\)t Jee-Keepeps' jHex^ied) 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Iqterests of Hoqey Producers. 



$L00 A YEAR. 



W. Z. HDTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, MAY 10, 1898. 



VOL. XI. 



NO. 5. 



BEES AND APPLE BLOSSOMS. 



The Importance of These Early Honey-Flow! 



in Building up Colonies for the Main 



Harvests. An Esthetical View 



of the Subject. 



G. M. DOOUTTIvE. 



Sweetie the air with the hiiddinR haws, and 

 tlie valley strotclnnt; for tniloM hi'low 



Is white with blnesoiiiint,' applc-trpi-s, aw if just 

 covered with liKlifent hwhw. -LONGFELLOW. 



T T was with 

 -*■ much interest 

 that I read the 

 first article in 

 the March Re- 

 V i e w on ■ ' The 

 Sugar-Maple " 

 and the relation 

 it bore to our 

 friends, the bees, 

 in getting them 

 in shape so that 

 they could, by the •' great army of work- 

 ers " produced through the stimulation of 

 maple bloom, gather for us the tons of 

 honey from white clover and basswood; 

 which is exchanged for the things which 

 make the pursuit of bee-keeping one of 

 profit. The same line of reasoning which 



Bro. Hutchinson applies to the sugar- 

 maple, holds doubly good in regard to 

 apple bloom. There is nothing in the 

 line of early honey that so stimulates 

 brood rearing as does that which comes 

 from the pink and white blossoms of the 

 apple trees. In fact, it has always been 

 a proverb in this section of the country, 

 "as goes apple bloom, so goes the season, ' ' 

 as to honey. 



More than a third of a century ago, 

 the hand of the lamented M. Quinby 

 penned these words: " In good weather, 

 a gain of 20 pounds is sometimes added 

 to the hives during the period of apple 

 blossoms. But we are seldom fortunate 

 enough to have continuous good weather, 

 as it is often rainy, cloudy, cool or windy, 

 all of which are very detrimental. A 

 frost will sometimes destroy all, and the 

 gain of our bees is reversed; that is, their 

 stores are lighter at the end than at the 

 beginning of this season of flowers. Yet 

 this season often decides the prosperity of 

 the bees for the summer. If there is good 

 weather now, we expect our first swarms 

 about June first; if not, no subsequent 

 yield of honey will make up the defi- 

 ciency. "- 



Never were truer words uttered, as 

 applied to central New York, and what 

 applies to this locality will apply quite 



