8 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER iaBnnBf 



In Fig. I the mandibles are shown 

 open, which is the usual position when 

 the bee is at work about the hive, ex- 

 cept when she is carrying something or 

 using them to push with as when 

 packing pollen or working on the 

 comb. 



Providence, R. I., Oct. 11, 1903. 



LARGE HONEY CROPS. 



By F. Greiner. 



MR. EDITOR: Allow me a few 

 explanatory remarks on the 

 above subject. The final report 

 of Mr. .Johnson's large honey crop in 

 December issue, sounds fishy and no 

 mistake. Mr. .Johnson had not ought 

 to expect but that such a report would 

 be looked upon with some suspicion 

 by a large number of bee-keepers. To 

 my knowledge no such a crop with 

 such increase has ever been secured 

 in our Northern States. If, one year 

 with another, I could do half as well 

 I should go into "bees" on a large 

 scale with the expectation of soon be- 

 ing able to buy out Rockefeller or any 

 other fellow; but unfortunately I have 

 the reputation of securing very small 

 yields generally, although I have 

 reached the 100 pound mark three 

 times in thirty years. 



The season of 1902 is still vividly 

 in my recollection; it was one of the 

 wettest I have ever experienced. It 

 could not have been any worse, it 

 would seem. Clover was present in 

 great abundance, but the bees wei'e 

 kei)t from visiting the blossoms for 

 more than three-fourths of the time. 

 I have never passed through a moi-e 

 tantalizing time with my Ijees than 

 that season. Abxindance of honey at 

 the door, plenty of bees to take care 

 of it, but no oi)i)ort unity for them to 

 gather it in. Strange as it may seteni 

 during this most luifavorable season 

 I took from an outyard of 10 colonies 

 over 1,800 pounds of honey, half ex- 

 tra<-te<l and half in comb. As 1 recol- 

 lect, I have had other hone.v .seasons 

 when evei"j' condition seemed to be 

 unfavorable. It is not unreasonable 

 to expect thai at some time or other 

 a season might come around with all 

 conditions favorable, when a crop of 

 four times as much as I secin-ed in 

 1902 would not be impossible. 



Tlie past buckwheat season was in- 



terrupted in the midst of its glory 

 by a cold and wet spell which ended 

 it too soon to make a remarkable re- 

 cord, yet some colonies, put in best 

 possible shape at the beginning of the 

 season, stored 50 pounds in sections. 

 Seventy-five could have been easily 

 obtained with favorable weather. 



The rule, as I have observed, seems 

 to be unfavorable weather during the 

 honey flow. Mr. Johnson has had a 

 season with all conditions favorable 

 and it is my opinion, he will not live 

 long enough to see another season as 

 good. 



Speaking of the different sources we 

 in this part of Western New York may 

 get honey from, I might say the fol- 

 lowing, in order to show that a very 

 large yield, like Mr. Johnson's is pos- 

 sible. 



There have been seasons when I 

 have seen my bees bring in quite a 

 little honey of excellent flavor from 

 sugar maple. It is the earliest honey 

 we get here. Generally the weather is 

 unfavorable during the few days the 

 bloom lasts. The fruit bloom comes 

 next. In some localities in this State 

 yields of comb honey are sometimes 

 secured. As high a yield as 100 

 pounds extracted honey has been re- 

 ported, although I have never even 

 tried to have honey stored in sections 

 from it. Raspberry bloom often gives 

 us surplus, and if there were enough 

 locust trees within reach of my bees 

 locust bloom could bk? depended upon 

 to somewhat swell the crop. Sumac 

 also figures as a source of surplus 

 honey in my localitj'. and my whole 

 honey crop is often ruined by the addi- 

 tion of this amber honey to the white 

 honey we are getting. White clover 

 I have known to yield honey abun- 

 dantly some three or four times with- 

 in the past 30 years, but 12 or 14 

 miles north of me it yields very regu- 

 larl.v, almost every year. Basswood 

 usually yields honey when it blooms 

 and the bloom is not destroyed by 

 forest-tent caterpillar. Basswood 

 and clover overlap each other, tlie 

 flow commences with latter and ends 

 with the former. 



I have recorded one season in 30 

 when my bees continutnl to store 

 honey all the way along during the 

 usual interval between basswood and 

 liuchwheat. Buckwheat is more re- 



