PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 83 



mixture of Italian and Native blood. I commenced 

 early in the spring to feed this stock lightly but 

 regularlyi every day at evening. I fed about one- 

 half pound of feed per day, until a few days before 

 the flowers were in bloom profusely. This was 

 done to encourage breeding. Very early in the 

 spring they were fed corn and rye meal, as directed 

 in this work. 



For a few da}'s before the flowers were blooming 

 profusely, I fed liberallj' — ^in fact, gave them all I 

 could possibly induce them to take up ; the object 

 being to get the store comb in the body ot the hive, 

 not occupied wifti bi'ood, completely filled with 

 honey. The glass boxes, twenty-six in number 

 (with the Feeder,) each holding about four and 

 one-half pounds of honey, were arranged in connec- 

 tion with the hive (sides and top,) several weeks 

 prior to the appearance of the flowers, that the bees 

 might become accustomed to them, and the more 

 readily enter them and commence work. When I 

 ceased feeding (which was on the appearance of the 

 flowers yielding a good supply of honey,) the boxes 

 were filled with bees, and comb-building had com- 

 menced. The hive was at this time filled to over- 

 flowing with bees, and the combs had brood in all 

 stages of growth, from the egg to the perfect bee. 

 I had taken the precaution to cut out nearly all the 

 drone comb, and fit in its place worker comb, so I 

 had but very few drones to consume the honey. I 

 had also arranged so as to have no increase by 

 swarming, but to have all the bees employed storing 

 surplus honey in the boxes throughout the season. 



