THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



31 



through finely. Now for my " Why 

 is it." When the beekeeper knows 

 so simple a remedy as this case takes, 

 and the likelihood of honey dew com- 

 ing any season, why is it that they 

 will persist in letting their bees have 

 it for winter stores ? Now we had a 

 great flow of honey dew here this 

 season in the latter part of August, 

 and first part of September, but our 

 bees have none of it to winter on and 

 we are not looking ahead with appre- 

 hension as to their wintering. Nor did 

 we extract it either to feed back su- 

 gar syrup. Honey dew always comes 

 after white clover, and the stocks 

 that have no room below to store 

 anything, of a necessity can't have 

 honey dew for winter use. On the 

 white clover flow our brood-chambers 

 are full, either of brood or honey, 

 usually a great abundance, and hav- 

 ing on plenty of surplus room, if 

 honey dew comes, it is stored above 

 where the beekeeper can easily re- 

 move it. Our June filled combs of 

 clover (and bass wood sometimes) 

 remain there all summer and is the 

 winter food, so we do not fear honey 

 dew. I find there are quite a vari- 

 ety of tastes as to honey. A few are 

 very particular, must have clear quill 

 white clover honey, but a large ma- 

 jority make no comments, if the 

 honey is good and thick. To test 

 this I recently tried an experiment. 

 At the last of the white clover run, 

 as usual, we had some partly filled 

 sections, and these were filled at the 

 bottom with honey-dew, an aver- 

 age of one-fourth being of the latter. 

 It is in very strong contrast to the 

 white clover above. A man close by, 

 wanting a crate, I took him one filled 

 with this clover-honey dew, half ex- 

 pecting him to "kick" and bring it 

 back, for I guarantee all my honey. 

 Time passed, and after a while I asked 

 how they liked the honey, " first rate, 

 that's splendid honey, it just takes 

 a section to a meal with my family." 

 I thought "where ignorance is bliss 

 'tis folly to be wise." 



Mr. L. Spencer must surely have 

 something else that the bees get pol- 

 len from in clover time, for pollen 

 here at that time is a very light cream 

 color. 



Oneida, III. 



For the American ApicuUurist. 



REPORT OF ONE COLONY 

 OF BEES. 



O. F. Winter. 



I have kept a record of' a colony 

 of bees for five years. It runs as 

 follows: No. 52, 1882, 118 lbs; 

 1S83, 96 lbs. ; 1884, 145 lbs. ; 18S5, 

 94 lbs.; 1886, 144 lbs., making an 

 average of 119 lbs. per year during 

 the five years. There have been fed 

 to this colony 20 lbs. for winter 

 stores ; this would make the average 

 surplus 115 lbs. per year. 



This is not considered a first-class 

 location for bees as there are but few 

 basswood trees in this vicinity. 



REPORT FOR THE YEAR I 886. 



Fifty colonies in the spring, aver- 

 age strong and good ; increase ten 

 stocks; honey, 2,500 lbs.; average 

 per colony 50 lbs. From the fifty 

 colonies I had but three first or prime 

 swarms. 



I should have said tliat colony 

 No. 52 were hybrids, also that they 

 had not swarmed during the five 

 years . 



IVi lifer foil, N. Y. 



For the American Ai>icuUurist. 



APICULTURE IN CALI- 

 FORNIA. ■ 



A. Norton. 



HIVES, 



The subject of hives is not the saf- 

 est nor the easiest to handle. The 

 large number of unlike styles that are 

 advocated and successfully used by 

 eminent beekeepers make it impossi- 



