FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 109 



from the time they are placed on the summer stands, till 

 the honey harvest begins, but it would hardly be in ac- 

 cordance with facts. Conditions of bees or weather may 

 make a difference in course of action. Possibly some 

 other duties aside from the direct care of the bees may 

 make a difference. So when I attempt to tell things just 

 as they are, my want of system confronts me. and makes 

 the task somewhat difficult. 



At this point I fancy I can hear some of my good 

 friends saying, "Why don't you keep a smaller number of 

 colonies, so that you can have system enough to be able to 

 tell a straight story, and derive more pleasure and profit ?" 

 I know it would be more pleasure ; as to the profit, I 

 doubt. If I had so few that I could at all times do every 

 thing by a perfect system, I am afraid I should have part 

 of the time a good deal of idle time on my hands. 

 Neither is it fair for me to charge my lack of system en- 

 tirely to the number of colonies. Some of it comes from 

 ignorance in not knowing how to do any better, some of 

 it from changing plans constantly, and perhaps some of 

 it from lack of energy in doing every thing just at the 

 right time. 



DIVISION-BOARDS. 



In former years I made some attempt to keep the bees 

 warmer by the use of a division-board, closing down to 

 the number of combs actually needed at the time by the 

 bees. I was disappointed to find no clear proof that any 

 great good came from it. Since then the experiments of 

 Gaston Bonnier have shown that combs serve as good a 

 purpose as a division-board, so the trouble of moving a 

 division-board from time to time to accommodate_ the size 

 of the colony is avoided. 



VERY WEAK COLONIES IN SPRING. 



I have had, one time and another, a good many very 

 weak colonies in the spring, and I am puzzled to know 



