THE PROFITS OF BEE-KEEPING. 269 



from 12 Ibs. to 15 Ibs. of the purest honey ought to 

 be gathered in three or four weeks, by any of these 

 methods. 



With the bar-frame hives, either bell-glasses, or 

 "sections," may be still more advantageously rilled ; 

 because, by judicious examination and treatment of 

 the stocks, these may be strengthened and helped, 

 so as to be in the most favourable condition for 

 storing honey in large quantities. It is no uncommon 

 thing for 40 Ibs. or 50 Ibs. to be taken in " sections " 

 from a single flourishing hive ; and, in an ordinary 

 season, the average amount from each stock ought 

 not to be less than 20 Ibs. Much, however, will 

 depend on the control exercised over swarming. Of 

 course the more numerous the population is kept, 

 the greater will be the quantity of stores secured. 

 If colony after colony is allowed to be sent off, the 

 less will be the strength of the parent-community 

 for food-gathering. Still, one swarm and 20 Ibs. of 

 honey in the season is not an unreasonable amount 

 to expect from a really good hive. 



Again, from the modern wooden hives, frames of 

 well-filled and sealed comb may be taken, and after 

 this has been cut out, the frames may be put back 

 into their places, having been first supplied with 

 '' foundation," to give help and direction to the bees 

 in working out new combs for refilling. One such 

 frame of sealed honey should weigh 5 Ibs. or 6 Ibs. 



Another plan, yielding by far the largest results, 

 is to throw out the honey from the combs as they 

 are filled. By means of " extractors," of which there 

 are several kinds, the operation is very easy. The 

 sealed cells of one side must be uncapped, and the 



