27 



Hive No. 1 was started December 22, 1910 and run until May 

 8, 1911. Hive No 2 was started December 13, 1910 and the notes 

 kept up to May 8, 1911. The object of this experiment was to 

 find if colonies gathered honey during the winter months, also 

 to learn which are the best honey months and what influence 

 certain plants have on the honey crop. The figures show that 

 there was an increase in the weight of the hives during December, 

 January and February, but both showed the best yields during 

 March, April, and the first part of May; they also indicate that the 

 best honey plant is the guama, the highest amount of honey gather- 

 ed in one day while the guama was in bloom being eleven pounds. 



We do not consider these hives extraordinary ones; very little 

 work was done to the brood, but they were thought to have 

 plenty of space for raising workers, The queens were raised at 

 the station from Italian stock obtained from the United States. 

 There should be no comparison made between the two hives as 

 one had two supers and the other four, also the queen in hive No. 

 2 was much older than the one in hive No. 1. The experiment 

 was not started to compare the working ability of the two queens 

 or to see whether two or four supers were best. The experiment 

 as stated above was to get some idea of what could be expected 

 from bees around Mayaguez. As the experiment was run for 

 about 5 months only no estimate can be made what should 

 be expected for a year's crop. December, January and February, 

 were poor honey months compared to March, April, and the first 

 part of May. The weights are to be kept on these hives for the 

 rest of the year and the notes will appea*" in another report. 



The writer does not wish to give the impression that the 

 above mentioned ambunt of honey could be expected from every 

 hive in an apiary, but he believes, and it seems probable, that 

 such results could be obtained in well kept hives under favorable 

 conditions. There are always some hives in an apiary which are 

 poor honey producers. These always bring down the average 

 yield per hive. 



HONEY PLANTS. 



PRINCIPAL HONEY PLANTS. 



Coffee. —Coffee is grown over the greater part of the island, 

 the interior being entirely devoted to this one crop. Coffee gen- 

 erally has three blossomings and sometimes four during the 

 year. The fiowers last only about a day, but, as all the plants do 

 not blossom at once, the bloom lasts about a week in all. The ho- 

 ney derived from this plant is pure white. Often the coffee bloom 

 comes at the same time as the orange and the combined nectar of 

 these two plants makes a very delicious honey, the fiavor of the 

 orange, however, predominating. 



Oranfl'e.— There are two blossomings generally in cultivated 

 orange groves, the honey flow lasting about three weeks. This 

 flower produces a white honey and it is classed in trade as "the 

 honey of the gods". When there is a heavy flow on, the odor 

 of orange can be noticed around the hives. The honey fiow from 



