THE ItMERICKK BE© JQXJRmRl^. 



569 



so, for the past three years, owing to 

 the deca'le of drouth years which has 

 nearly destroyed tlie white clover. 

 Jlope revived, however, in May and 

 June, as the young white clover looked 

 very One at that time, but the great 

 lieated spell of the past three weeks, 

 without rainfall, has killed the young 

 clover to an alarming extent. It is not 

 so hot now, but the rain tarries, and 

 Lope is deferred. 

 Christiansburg, Ky. 



AUTUMN BLOOM. 



Ooldcn-rod and A§ter Honey, 

 Fall ^lanagemcnt, etc. 



Written for the New England Homestead 

 BY SAMUEL CUSHMAN. 



Most colonies in our apiary are so 

 contracted that there is little room for 

 honey in the brood-combs, and it will 

 not be extracted, but as soon as the 

 boxes (or sections) are removed, a sutH- 

 cient amount of sealed stores will be 

 given from other hives. One colony in 

 the home apiary has been employed for 

 a month in storing syrup in empty 

 brood -combs, which, as soon as they are 

 filled and sealed, are removed and re- 

 placed by empty combs. These are to 

 be carried to an out apiary, where we 

 make short stops and cannot feed in 

 the usual way. We also use tliem late, 

 if needed, after it is too cold to feed 

 syrup. 



To secure a large crop of fall honey, 

 Italian bees or the yellow races are the 

 most suitable, as they work later in the 

 season, and with more energy than 

 black bees. To rouse them from the 

 winter quiet — a state they are then ap- 

 proaching—part or all of the brood- 

 combs are removed, and sheets of foun- 

 dation put in their places. The desire 

 for a winter's supply of honey, and the 

 work on the foundation stimulates the 

 bees' energies to the utmost, and as 

 fast as the combs are drawn out and 

 filled, they may be extracted and re- 

 turned and again extracted as often as 

 filled. By removing the honey often, 

 the bees are kept at work as long as the 

 flow continues. In this way 100 pounds 

 per colony have been obtained where 

 but a few hives are kept. As this 

 draws on the vitality of a colony, and 

 calls forth energy that would have 

 been available in the spring, it may be 

 wise to strengthen such colonies before 

 wintering, unlfss they have an abund- 

 ance of young bees. 



In this location, this honey, as a rule, 

 is not obtained except in brood-combs, 

 and as it is excellent for winter stores, 

 is allowed to remain. My Cook apiary 

 is where there is much runout land 

 grown up to weeds and brush. Here 

 golden-rod and asters are very plenty. 

 Being on a hill where it is rather bleak, 

 a board fence was built on all sides ; 

 with this protection they venture out 

 many times, when if the hives were ex- 

 posed to the strong wind they would 

 remain inside. It is also high and dry, 

 and frosts hold off until late. Here 

 bees have never failed to get enough 

 late honey for winter stores. 



At the beginning of the flow last fall, 

 the colonies were almost without stores 

 but very populous. All brood-combs 

 not containing brood were removed, 

 leaving from four to six combs two 

 thirds full of brood, nearly all of which 

 was capped. Ttje vacant space in the 

 brood chambers was tilled with dum- 

 mies and surplus sections containing 

 drawn out combs placed above, the 

 hive covered with chatf cushions, and 

 the entrance made rather small. After 

 a hard frost I examined them and 

 found that nearly all had from 12 to 20 

 pounds of honey in sections, two-thirds 

 of which were nicely sealed, the re- 

 mainder uncapped, and but partly 

 tilled. The brood-combs were solid 

 with honey, with the exception of a 

 space for hees to cluster in the center 

 combs. The honey from golden-rod 

 coming first, most of it was stored be- 

 low in the room inade by the fast 

 liatching brood. The flow from asters 

 came after, and as the space below was 

 mostly tilled, much was stored above. 



The honey in some sections nearest 

 to the center of the cluster was two- 

 thirds golden-rod with aster honey 

 ahovit the edges, and was thick, well 

 tilled and finished ; that further away 

 was clear aster honey, nicely finished, 

 and very clear and handsome; that 

 furthest from tho cluster was poorly 

 filled, unsealed and thin. The wax 

 cappings at this time are quite yellow 

 from the pollen in the wax. Had I 

 given less room in the brood-nest, and 

 frequent attention. I should have se- 

 cured less honey below and more above, 

 but the colonies would have needed 

 more stores for winter. 



