ALEXANDER’S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 33 
with bees well filled with brood, and in just the trim to receive a boun- 
tiful harvest of this most delicious nectar.” 
Now we will see what A. I. Root says upon this subject. We will 
take the first edition of his A B C of Bee Culture, and turn to page 75. 
Where he speaks of a drouth cutting short the supply of nectar he says: 
“Many of the queens stopped laying entirely. At this stage a little feed 
during the night would start the queens laying wonderfully, and the 
fed colony would rush to the fields for pollen in a way that demon- 
strated at once that feeding at such a time was a very profitable in- 
vestment if one wished to build up weak stocks and nuclei. A stock 
that had been fed a half-teacupful only would go out for pollen an hour 
earlier than the others, and would bring in double the quantity. A still 
smaller quantity will set them to building out foundation most beauti- 
fully; and I never in my life saw the work in the hive go on so satis- 
factorily as it did during the hot dry dusty days under the influence of 
a very moderate amount of feeding during the night.” 
And then, again, on page 77, he says, “And after feeding perhaps a 
ton of the grape sugar I am prepared to say that it is a decided success 
for stimulating brood-rearing, for rearing queens, and building up col- 
onies.” 
We will now take the late Henry Alley’s Bee-keeper’s Handy Book 
and see on page 107 what he said in regard to stimulative feeding: 
“When a colony is being fed, the queen commences to deposit eggs 
more vigorously, and the colony exhibits greater activity than its neigh- 
bors that are not stimulated. Feeding for this purpose should not be 
resorted to until the bees commence to carry in pollen as the effect of 
the increased activity prior to this time would be injurious. The proper 
time is to feed at night, and not over half a pound of food should be 
given at any one time unless the bees are short of stores, and it should 
be discontinued when honey can be gathered from natural sources. 
Food for stimulating should be made quite thin with water, say six 
pounds of sugar and five pints of water, and a small amount of honey to 
flavor. The water will be utilized by the bees in brood-rearing.” 
I should advise making the syrup more than half water. I should 
like also to call your attention to the latest edition of the A BC and X 
Y Z of Bee Culture, and see what is there said on this subject; and right 
here let me say that this edition to our bee literature is worth far 
more than its cost, and should be in the hands of every honey-producer 
in the land. On page 200 the authors say: 
“In getting colonies up to good strength to gather the honey har- 
vest, or induce nuclei, or full colonies for that matter, to cells for the 
purpose of queen-rearing, the daily feeding of half a pint of syrup 
should be practiced.” 
They also say on page 203, in speaking of H. R. Boardman, of Hast 
Townsend, Ohio, that he practices a plan which often insures a crop of 
honey even during poor seasons. “In brief it is this: He feeds all his 
colonies as soon as it becomes settled warm weather, whether they need 
