38 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



Sweet clover may have a little to do with it, and also heartsease. 

 If the yield of fall honey keeps on the increase, it will 

 hardly do to say there is only one source of honey — white 

 clover. The season of 1902 emphasized the change in seasons. 

 During the proper time for white clover, the hees would have 

 starved if it had not been that they were fed about a thousand 

 pounds of sugar. Clover grew well, but blossoms were scarce. 

 The bloom, however, kept increasing, and during tlie latter part 

 of August and the first part of September a number of colonies 

 stored fifty pounds and more each. How much of the honey 

 was from clover I cannot tell. As late as the last half of October 

 I saw the bees busy on both red and white clover. 



TAKING BEES OUT OP THE CELLAR. 



The diflifulty of wintering bees, at the North, is not entirely 

 without its compensations. I am almost willing to meet some 

 losses, for the sake of the sharp interest with which I look 

 forward to the time of taking the bees out of the cellar in the 

 spring. I live on a place of 37 acres, about a mile from the 

 railroad station, and on my way down town a number of soft- 

 maple trees are growing. How eagerly J watch for the first 

 buislinc (jf Ihe burls! and wlien I lie red of tlie blossom actually 

 begins to push forth, with what a thrill of pleasure I say, " The 

 heps can get out on the tir^it l;ooi1 <lay '' ! 



In former years I did sometimes bring out the bees earlier, 

 because they seemed so uneasy, but I doubt if I sained anything 

 liy it. I have known years when a cold, freezing time came on 

 at the time of maple-bloom and did not take out the bees for a 

 good many days, but generally I go by the blooming of the soft 

 maples. So I watch the thermometer and the clouds, and usu- 

 ally in a day or two there comes a morning with the sun shining, 

 aii<l the mercury at 45 or 50 degTees, with the prospect of going 

 a good deal higher through the day. 



TAKING OUT Willi A RUSH. 



This is one of the times when I want outside help, for 

 I allying two or three hundred colonies of bees out of the cellar 

 is not very light work if it be done with a rush ; and I want 



