20 



THE A ME RIG AN APICULTURIST. 



needed — at least one set for each 

 colon}'. When the honey-flow be- 

 gins, give each colony a set of 

 combs. We all know that bees will 

 begin work sooner on empty combs 

 than in empty sections, and most 

 of us appreciate the importance of 

 having the very first of the honey- 

 flow go into the surphis apartment. 

 If you are one of those who never 

 have any trouble to induce the 

 bees to start work in the sections 

 just as soon as there is honey to 

 gather, this part of the programme 

 may be omitted, and with a sliort 

 and sudden honey-flow it might 

 not be advisable. 



After the bees are well at work 

 above, remove the extracting combs 

 from as many colonies as you want 

 to work lor comb honey, and give 

 them sections. Pile up the supers 

 of partly-filled combs over other 

 colonies. The honey so piled up 

 will become thoroughly ripened, 

 and be a much finer article than 

 that usually produced. Whether 

 for economy or excellence of qual- 

 ity, there is no way of producing 

 extracted hone}' equal to that of 

 giving the bees plenty of room in 

 which to store honey, and then 

 plenty of time to ripen it. 



Along toward the close of the 

 honey-flow, instead of putting on 

 move sections which are not likely 

 to be finished, take all the sections 

 from a part of the colonies, giving 

 them empty combs instead. Use 

 the partly-finished sections instead 

 of new ones on other colonies. 



Let us now recount the advan- 

 tages of this system : First, getting 

 the bees started in the surplus de- 

 partment without delay. Second, 

 your comb honey is nearly all No. 

 1, and the extracted honey is the 

 finest that can be produced. Last, 

 but by no means least, you are rid 

 of nearly all the bother antl ex- 

 pense of unfinished sections in the 

 fall. Having few unfinished sec- 

 tions in the fall, you have few old 



sections in the spring, and it is for 

 this reason that your comb honey 

 will be finer. Honey stored in 

 comb built the year before is never 

 equal in quality or appearance to 

 honey in newly-built combs. 



To carry out this system, of 

 course, all parts of the hives must 

 be easily and quickly removable and 

 interchangeable, and capable of 

 being handled by cases instead of 

 by frames or sections. 



Section cases should be only 

 one-tier deep, and extracting supers 

 should be shallow — not over six 

 inches deep — and both should be 

 capable of being tiered to any 

 desired height. Queen excluding 

 honey-boards aie a great conven- 

 ience, and, in fact, almost indispen- 

 sable. 



rBlSi, 



Answers by Practical Apiarists. 



KEEPING BEES AND POULTRY AS A . BUS- 

 INESS. 



Query No. 42. What can a good active 

 man do lor a bu»iiioss in connection with bee- 

 keeping? 



How would ))oiiltr.y-keeping, or the rais- 

 ing ofsmallTruits do? 



Reader of the Api. 



ANSWER BY J. M. SHUCK. 



If he is born for business, 

 many things. Fi-uit culture will 

 suit, but berries will need picking 

 in June when the bees are swarm- 

 ing and when the clover blooms. 

 He will be obliged to hire some 

 and if he cannot use hired help at 

 a profit, he will lose if he uses it 

 at all. It does not matter what 

 business if he is fitted for it. 



ANSWER BY C. C MILLER. 



Itseems to me poultry-keei)ing is 

 one of the n)ost i)romising pursuits 

 to connect with beekeeping. liais- 

 ing small fruits goes nicely with 

 beekeeping, for one who has bees 



