SOUKCBS OF HONEY. 65 



aefceristic of a man who deservedly occupies aliigh position 

 among the farmers of our country. 



HOW FAB WILL BEES GO FOR HONEY ? 



The precise distance that bees wUl fly in search of for- 

 age, I am unable to state. Some consider three miles to 

 be the extreme limit, while others place it as high as 

 twelve miles. The most satisfactory results may be ex- 

 pected, if abundant stores can be found within two miles. 

 It is evident that they will work more freely upon blos- 

 soms at some little distance, than when these are very near 

 the apiary. If I were to sow anything with a view to a 

 supply of honey, I should prefer that it should not be in 

 the immediate vicinity of the hives. 



Their flights are evidently modified by local conditions. 

 During the large yield from Basswood in 1874, already al- 

 luded to, as the blossoms failed in the valley, the bees 

 continued bringing in the same quality of honey, fol- 

 lowing the Basswood day by day, as it opened on the hills, 

 until the first week in August, when they still came in 

 heavily loaded, but very tired from a long flight. 



I drove to the hights, six miles distant, and found that 

 Basswood was there just coming into bloom. I immedi- 

 ately moved 48 swarms to this location, and in the follow- 

 ing week, these 48 colonies gave me one ton of surplus 

 honey, while the 71 swarms left at home, did not secure 

 one half that amount, yet they continued working upon 

 the same ground during the entire period. 



This is a fine illustration of the advantage of obtain- 

 ing forage within a reasonably short distance. I have 

 never had direct proof to the effect, yet there is ground 

 for the belief that, if honey could not be found nearer, 

 bees would fly the distance named, without being gradu- 

 ally led along by newly opening blossoms as in the case 

 mentioned. 



