292 A Modern Bee Farm 



way to allow of easily removing the side. The space 

 between the sides should not be more than one inch, or 

 comb will frequently be built therein. 



Correct versus Incorrect Application. 



Dry sugar feeding became practical only when I intro- 

 duced the feeder that enabled it to be carried out in a 

 practical manner ; but unfortunately substitutes have since 

 been offered, which, being incorrectly constructed and 

 applied, have been the means of bringing the practice into 

 disrepute, and thus many bee-keepers have been robbed 

 of a means of feeding which, when correctly carried out, 

 proves a great saving of time, and one of the best stimu- 

 lants to breeding and comb-building. 



You see, the bees must cluster in a dense mass in the 

 narrow chamber (Fig. 06), therefore maintaining a high 

 temperature, and under this stimulus quickly reduce the 

 grains of sugar without waste. If placed 



Next to a Frame of Brood 



the bees will at once crowd into the dry-feeder, when the 

 temperature of the whole hive will rise, and the broodnest 

 be greatly extended. 



Sugar known as Porto Rico, a soft, moist article, is 

 used, being pressed in tightly, and the bees, entering 

 above the movable side, which does not reach the top bar 

 by ^-inch, are soon busily engaged in reducing the food 

 to syrup. 



in spring it is necessary that the moisture of the hive 

 be retained by placing American oilcloth next above the 

 frames and plenty of warm material above that. All that 

 is required is that the air does not become too dry, and 

 then the sugar will attract moisture to itself and greatly 

 aid the bees in their own processes of adding the neces- 



