Vol. XVI. 



FEB. 1, 1H88. 



No. 3. 



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SOMETHING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF 

 BEE-KEEPING. 



VALUE OF THE WlT.r,()W-HERB DURING A SEASON 

 OF DROUGHT AND FIRES. 



fNCE or twice I have given in Gleanings a 

 glimpse of the darker side of our bee-keep- 

 ing experience. Because of this, it seems 

 but fair to report our success, in a small way. 

 during the past season. But to guard against 

 mistaken inferences. 1 wish to preface the story by 

 the statement that the average per colony for this 

 season is our very best— the best we have to show 

 for fifteen years of bee-keeping. 



Our bees had wintered well. We had sold three 

 colonies, and on June 1st, when the season usual- 

 ly begins with us, we had 22 in perfect condition. 

 At this date we were (juite prepared for a poor bar 

 vest. The month of May had been very dry, and 

 fires had spread through the woods and swamps in 

 all directions. There was no promise of white clo- 

 ver; it had been ruined by the drouth. But a small 

 proportion of the red-raspberry bushes had es- 

 caped the fires. We did not think of basswood; too 

 many years had jjassed since a drop of surplus had 

 been gathered from this source. Willow-herb was 

 our only hope, yet we questioned if the j'oung 

 plants had not been injured by drouth and fire. 

 That a new growth might spring up in the track of 

 these recent fires, and blossom in time for a honey 

 harvest, did not occur to us as possible. 



But, "it is the unexpected which always hap- 

 pens." A little rain the first week of June, saved 

 some plants and started into life the seeds of thou- 



sands more in the beds which the fires had made 

 ready. This we did not discover at once. We only 

 took note of the fact, that after the rain the bees 

 found a limited supply of raspberry honey. That 

 there was not enough for daily use, was proven by 

 the steady disappearance of the old honey, with 

 which we were earful to keep all colonies well sup- 

 plied. Still, brood-rearing was not checked nor 

 swarming postponed. But never was the swarm- 

 ing more wisely managed. There was only just 

 enough of it; once over, it was over for the season. 

 Seldom have our swarms needed so little supervi- 

 sion. With hardly an exception, they decided that 

 these were not days for extravagant provision for 

 future swarming, and very little drone comb did 

 they put in their brood-frames. This was some 

 compensation for the general reluctance to enter 

 the sections. Only a few of the more enterprising 

 colonit^s seemed to find any surplus, and were 

 tempted by full sections of comb into storing a few 

 pounds above their brood. 



About the fourth of July, to our surprise no less 

 than our delight, the unmistakable, minty flavor of 

 basswood was detected, and at the same time near- 

 ly every colony was found at work in sections. 

 The flow was very moderate for basswood— not at 

 all like what we used to have ten years ago. It 

 lasted but two weeks. When it ceased, w^ork in 

 sections slackened but did not stop. Willow-herb 

 —which is usually af, its best during the last of 

 July— was now yielding a small daily surplus. 



Hoping to get all incomplete work finished, hop- 

 ing nothing more than this, we severely contract- 

 ed the surplus apartment in most of our colonies; 



