220 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



my crop it is about 100 pounds 

 per colon}^ part comb and part 

 extracted, and ninety per cent in- 

 crease. One colony gathered 462 

 pounds, besides winter stores, and 

 was closely followed by two more. 

 Twenty other colonies only stored 

 enough lor winter after l)uilding 

 up. The harvest lasted thirty-five 

 days, Avithout intermission, begin- 

 ning June 7 and ending June 12, 

 but it was so dry that the daily 

 yield was light. Farm crops are 

 not half crops on that account, and 

 the honey crop would have been 

 the same had it not been for bass- 

 wood (which roots deeply) follow- 

 ing tlie white clover, as the clover 

 was soon burned brown and dead. 

 We are not likely to get much, if 

 any more, honey of any kind this 

 year. I left the hives full of bass- 

 wood honey for winter. I have 

 experimented this season, so that 

 I have concluded that one colony 

 of bees of equal strength and in a 

 like condition as another will gather 

 about the same amount of honey ; 

 and it is not owing so much to the 

 difference in industry as is gener- 

 erally supposed. 



The colony that gathered 462 

 pounds surplus did not have in its 

 hive at any time more than eight 

 combs of brood, while some hav- 

 ing from twelve to twenty fell be- 

 hind in the yield. And I attribute 

 the propagation of the brood to 

 the difference in results. 



C. W. Dayton. 



Borodino, N. T., July 15, 188G. 

 The outlook here for a crop of 

 honey for 1886 is quite poor. My 

 estimate is about i crop in this sec- 

 tion. White clover yielded well 

 for eighteen days and the yield from 

 basswood has been moderate for 

 the past five days up to yesterday. 

 It is now cloudy and rainy and the 

 basswood bloom begins to look old, 

 so 1 think little more will be gath- 



ered. Teasel also don't seem to 

 give much honey. After basswood 

 w^e get little or no honey. 

 Yours, 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Sussex, Wis. 

 The outlook for a good crop of 

 honey in this part of Wisconsin Is 

 very good. It has been pretty dry, 

 yet white clover has yielded abun- 

 dantly in nectar, and the basswood 

 bloom has been very profuse, and 

 continued longer than usual, being 

 still in bloom at this writing, and 

 the bees are improving the golden 

 opportunity of gathering abundant 

 stores. Thanks for sample copy of 

 "Api " received. 



T. E. Turner. 



Taunton, Wis. 



WHY IS IT? 



I have one hive crowded full of 

 bees, boxes and all. Every morn- 

 ing there are quite a number of dead 

 bees on the alighting-board. Some 

 of the bees are not quite dead, but 

 soon die. I cannot see the cause 

 of it, but would like to have it ex- 

 plained. 



Chester F. Savory. 



[If the bees ai-e young ones, it 

 indicates that there are a few worms 

 in the comb ; but if the colony .is 

 a strong one, no damage will be 

 done. If the bees are matured, 

 the colony may be afflicted with the 

 new bee disease spoken of b}^ Mrs. 

 Hills on anothei' page. — Ed.] 



The North American Beekeepers' 

 Society will hold its next (seven- 

 teenth) annual convention at Indi- 

 anapolis, Ind., Oct. 12, 13, 14, 



1886. 



