The American Apiculturist 



% Journal b^bol^^ ia gradual '§nhtti^mQ, 



ENTERED AT THE POST-OFFICE, WENHAM, AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER. 

 Published Monthly. Henry Allkt, Manager. 



VOL. V. 



WENHAM, MASS., OCTOBER 



No. lo. 



We deal in first-class apiari- 1 Established in 1883. Terms : I Anv yearly subscriber is en- 

 an supplies of all kinds, lowest I $1.00 per year, 50 cents per six I titled to one of our selected 

 prices. Prompt 8hi|)ment. ' *''" "' — •- ... ... 



Send for price list. 



. I 5,i.uu (.ici yciir, oucenis persi.x | titled to one of our selected 

 I months, 25 cents per three I queens anytiniebetweenjunel 

 I months. Cash in advance. | and Oct. 1, bv remitting 50 cts. 



Address all communications, AMERICAN APICULTURIST, "Wenham, Mass. 



For the American Apiculturist, 



EXTRACTING. 



John H. Martin. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMING, ETC. 



The outlook over the beekeeping 

 field gives us a view of many apia- 

 rists giving their energies to some 

 special feature of the business, and 

 for which experience has taught them 

 they are especially fitted. 



For instance, here is a man who 

 has a special gift for raising beautiful 

 comb honey. The sections and the 

 honey seem to have an extra nice 

 look about them, that puts them all 

 within the class denominated gilt- 

 edged. If we look in another di- 

 rection we find a person who is 

 producing extracted honey in large 

 quantities and in qualities that charm 

 the most sesthetic taste. Another 

 person is devoting attention to the 

 rearing of fine queens, and if there 

 were sale for bees at all seasons of the 

 year we should soon find men en- 

 gaged in raising bees for the market, 

 but that industry is evidently for the 

 man of the future. 



Another view, and we find a very 

 few trying to develop the honey mar- 

 ket. 



Locality may have much influence 

 upon these various branches of our 

 industry, and to those who frequently 

 ask which they shall raise, comb or 

 extracted honey, I always tell them 

 19 



to raise just what taste, skill and lo- 

 cality point out that they should 

 raise. It is my impression that a lo- 

 cality that has a short and sudden 

 rush of honey is the locality for the 

 extractor. My own locality is such 

 a one, and for several years I have 

 made the business of obtaining ex- 

 tracted honey a specialty. 



How frequently we hear of some 

 farmer who, having caught a stray 

 swarm of bees, has secured a large 

 amount of honey to the astonishment 

 of the entire neighborhood. When 

 a single swarm can thus accomplish 

 wonders, our aim should be to make 

 many swarms do the same. In 

 order to give them a chance to do 

 this, the first thing to be considered 

 is the wintering of the bees in such 

 a manner as to have them come out 

 very strong in the spring. But I am 

 willing to confess that I have many 

 weak colonies in the spring, and there 

 is much nursing necessary to bring 

 our colonies up to the required 

 strength. My first move is to get all 

 of the brood to the front of the hive. 

 My frames hang across the entrance 

 and the entrance is contracted. I 

 try to winter each colony so that 

 there is no necessity of contracting 

 the brood-nest witli cumbrous divi- 

 sion-boards. But where contraction 

 is necessary I usually tuck the quilt 

 down between the combs, and if the 

 litde swarm has plenty of honey there 

 is no use to give frequent examina- 

 (249) 



