THE SEASON S MANAGEMENT 149 



springs to replace the wedge have come into very common use 

 (Fig. 76). One of these springs is placed at each end behind the 

 board and answers all purposes nicely. The springs are very 

 easily removed from the filled super and the follower board can 

 then be pried loose and the operator has plenty of room to get the 

 sections out. It is surprising to the novice how tightly the bees 

 will seal every crack and crevice about the hive. In cool weather 

 these fastenings hold as though they were glued, and provision 

 needs to be made in advance to meet this condition. Super 

 springs are regarded as a necessity by most comb honey pro- 

 ducers. 



THE season's management 



We come now to the most important part of the bee-keeper's 

 business : the system of management. His hives may be of the 

 best, all equipment may be the finest on the market, his bees 

 may be of the best strain, and nectar may be present in abun- 

 dance, yet if his system of management is not good his crop may 

 be small. 



At this point every bee-keeper must begin to be a law unto 

 himself and to develop the system that best fits his locality and 

 conditions. The most that an author can do is to make general 

 suggestions as no system will suit all men and apply to all con- 

 ditions. In a country like this of such vast distances, the flora 

 will vary widely, the climatic differences are so great and other 

 factors are so frequent that too many things need consideration 

 to permit detailed directions. The best possible advice is to visit 

 the nearest successful bee-keeper and learn as much as possible 

 of his methods. Even a few miles often makes great difference 

 in conditions that the bee-keeper must meet, so one must look 

 for those things that are different in order to know how far the 

 system will apply to his own conditions. 



The bee-keeper needs to study general principles and to try to 

 discover how they are affected by different conditions. Dr. 

 Miller's great yield of nearly forty dollars per colony on an aver- 



