will drive 

 the frost and gloominess out of the 

 apiarists, who will find their hives 

 responding to roll call in the spring. 



In open winters bees begin to breed 

 earlier. Care must be exercised not 

 to allow them to become scarce of 

 food. To prevent this it is well to 

 examine them on pleasant days and 

 ascertain the amount of food each 

 hive possesses. Supply those that are 

 short with combs of sealed honey, or 

 good sugar syrup made from granu- 

 lated sugar. It will be well to reduce 

 the size of the brood chamber of all 

 hives that are short of bees. This is 

 easily done by inserting a division 

 board, fitting closely the inside of the 



hive. Reducing the space adds to the 

 comfort of the bees and enables them 

 to generate enough of animal heat to 

 hatch their eggs. Whenever bees 

 cannot do this they are gone. There 

 is no help for them unless the apiarist 

 can give them a frame of brood that 

 is full of bees just gnawing out of 

 their cells. This will soon enlarge 

 the number of bees and generate the 

 necessary amount of heat. Be sure 

 to have a comb of honey on each side 

 of the cluster whenever you contract 

 the size of the brood chamber. 



In the month of February bees be- 

 gin to breed if the weather is not too 

 severe, in latiture 40 degrees north. 

 This will be on a very small scale. In 

 the centre of the cluster when exam- 

 ined a small circular batch of brood, 

 varying from the size of a quarter to 

 that of a silver dollar will be found. 

 This will continue to increase, always 

 in a circular form, until the comb is 

 full. 



We club Farm Journal with the 

 American Bee-Keeper, and will send 

 it all of 1896 to every new subscriber 

 to our magazine at 50c a year, and to 

 every subscriber who will pay up all 

 arrearages, if this notice is mentioned. 



(From Gleanings.) 



SOMETHING OP MY MANAGEMENT 

 IN THE APIAEY. 



BY F. GREINER. 



The more experience I gather in the 

 management of bees, the more I be- 

 come aware how difficult it is to lay 

 down rules to be followed year after 

 year, with any guarantee of meeting 

 with highest success. In my location 

 a honey season is an unknown and un- 

 certain quantity, and much depends 



