60 HITE9. 



wintfer, at least in many sections south of 41° where the 

 winter is somewhat short. This size will also do in this 

 latitude, (42°) in some seasons, but not at aU in others. 

 Not one swarm in fifty wiU consume 25 pounds of honey 

 through the winter, that is, from the last of September to 

 the first of April. The average consumption in that time 

 is about 18 pounds, but the critical time is later, about the 

 last of May, or first of June, in many places. In latitude 

 42° and 43° they commence collecting pollen and rearing 

 their young about the first of April ; by the middle of May 

 all good stocks will occupy neai'ly if not quite all their 

 brood-combs for this purpose. But little honey is obtained 

 before fruit blossoms aj^pear, and when these are gone, no 

 more of any amount is collected until the appearance of 

 white clover, some ten days later. If during this season of 

 flowers of fruit trees there should be high winds, or cold 

 rainy weather, but little honey is gathered, and our bees 

 have a numerous brood on hand that must be fed. In this 

 emergency, if no honey remains from the stores of the pre- 

 vious year, a famine ensues ; they destroy their drones, 

 perhaps some of their brood, and for aught I know put 

 the old bees on short allowance. This I do know, that 

 sometimes whole families have actually starved at this sea- 

 son. This, of course, depends on the season ; when 

 favorable, nothing of the kind occurs. Prudence, there- 

 fore, dictates a provision for this emergency, by making 

 the hive a little larger for northern latitude, permitting the 

 storage of more honey, to take them through this critical 

 period. From a series of experiments I am satisfied that 

 2000 cubic inches inside is the best size for this section. 

 On an average, swarms from hives of this size are as large 

 as any. The dimensions should be uniform in all cases, 

 whatever size is decided upon. It is folly to accommodate 

 each swarm with a hive corresponding in size ; a very 

 smair family this year maybe very large next, and the 



