AUTUMN MANAGEMENT. 205 
Taylor enforces the necessity of discriminating be- 
tween an old and a new one, as in the case of the 
latter some eight or ten pounds more must be 
allowed, for old combs are much heavier than new 
ones, and besides, they are a good deal filled with 
stale pollen, and sometimes contain candied honey, 
of no use to the bees.* In a healthy stock there 
should be no searcity of food, if the season has been 
tolerable. The worst, however, must be provided for, 
and, if necessary, the deficiencies of nature must be 
artificially met. Honey is generally too valuable to 
be given back to the bees, and in its place they are 
supplied with a syrup, which, as designed for autumn 
or winter feeding,t may be prepared on the follow- 
ing recipe, published by Mr. Cowan :— 
White lump sugar... .... 10 Ib. 
Water ... ... os. «.. 5 pints. 
Vinegar .. ... tok ab Oz. 
Salicylic acid solution. 1 oz. 
aloe ais as 4 OZ. 
Boil for a few minutes. This syrup the bees will 
stow away in their cells at the rate of often a quart 
a day. 
* In reference to this subject, there may still be some degree of use 
in the fullowing estimate, as given by Dr. Dunbar: “A common straw 
hive weighs, when empty, from five to six pounds ; an ordinary swarm 
about four pounds ; ; the wax of a full hive of the current year, nearly 
two pounds ; of the preceding year, at least three pounds; and the 
farina in the cvlls, not less than one pound [often a great deal more] ; 
making in all about fifteen pounds.”— Naturalists’ Library. 
+ That for spring and summer use will require to be a little thinner, 
and a distinct recipe is given under the head of ‘Spring Feedin, ng. 
t In the section on ‘‘Foul Brood,” at the end of ‘‘ Winter Manage- 
ment,” the composition of this solution is explained. It acts as an an- 
tidote to that disease, and is also useful in preserving the syrup itself. 
