134 First Annual Report 



GOE. F. U015UINS, MECHANICSBUUG, ILL. 



1. Ten years. 



2. I regard bee-keeping as my specialty, although I till a little garden 

 spot of twenty-five acres besides. Would make a poor living if I did not do 

 the latter. 



3. About 50 colonies, spring count. 



4. Movable frames. 



5. i7:?^x9 to 9's, and 10 frames. I am now working into the sectional 

 broad chamber hive. 



6. Roth. ' 



7. About two pounds comb honey, to one extracted. 



8. The 5 1-4x4 I-4. I used 4 1-4x61 4 and 4 1-2x5 lor some years, but I 

 have abandoned them . 



9. Both wood and metal . There is not much choice between them but 

 if any, I prefer metal. 



10. Nearly all my surplus is gathered from white clover. For red clover 

 see 20 below. Some seasons I get a little from heartsease and Spanish 

 needle and usually the larger part of the winter stores are obtained from those 

 two plants. 



11. 1882, 6o;i883,36;^;I8S4, ii^; 1885, 14; 1S86, r6; 1887, J4}4; 1888, 3^; 

 1889, 27; 1890, 32; 1891, 2. 



12. 1882, 9; 1883, 25; 1884. s/z- 1885, 12; 1886, 31; 1887, 9; 1888, 4>^; 18S9, 

 20; 1890, 14; 1891, II, of honey dew. 



13. At home chiefly, counting Springeeld — 15 miles away — in my home 

 market, but I have occasionally shipped to more distant points. 



I4. and 15. Such is my method of managment that I cannot ansWor these 

 questions separately and not very definitely at all. I never have an increase 

 of over 80 per cent., and that only temporarily, as I practice unining all the 

 year. Since 1883 I have never gone into winter with more than 10 more 

 colonies than I had in the spring until this last yea*-, when my increase was 

 12 or 13. 



16. About 13 cents. The last four years would bring it nearer 15 cents. 



17. About 10 cents. 



18. Yes. 



19. None with any but alsike, and not enough with that to speak very 

 positively. Should think by the way I have seen bees work on what little 

 we have had around here that it must yield considerable honey, but it does 

 not appear to reseed very well in this locality. 



20. My Italians and hybrids worked quite briskly on red clover for a 

 few days last summers, and I have seen them on it other years. 



21 . I think judicious pasturing would have this effect. Cattle and hogs, 

 not horses and sheep, might be turned onto it after it has got a good start in 

 the spring in sufficient numbers to keep it blossoming for three months. In 

 this case the flower tubes would be shorter and furnish the bees with much 



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