i84 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Where the honey-flow continues on 

 through pretty much all the summer, 

 and especially where there is a late sum- 

 mer or fall flow, those "useless consum- 

 ers" come to be useful producers. But 

 in most localities in the northern part of 

 the United States, in a broad belt-line 

 running from Wisconsin and Illinois 

 through southern Canada to New York 

 and Pennysylvania, it is a waste of hone}" 

 and a waste of energy to raise very many 

 bees during the midst of the honej'-flow, 

 to be useless consumers, as you say, 

 when the honey-flow is over. In the ter- 

 ritory named, it is necessary to have large 

 quantities of brood reared from the first 

 of April till the first of June in order to 

 have producers of the 7-ight age when the 

 main crop from basswood and clover 

 comes on. In many localities in the 

 South, in Texas, Arizona, in some parts 

 of California, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, 

 the conditions are different. Brood-rear- 

 ing in such localities may continue to 

 good advantage throughout almost the 

 entire treason. 



It is, therefore, necessary that every 

 bee-keeper should study carefully his lo- 

 cality. If his neighbor is getting honey 

 and he is not, there is something he can 

 learn from that neighbor — no doubt of 

 that. Your own neighbor, for example, if 

 he had studied his own locality as careful- 

 Iv as you, or if he would copy your meth- 

 ods, would be able to get crops where he 

 now fails. 



It is a little curious that your bees 

 should apparently show a preference for 

 natural-built combs over those built from 

 foundation for the storage of honey. It 

 is not at ail strange that the queen should 

 prefer foundation comb. I can readily 

 understand that; but I canH see why the 

 bees should prefer to store in all natural 

 comb. As all our combs for years have 

 been built off from foundation, we are 

 now in a position to see whether thev 

 would really show a preference, and I 

 should be glad to hear from some of our 

 subscribers who are able to give us some 

 facts along the.se lines. Let us have the 

 truth, even if it is "unhealthy" for us 

 foundation -makers. 



My method of checking swarms when 

 running for bees by the bushel, especially 

 at out-yards, where we have no one to 

 watchthem, has been to put on an upper 

 story; but before doing so I take out half 

 the brood-combs from the brood-nest, 

 and put them in the upper story. Then I 

 put in one frame of foundation, then one 

 frame ot brood, alternating all through 

 the upper and lower story. In our local- 

 ity I never knew such procedure to fail to 



keep off the swarming impulse, even dur- 

 ing the height of the honey-flow; but I 

 have observed that, when I put all the 

 foundation in the brood nest or upper 

 story, and combs and brood in the other 

 compartment, swarming would result. 

 So far our experience is the same as 

 yours. My theory is that the bees realize 

 the necessity of bridging the two brood 

 combs with another comb of brood. The 

 natural economy of the hive seems to 

 abhor a space between two combs of 

 brood. A frame of foundation that 

 stands in between is speedily drawn out; 

 the queen finds it and and deposits eggs. 

 The effect of this is to get a large amount 

 of brood and bees. The honey, when it 

 did come in, was converted into brood, 

 and that was what we wanted when we 

 were selling bees by the colony and nu- 

 cleus. When I want honey, a month be- 

 fore the swarming season I spread the 

 brood as I have suggested, and, just be- 

 fore the honey-flow comes on, crowd all 

 the brood as far as possible into one brood - 

 nest and then put on a super of empty 

 extracting-combs. After the bees have 

 got nicely started to storing, I replace 

 this with a super or two of sections con- 

 taining full sheets of foundation. Such 

 procedure with wide entrances and plenty 

 of room has enabled us to keep swarming 

 down to a minimum.] 



FINE FARM LANDS. 



Wisconsin is noted for its fine crops, 

 excellent markets, pure water and health- 

 ful climate. 



You can buy a farm on easy terms in 

 Wisconsin along the line of the Chicago. 

 Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway for less 

 than you can rent one for three years in 

 any of the Piaster n states. Now is the 

 time to invest. 



Address F. A. Miller, General Passen- 

 ger Agent, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 

 Paul Railway, Chicago, 111. 



TIUIN TOOK ITS OWN PHOTOGRAPH. 



A large, handsome engraving, 18 x 28 

 inches, has been made of "The Burling- 

 ton's Number One" while going at 60 

 miles an hour between Chicago and Den- 

 ver. It is the best picture of a train in 

 motion ever taken, and "the train took 

 the picture itself." This is explained in 

 a folder which will be sent free on ap- 

 plication. Price of large engraving, 20 

 cents. Postage stamps will do. Address 

 P. S. Eustis, General Passenger Agent, 

 C, B. & Q. Ry., 209 Adams Street, 

 Chicago. 



