THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



217 



THE HONEY CROP OF 1887. 



REPORTS FROM A LARGE NUMBEH OF 

 LOCATIONS. 



De Kalh Junction, N. Y., 



Jtdy 9, 1887. 

 Friend Alley : 



It is too early to give a current re- 

 port of tlie honey crop, as bass wood 

 is in fuil bloom yet. If we get favor- 

 able weather for the nest week the 

 crop will be fully one half what it 

 Avas two years ago. Last year we got 

 no honey. The weather has been too 

 hot for "the last week for the secretion 

 of basswood honey. 



Respectfully, 



Ira Bahrer. 



Lapeer, Mich., July 8, 1887. 

 The early honey crop this season is 

 almost an entire failure. Only the very 

 strong colonies furnish any surplus. 

 White clover yielded but little nectar, 

 and basswood, now nearly past, has 

 done little better. The surplus may 

 average ten pounds per colony. So far 

 as honey is concerned, the season has 

 been unpropitious from the beginning; 

 willow, soft maple, hard maple, and 

 fruit blossoms yielding but scantily. 

 AVithout a fair fall yield, bees will have 

 to l)e fed largely to supply stores for 

 winter. 



R. L. Taylor. 



Hartford, N. Y., July 6, 1887. 



Friend A : 



In relation to the honey crop I would 

 report as follows : We have had a 

 moderate but continuous honey flow 

 ever since clover commenced to bloom, 

 and strong swarms have stored a good 

 amount of honey. Basswood has just 

 commenced to blossom and the trees 

 are loaded with flowers. The weather 

 thus far is favorable for the secretion 

 of nectar, and we are hoping for a 

 good yield from this source. The yield 

 will be above the average here. 



Swarming has been profuse and I 

 hear of many beekeepers losing 

 swarms by absconding. 



J. H. Martin. 



Cincinnati, July 7, 1887. 



Friend Alley : There will be but 

 little honey raised in Ohio, Kentucky, 

 and Indiana. During the month of 

 June white clover blooms in this part 

 of the country and is almost our sole 

 resource for honey. Almost every 

 nigjit was cool from beginning of June 

 to about the 20th. Experience has 

 taught us that no honey is secreted in 

 white clover during day time when- 

 ever the thermometer went down to 

 55° the previous night. It went down 

 to 47° one morning about the middle of 

 the montli. Cold nights in June seem 

 to have been tlie cause of the failure of 

 our honey crop. 



I have reports from several friends 

 that the crop is good in the southern 

 states. 



For the first time that I know of, my 

 bees failed to make the wonted good 

 use of .Alsike clover of which I had a 

 splendid stand. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



Hamilton, Hancock Co., III., July 9, '87. 

 The honey crop is a failure. We 

 shall not have 5000 pounds from 400 

 colonies. Weather dry and uo hope 

 of a fall crop. 



Chas. Dadant & Son. 



Bristol, VL, 

 July 11, 1887. 

 Mr. H. Alley. 

 Dear Sir: 



You ask " what my .honey crop 

 will be this year?" I am sorry to say 

 that it will be very light again. For 

 the first time since I have been in the 

 bee business (seventeen years) we 

 have had two poor honey seasons in 

 succession, last year and this, though 

 in May and June the prospects were 

 never more flattering nor were my bees 

 ever in better condition, but a cold and 

 wet June prevented the bees working 

 on raspberry and clover. But as bass- 

 wood promises to bloom in great 

 abundance we still hope for a partial 

 crop as the bees are nearly through 

 swarming and are in excellent condi- 

 tion to gather honey ; but, lo ! basswood 

 has been in bloom five days and but 

 very little honey have we got from it 

 yet, and the prospect is that we shall 

 not get nmch more. It does not seem 

 to secrete honey except in the morn- 

 ing and just at night, as the bees only 

 work on it about three hours in the 

 morning and about two hours at night. 

 I attril)Ute tlie cause to a lack of elec- 

 tric shocks, and I have noticed for 

 several years past that whtn we have 

 a good deal of thunder and lightning 

 we get lots of honey; though we have 

 had plenty of rain this year, but have 

 had but very little lightning. 



