116 FIFTY TEARS AMONG THE BEES 



to store it. Still, the bees are at this time using large quantities 

 of honey for brood, and so the apple-bloom is of very great 

 value. Another advantage is that the great quantity of bloom 

 has somewhat the effect of prolonging its time, for the latest 

 blossoms, that with a few trees would amount to little or noth- 

 ing, are enough to keep the bees busy. So it happens that often 

 I can scarcely recognize any interim between fruit-bloom and 

 clover. A few items from a memorandum for 1882 may be 

 interesting. 



JIEMOEANDA OF 1882. 



April 4. — Last bees taken out of cellar. 



May 8. — Plum-bloom out. Bees still work on meal and 

 sugar syrup. 



May 10. — Wild plum, dandelion, cherry, pear, Siberian, 

 Duchess of Oldenberg. 



May 31. — Saw first clover blossom. 



June 5. — Apple about done. 



June 12. — Commeiiced giving supers. 



June 13. — Clover full bloom — plentiful. 



June 20. — Locust out. 



August 1. — Clover failing. 



August o. — Robber bees trouble. 



You will notice that the earliest apple-bloom (Duchess of 

 Oldenberg ) commenced. May 10, while the Janets and other late 

 bloomers were still in blossom on June 5, several days after the 

 first clover was seen, making about four weeks of apple-bloom. 

 I'ossibly this was unusual — certainly the clover lasted unusually 

 long, being about TVs weeks from the time the bees commenced 

 working on it, fur they do not seem to commence work till after 

 the blossoms have been out some time. 



TIME FOR GIVING SUPERS. 



You see that I did not commence putting on supers till 12 

 days after I saw the first clover-blossom, and if I had had o'.'.lv 

 a dozen colonies, I might have waited later, but with a large 

 number I must commence in time so that all shall be on as soon 

 as needed. Usually I put on supers as nearly as convenient to 

 ten days after seeing the very first white-clover blossom. A 



