t^6 First Annual REPORt 



JAS. A. STONE, BRADFORDTON, SANGAMON CCUNTY, ILL. 



1. About twenty-five years. 



2. No. Farming, fruit growing and Oxford Down Sheep breeding. 



3. Began with about a dozen now have 100. 



4. Use box until about eight years ago, when I transferred to the Im- 

 proved Langstroth Simplicity. 



5. 9X17X. 10 frames to the hive. 



6. Have worked for comb up 10 this time. Have arranged now to 

 work for both. 



8. 4Xx4Xxi^ and 2 inches. 



9. Metal and as I have only tried metal cannot say which is preferable. 

 10. White clover, (alsike coming into favor) heartsease and Spanish 



needle. 



ir. Not over twenty, for the reason that when I began to Italianize my 

 bees I worked for increase of colonies by dividing, giving the new made 

 swarm a queen cell (obtained by the process named "by the Sec" in bee- 

 keeping department of this report) thus assuring good strong swarms, but 

 not as much surplus honey. 



13. Home, Springfield. 



14 Forty per cent. 



16. i2>^ cents. 



18. Have reason to doubt it. 



19. Some with alsike, and find it good for honey and extra good for 

 sheep and cattle pasture, and far superior to red clover for hay for sheep and 

 cattle, and sown with timothy it cures when cut about as quick as the timothy. 



20. I think they do, on the first as well as the second growth. For I 

 have noticed since I have had Italians that the first crop of red clover seems 

 to be well filled with seed. 



22. Italian. Prefer Italian. 



23. Better to handle, proof against moth, hardier and work earlier and 

 later . 



24. In cellar. But on account of what has been said regarding bees win- 

 tering on honey dew, am this winter trying it on summer stands. 



25. No loss, except from loss of queens or from starvation of light 

 swarms, and I seldom have light swarms, for I compel them to get pretty 

 good stores in the brood chamber before putting on surplus cases. 



26. First to fifteenth of December. 



27. When box elder trees bloom, for there is no use in their being out 

 till they can go to work. 



28. No. 



29. Not that I know of. 



31. One hundred. 



32. Interest the people by yourself being interested . 



33. Some have said under this head and under 32 that there were 

 already too many bee-keepers. We do not all think alike. Do not think 



