AIDS TO SUCCESS. 95 



where there should be a vacuum. To avoid this loss 

 and incentive to robbing, place a piece of paper over 

 the mouth above the canvas when the bottle is ready for 

 inverting. If, then, the hand is pressed tightly upon 

 the paper, while the bottle is quickly inverted no syrup 

 will escape. The bottle must then be placed upon the 

 glass, which then withdi-aw. When the bottle requires 

 refilling it must be slightly raised while the glass is 

 pushed underneath, so as to prevent the escape of 

 bees. 



Sugar-Feeding. 



The preparation and giving of syrup every three or 

 four days entails a certain amount of trouble ; but 

 this may be considerably reduced, without diminish- 

 ing the benefit of feeding, by adopting sugar-feeding. 

 The most suitable sugar for this purpose is Porto 

 Rico, a fine-grained, pure cane, moist sugar. 



To feed stocks in skeps, fill a basin or jar with the 

 sugar, press it down, and then place upon it a thin 

 piece of wood, in the centre of which two or three 

 holes have been made with an auger or a red-hot 

 poker. Next invert the basin, and set the wood so 

 that the holes are just above the feed-hole. The wood 

 should be set level upon a ring of paste or mortar. 

 The moisture arising from the cluster will pass through 

 the holes in the wood and be absorbed by the sugar, 

 which, being converted slowly into syrup, will afford 

 the bees the gradual but continuous supply of food 

 they need. 



In the place of a basin or jar, a box 5 inches by 4 

 inches, inside measurement, and 4J inches deep, may 



