A Year's Work in an Out-apiary 



CHAPTER I. 



AN AVEKAGE OF 114% POUNDS OF SECTION HONET PEB COLONY IN A POOB SEA- 

 SON, AND HOW IT WAS DONE. 



The sun rose bright and clear on the morning of April 14, 1905, 

 the morning of my sixtieth birthday; and as old Sol peered over the 

 hill-top in all his golden splendor, kissing the swelling buds and cheer- 

 ing all animated nature with the intuition that "spring has come," I 

 proposed to Mr. Clark, my partner, that we go over to the out-apiary, 

 five miles distant, and set the bees out of the cellar, the bees in the 

 home apiary having been set out two or three days previously. The 

 horse was soon hitched up, as the roads were too muddy and full of 

 deep ruts for the auto, and we were at our destination before nine 

 o'clock, with the stands all prepared for the bees. 



DK. milleb's bottom boahd, summeb side up. 



As I use the Dr. Miller bottom board, the same having a two-inch- 

 deep side for wintering, and a three-eighths-inch-deep side for summer, 

 a reserve board was placed on the stand of No. 1, row No. 1, summer 

 side up, for the first colony taken out to be placed upon. Before going 

 to the cellar, two smokers were set to burning — one in the bee-yard, 

 side of stand No. 1, row 1, and one at the cellar door just outside. Be- 

 sides this last smoker, there was placed a soaking-wet (right-sized) 

 piece of cotton cloth at the cellar door, ready for Immediate use as soon 

 as any hive was brought out, for there is nothing that will keep bees 

 from pushing out of their hive before you want them to like a wet 

 cloth. 



Colony No. 1 was now brought through the cellar door; and while 

 Mr. Clark shut the door, so the bees remaining in the cellar might be 

 kept as quiet as possible, I put the wet cloth over the entrance of the 

 hive, and then sent a few puffs of smoke in at the entrance through a 

 little hole made by turning back one corner of the wet cloth. A loud 

 roar soon told that this colony was in good condition. A rope was now 



