AUGUST 1, 1914 



567 



M. G. Dervishian's apiary, Nicosia, Cyprus. The two eldest sons shown are his helpers ; the three 

 youngest, the honey-eaters. The walls on the back and one side (north and west) are windbreaks. 



While the Texas honey crop will be quite 

 large this year, the market is very unsatis- 

 factory just now. But it is hoped that con- 



ditions will improve and be much more 

 favorable later in the season. 

 New Braunfels, Texas. 



BEEKEEPING IN THE COTSWOLDS 



BY A. H. BOWEN 



Last season we had a beautiful summer of 

 sunshine and a splendid crop of honey. The 

 fine weather started in June, and continued 

 more or less until December; while even in 

 November — usually the dullest month of the 

 year — the sun shone brilliantly, and bees 

 worked hard on the blossoms of the ivy 

 found in abundance on our Cotswold stone 

 walls. But never did they work with more 

 energy than on those long hot June days 

 when the sainfoin blossomed, and more of 

 this delicious honey was stored than for 

 many seasons past. The capping of sain- 

 foin honey is a pale primrose color, and so 

 attractive in appearance that it is often pre- 

 ferred even to that from the white Dutch 

 clover. Many colonies yielded well over 

 100 pounds of extracted honey each, while 

 one large apiarist took from his best hive 

 215 pounds, and left the bees with 30 pounds 

 for their winter stores. Indeed, the season 

 would have been a record one had it not 

 started badly. After such a wet summer as 

 1912, bees went into winter with but little 



natural stores, and queens worn out by ex- 

 cessive breeding. 



In the spring they were naturally weak, 

 and in every apiary losses occurred. 



March and April proved cold and windy, 

 so that very little pollen and honey were 

 collected — breeding thus being retarded. But 

 with May it grew warmer, fruit-blossoms 

 commenced to yield, and soon the strongest 

 colonies were working in the supers, keep- 

 ing two and three tiers going right through 

 the season. The early rains enabled the 

 clover to get a good stand so that it bloomed 

 more freely, and yielded honey several weeks 

 later than usual. 



Swarms that year were very plentiful, 

 and those hived on ten fully drawn-out 

 combs did well, and stored something for 

 themselves besides. 



Chiefly owing to the fine weather and 

 copious flow there was no outbreak of foul 

 brood, and those that were diseased last year 

 appeared completely cured. In the long 

 run, drastic treatment for disease is the 