This result shows that the obstacles 

 in the way of producing this honey in 

 the comb may be overcome. It also 

 shows what is possible in a better sea- 

 son, or in a still better locality. Al- 

 though less in amount will be taken in 

 boxes than in the extracted form, it 

 will be worth more money. 



If but one or two brood-frames of 

 foundation are allowed below, and a 

 few sections of drawn out comb above, 

 and as fast as finished are removed and 

 replaced by others, a large number 

 may be secured. There is little danger 

 of the queen laying in sections at this 

 season. The proper amount of space 

 below and above to get the best work 

 and all the pollen below instead of 

 above in boxes, will be learned by ex- 

 perience. At this season drawn-out 

 combs should always be used instead of 

 foundation in the sections. 



A late-reared queen will have con- 

 siderable brood late in tlje season, at a 

 time when there is usually little or 

 none. This is a great help to force the 

 houey above, and if the bees of another 

 colony are united to these, success will 

 depend only upon the weather and the 

 secretion of nectar. When the summer 

 flow has yielded no surplus, I believe 

 it will pay to secure this late crop in 

 comb, even if all colonies have to be 

 given sugar stores for winter. The 

 latter should be stored and sealed in 

 warm weather, and be ready to give 

 when the other is removed. Instead of 

 following this plan extensively, it may 

 be best, in vour locality, to try it the 

 first season "with but 1 or 2 colonies. 



Pawtucket, R. I. 



CANADA. 



Report of the Brant Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Axsociation. 



Written for iheAmtrican Bee Journal 

 BY E. F. HOLTERMANN. 



The Brant Bee Keepers' Association 

 held their quarterly meeting at the 

 Court House in Branttord, Out , com- 

 meuciug at 2 p.m., on Aug. 11, ISSH In 

 the absence of the President and Vice- 

 President, Mr. T. Birkett, of Branttord, 

 was elected to occupy the chair. 



Reports of tile Season of 1888. 



The season's reports were then given 

 as follows : 



C. McNally, of Simcoe, said that 

 fruit-bloom had yielded faiily well. 

 They had but little clover, owing to 

 last year's drouth. Linden yielded but 

 little. They have a great deal of buck- 

 wheat about them, and he expected 

 quite a number of pounds of surplus 

 from that source. It was yielding well 

 at present, one colony having filled, 

 without capping. an 8-f i ame Langstroth 

 super in IJ^ days. He had nearly 

 doubled his olonies. 



J. R Howell reported up to the close 

 of the linden about the same as had 

 Mr. McNally; but he secured some 

 linden honey. The Chapman honey- 

 plant came into blossom, and the bees 

 worked very well on it; from the colony 

 that appeared to have the most honey 

 from it he extracted, and had a sample 

 of the honey present, which was first- 

 class. His increase was 50 per cent. 

 The Secretary reported that he had 

 secured about 5 pounds per colony up 

 to linden bloom, and had now from 

 thistle, clover and linden, an average 

 yield of about 20 pounds per colony, or 

 1,000 pounds ; and he expected enough 

 for winter. His increase was 10 per 

 cent., and besides. he had formed nuclei 

 and reared about 70 queens. 



T. Birkett reported that his bees had 

 done but little until within the last 

 three weeks. He had secured from 

 about 67 colonies, spring count, about 

 1,000 pounds of honey, besides comb 

 honey, and plenty to winter them on. 

 His increase was about 30 per cent. 

 He had allowed several swarms to go 

 together, and these were the colonies 

 which gave him the increase. 



C. McAllister said that he had put 20 

 colonies into winter quarters last win- 

 ter, some of them being light. They 

 had increased from 8 colonies. All but 

 one colony wintered ; 4 more were lost 

 by spring dwindling, and the remainder 

 had done well lately, but not before. 



Feeding Bees for AVlnter. 



W. Phelps, of Mt. Pleasant, asked : 

 " Does it pay to feed for winter?" C. 

 McNally said " No ; I fed til colonies 

 $125 worth of sugar one fall. I feed 

 some every year. Bees should be fed 

 early." 



The Secretary said that he did not 

 want to feed, and he keeps two full 

 combs for every hive, which, on an 

 average, will be enough for winter 

 stores, besides what is already in the 

 brood-chamber. He finds that bees 



