768 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



one of God's creatures, and if you are 

 trying to make an honest living, and 

 always act honorably, you will win 

 respect and come out O. K. by-and-by. — 

 Bead at Fai^icrs'' Institute, Belton, Tex. 

 Salado, Tex. 



Present IMicatlons of tlie Honey-Crop. 



C. W. DAYTON. 



There seems to be a surprising amount 

 of interest taken in the arrangement 

 and kind of fixtures to use in the apiary 

 to secure the honey, and a very much 

 smaller interest as to when the harvest 

 arrives, or what flowers shall bring the 

 harvest. 



In view of this, I may say that, from 

 ten years' observation, I believe more 

 honey may be gained from a close watch 

 and proper knowledge of the approach 

 and duration of the harvest, than can 

 be gained from any special study or 

 adoption of fixtures. 



Our main harvest — in fact, our only 

 harvest along the 42d and 43d parallels 

 in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, 

 Indiana, etc. — is the white clover, with 

 an exceptional location now and then 

 where there may be some basswood 

 timber. 



About May 21, every year, lam able 

 to discover an occasional white clover 

 blossom. There is not a variation of 

 three days in this in any year. Twelve 

 days more and there will be in blossom 

 small patches of, perhaps, a hundred 

 heads in warm, sunny places. This is 

 from June 1 to 4, and the bees begin to 

 get a little honey, but not enough to 

 show in the hives. 



By June 12 they get enough to eat, 

 and if the weather is fine the strong 

 colonies will get a little more. By June 

 16 or IT, a few combs begin to whiten 

 along the upper edges, and the bees will 

 work in the sections if they are placed 

 close by the side of the brood. 



About June 21 to 25, they may gain 

 a pound or two a day. Last season was 

 unusually early, so that this date might 

 have been placed at June 1 8 to 22, and 

 1885 was one day earlier than last 

 season. 



By June 27, we may extract from the 

 brood-chamber, and by June 80 from 

 the upper stories. 



The dryness or wetness of the season 

 may vary these dates of progress, so that 

 the extremes may be a difference of six 

 days, but as the causes which produce 

 this variance must precede the date 



three or four weeks, it is easy to make 

 the calculation. 



This season clover has been checked 

 by dry weather in the early half of May, 

 and since it has been revived by an 

 abundance of rain, so if there is a 

 continuance of the necessary moisture, 

 the main harvest may be lengthened out 

 so as to begin about June 20, and last 

 until July 10. In making my calcula- 

 tions for the honey harvest, I usually 

 allow about four days by keeping that 

 much in advance, and on the safe side, 

 which position is always advantageous. 



By this method of figuring it is not 

 difficult to get each honey gathering 

 colony in good condition for business as 

 soon as it presents itself. 



Clinton, Wis., May 28, 1891. 



AiyantaEes of Usiiiir Comli-FoniKlation. 



W. Z. HUTCHIXSON. 



If the securing of perfect worker- 

 combs is not the chief advantage to be 

 obtained by the use of comb-foundation, 

 it certainly stands second in the list. To 

 be able to hive swarm after swarm, year 

 after year, as bees are ordinarily man- 

 aged, and know that each and every 

 comb will be a perfect worker-comb, is a 

 comfort. 



To have each comb in the apiary 

 perfect and straight — so exact a counter- 

 part of all others that there will be no 

 diflficulty in interchanging — is a great 

 convenience. 



To have such combs that no honey, 

 nor labor of the bees, will be wasted in 

 the rearing and maintenance of a horde 

 of useless consumers, may be a factor 

 that will throw the balance upon the 

 right side of the ledger. 



If it were necessary, in order to secure 

 such brood-combs as these, it would be 

 advisable to buy and use foundation, 

 even though the use of starters only in 

 the brood-nest does result in a greater 

 surplus. 



I presume that to some of you — those 

 who have read my little book, "The 

 Production of Comb-Honey " — it will be 

 a surprise to hear me express such views. 

 I know it is not customary for authors 

 or editors to acknowledge their errors ; 

 but let me be author, editor or orator, I 

 shall always proclaim what I believe to 

 be the truth, even if it does contradict 

 my former published conclusions. 



Do not imagine that I am ready to 

 " take back " all I wrote in that little 

 book. Far from it. But I wish to make 



