THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



51 



the iiir it will o;enerally coine to tlie 

 liivo |)iv[)areil lor it, if the cage with 

 the (lueen in it bo phvced at the en- 

 trance. If the swaini has clusteiecl 

 on a tree it may be aUowed to re- 

 turn at its leisure if there is no 

 danger of other swarms issuing', but 

 if there is danger of this it is better 

 to iiasten its return. 



During the swarming season if 

 tlie apiary is large it is very con- 

 venient, if not necessary, to have 

 at hand two or three cotton sheets 

 witli which to cover hives to pre- 

 vent swarms going where the}^ are 

 not wanted when they threaten to 

 do so. 



The only sure way I know of to 

 prevent after swarms is to destroy 

 all queen cells, but about five or six 

 days after the prime swarm issues. 



In conclusion, let me utter a 

 "warning against the absurdity of 

 planting for honej'. When comb 

 hone}' is produced without any ex- 

 pense for honey plants, Mr. Doo- 

 little estimates that when it is 

 read}'^ for market it has cost thir- 

 teen cents per pound. Let us sup- 

 pose it brings fifteen cents and 

 there is a profit of two cents per 

 pound, and that is all there is with 

 which to grow honey plants. If 

 land and labor necessary to grow 

 an acre of hone}^ plants are worth 

 fifteen dollars, the acre must yield 

 750 pounds of well ripened, surplus 

 comb honey in order not to do 

 more than eat up the two cents per 

 pound profit. 



Lapeer, Mich. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



Br J. E. POMD. 



PRKPAUIXG FOIl THE HARVEST 



KARLT MANAGEMENT OF THE API- 

 ARY KEEP THE COLONIES WELL 



SUPPLIED WITH FOOD — STRONG 

 COLONIES FOR BUSINESS. 



The spring months are always 

 the beekeeper's busy season. If 



practical and forehanded, he has 

 utilized the long winter evenings, 

 not only in studying up ways and 

 means, but in getting hives, frames 

 and other appliances ready for use. 

 In ]Maicii and April, but little 

 can be done in New England, but 

 that little is of the utmost impor- 

 tance, as upon it depends in great 

 measure the matter of success or 

 otherwise. 



early management of the APIARY. 



Each colony should be examined, 

 thoroughly cleaned out, and the 

 colonies equalized as far as is pos- 

 sible to do. If any weak colonies 

 are found, they can be built up by 

 drawing brood from the strong. 

 If any are found queenless as well 

 as weak, such can be united with 

 others that are not queenless, 

 though as a rule I do not advise 

 uniting colonies, and if such are 

 not queenless I prefer to build 

 them up. I have found by expe- 

 rience that two weak colonies can 

 be built up l)y furnishing them with 

 frames of brood to good paying 

 stocks, when if united they would 

 have hardly made one poor colony. 



keep the colonies well sup- 

 plied WITH FOOD. 

 In the matter of stores, it must 

 be borne in mind that the spring 

 months are emphatically the breed- 

 ing season, and care must betaken 

 that enough food is given, if lack- 

 ing, not only to supply the old 

 bees but to encourage them to 

 rapid brood-rearing. It will aston- 

 ish one who knows nothing of the 

 matter to learn what a large quan- 

 tity of food is used in the rearing 

 of brood, and unless care is taken 

 in this matter colonies will play 

 out rapidly for want thereof. It 

 requires a large force of foragers 

 to collect a large crop of honey, 

 and these foragers must l)e reared 

 in the spring — there are several 

 factors in the honey-gathering prob- 



