74 



STATEMENT OF HENRY ALLEY, OP WENHAM, IN RELATION TO 



BEES AND HONEY. 



To Chairman of Committee on Bread and Honey : 



The honey exhibited at the Fair (about 35 lbs.), was but a 

 small part of the amount stored in small boxes the past sea. 

 son by five (5) hives of bees. The bees were hybrids, a cross 

 between black and the Italians. Twenty-one boxes, holding 

 about two pounds of honey, are placed on the hive over the 

 bees and brood, and 12 boxes, holding about 1| pounds honey 

 each, are placed at the sides of the brood combs, making 33 

 boxes in all for the bees to work in at the same time. Each 

 row of boxes has a tin or wooden separator placed between 

 them to compel the bees to build their combs directly within 

 the boxes. The bottom of the boxes are made a quarter of an 

 inch narrower than the top, thus leaving room for the bees to 

 pass up from the main hive into them. 



These hives are known as the " Massachusetts Movable 

 Comb Bee Hive " and have been in use 6 years ; five colonies 

 of bees stored about 500 pounds of honey. It was gathered 

 from fruit blossoms, white clover, pepper-wood and golden-rod. 

 That from fruit blossoms and clover wa^s stored in May and 

 June ; that from pepper-wood in August, and golden-rod in 

 September. The pepper-wood is found in the low lands in our 

 county and blossoms profusely for about ten days in August. 

 Dry and hot weather, such as prevailed during the past season, 

 is considered very favorable for the bees where this plant or 

 bush abounds. The honey is very light in color and excellent 

 in quality ; in fact, it is the finest honey to be found in our 

 markets. Our bees gather large quantities of honey from the 

 yellow weed or golden-rod, especially was this the case the 

 past season. Honey from this weed, as a general thing, is 

 poor in quality, rather dark, and will not bring a good price 

 in the market. On account of the favorable weather the past 

 season, honey gathered from golden rod was quite as good as 

 that taken from white clover. 



More bees should .be kept in the county ; with good hives 



