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A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$L00 A YEAR, 

 ¥. Z. HUTCHINSON, Editor and ProDrietor. 



VOL, VIL FLINT, MICHIGAN, APRIL 10. 1894. NO. 4. 



AVork at M^icliigaii's 



Experim.eiital 



Apiary. 



B. L. TAYIiOE, APIAEIST. 

 OUTLINE OF WORK FOB THE COMING YEAB. 



" Perhaps he hath great projects in his mind, 

 Or revels in the joys of calculation."'— bk^O/v. 



(S'lNCE it has 

 i£> been definite- 

 ly settled that the 

 apicultural work 

 in connection 

 with the Michi- 

 gan Experiment 

 Station is to be 

 continued for au- 

 otiier year, it will 

 !e profitable to 

 begin the consid- 

 eration of plans 

 to be used in conducting the work. So far 

 as the work already completed is concerned 

 an effort has been made to secure its more 

 general publication by the early issue of a 

 bulletin which it is expected will be ready 

 for distribution by the time this meets the 

 eye of the reader, and it can be obtained by 

 simply asking for it upon a postal card di- 

 rected to the Secretary of the State Board of 

 Agriculture, Agricultural College, Michigan. 

 There are some items of ui completed 

 work rela ing principally to the wintering 

 problem which will appear as soon as the re- 



sults can be definitely known. Owing to a 

 long continued illness during late fall and 

 the beginning of winter they are neither so 

 extended nor so important as I had intended, 

 but there will be an earnest effort to make 

 effectual preparation for useful experiments 

 in this line next winter. 



I have been making use of a hygrometer 

 to determine the degree of moisture in my 

 cellar and its riadings have been so much of 

 a conundrjum that I have sometimes been in 

 doubt as to whether I have as yet succeeded 

 in securing its perfect operation, but I hope 

 by further study to make it worthy of con- 

 fidence. 



What shall the work be for the coming 

 seasou ? I shall here give something of an 

 outline of what I propose, which is, of course, 

 subject to change by authority of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, by the advice of the 

 Committee of the State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, or on account of reasons that may 

 come to light through communications from 

 those interested in discovering improved 

 methods in apiculture or otherwise. 



The first thing contemplated in order of 

 time is an experiment to te^t the advantage 

 of spring packing. As soon as the bees are 

 out of the cellar and have quieted down so 

 that their strength and coudi ion can be in- 

 telligently estimated, two sets of colonies 

 will be selected with all possible care so that 

 when all points as to their condition are con- 

 sidered it cannot be safely said that one set 

 is better than the other, then both sets are to 

 be treated alike except that one is to be 



