FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 327 



for by fall the number can be greater than if no breaking 

 up had taken place. 



AN EMPHATIC SEASON. 



The year 1903 emphasized a few things somewhat 

 strongly. One was the need of having plenty of super- 

 room ready in advance, as mentioned on page 128. An- 

 other was the variableness of the seasons. Another item 

 of no slight importance is the harvest of the present and 

 future as compared with the past. Some have said that 

 with the advance of civilization, the plow and the ax have 

 cut off our resources for nectar, and we are no more to 

 expect such crops as we have had in the past. We shall 

 see where the year 1903 put the emphasis in that matter. 



As already mentioned, by the 12th of May, 1903, I 

 could muster only 124 colonies all told, and some of them 

 were very weak indeed. The dense carpet of white clover 

 promised well, providing the weather was good (as it 

 turned out there was too much cold and wet for best 

 expectations), but enough supers were piled ready-filled 

 to satisfy any reasonable demands. The cool, wet weather 

 hindered storing no little, but was no doubt an advantage 

 in the long run, for it kept the clover growing and blow- 

 ing, and I don't know really when it did cease to yield. 



The season was remarkably early, so that second 

 stories were given some colonies by May 13, and May 

 25 we began giving supers. Three days later there were 

 evidences of abundant storing. July 1 we began taking 

 off supers, and from that on had a busy time both taking 

 off and putting on. No trouble with robber-bees ; supers 

 could be set on hives and left till the bees all ran out of 

 their own accord, standing all day if necessary. This up 

 to July 18, after which time the bees would have spells 

 of letting up, only to go at it afresh after the pause. 



Finally it began to dawn on us that our stock of filled 

 supers was running dangerously low. More sections were 

 ordered. Getting them ready as needed was added to our 



