AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



589 



most likely be stored farthest from the 

 the entrance. 



Dr. Marshall — I prefer bees to enter 

 at the ends of the frames, as then they 

 are enabled to deposit their loads sooner. 



BEMOVING HONEY FKOM THE BKOOD-NEST 

 TO THE SECTIONS. 



The committee handed in the question, 

 " What is the best plan to get bees to 

 move their honey from the brood-nest to 

 the sections ?" 



Dr. Marshall — When bees have their 

 brood-nest crowded with honey, put on 

 sections with partly drawn out starters, 

 if you have them, and uncap the honey 

 in the brood-nest, and score the combs 

 pretty hard, and the bees could not well 

 repair the combs without some place to 

 store the honey, and they will usually 

 move the honey to the sections, and re- 

 pair and clean out the brood-combs, and 

 the queen will fill them with eggs ; but 

 we must be sure that we do not get un- 

 desirable honey in the sections. I have 

 made considerable money by fooling the 

 bees in that way. 



Dr. Howard offered a suggestion, that 

 it was pretty sure to start bees into the 

 sections by causing them to fill them- 

 selves with honey, especially if there 

 was a flow of honey, and the colony was 

 strong, and he thinks we are fooling our 

 time away, trying to get weak colonies 

 to store honey in the sections, as it takes 

 powerful colonieg to pay in producing 

 such honey. 



C. M. Davis — I find it is hard to get 

 bees to finish up or store honey in the 

 sections after horse-mint is gone. 



HONEY FEOM COTTON. 



The difference of opinions on cotton 

 honey, etc., was as follows : 



J. F. Teel said that cotton honey is 

 perfectly clear, and of very fine quality. 

 Others agreed with Mr. Teel. 



A. M. Tuttle— The best flow of honey 

 I ever saw was from cotton, and the 

 honey is almost as clear as water. 



W. R. Graham — Fifteen years ago 

 cotton was not considered any honey- 

 plant worth naming, but now it is the 

 honey-plant of North Texas, and the 

 honey is of fine quality, and granulates 

 very quickly. 



Several others thought that cotton 

 honey was dark, and of an inferior 

 quality. 



WINTERING AND SPRINGING BEES. 



The wintering and springing of bees 

 in the South was next considered. 

 J. R. Atchley thinks that moderate 



colonies and plenty of stores are best for 

 the South, as the bees will build up and 

 swarm as early as any, and be in just as 

 good condition, or better, for honey 

 gathering, as the larger colonies are 

 liable to use their honey sooner, and be 

 in worse shape than the smaller ones. 



W. T. Pryar believes in strong colo- 

 nies for winter and spring, and all the 

 time. 



J. F. Teel keeps his bees in a cool 

 place in winter and spring for best re- 

 sults. 



Mrs. Atchley believes in moderately 

 strong colonies, and plenty of hoaey, as 

 April and the first part of May is the 

 time our bees suffer in this locality — 

 North Texas. 



LOCATING AN APIABY. 



Another question by the committee 

 was, "What are the most essential 

 points to be considered in locating an 

 apiary ?" 



J. R. Atchley — A place where flowers 

 bloom incessantly ; if possible. Close to 

 water. Then, a good apiarist. 



Dr. Marshall— A place where honey 

 is known to be plentiful, and water 

 handy, and shade. Have an apiary as 

 convenient as possible. I secured 60,- 

 000 pounds of honey in one season by 

 locating in a good place. Much depends 

 upon the location and the apiarist, to 

 make bees pay. 



J. F. Teel had his bees on a hill, and 

 thinks an apiary should be located 

 where the high winds, we usually have 

 here in the spring, will not bother the 

 beds. 



J. A. Wilson — Bees do not do well in 

 the cross timbers, or where the lands are 

 poor. Bees should be in a place where 

 the lands are rich, as the honey-plants 

 will yield better. 



John Robinson keeps his bees near a 

 pool of water, and in a very rich belt of 

 country, and they always do well. 



THE YIELD OF HONEY-PLANTS. 



"What is the cause of some good 

 honey-plants yielding bountifully in 

 some seasons, and others yielding none?" 

 was asked. 



Nearly every one present thought it 

 due to the conditions of the atmosphere. 

 When the weather is warm and balmy, 

 honey seems to be plentiful in almost all 

 honey-producing plants, and when cool 

 and cloudy no honey is secreted. 



Dr. Marshall said that in 1860 there 

 was no rain from Feb. 14th to Aug. 

 14th, and everything produced honey. 

 It would drip from the hickory trees, 



