FIFTY YF.AES AMONG THE BEES 



41 



but 1-eiuember there were only 67 colonies, and if I were again 

 reduced to 67 colonies I think I might do a shade better now. 



AVERAGE YIELD DEPENDS MUCH UPON NUIIBEKS. 



In general, I suspect that the number of colonies in a place 

 is not sufficiently taken into account. I remember at one time A . 

 I. Root's commenting upon the case of a beginner with a very 



Fig. 10 — Colonies Intended for Oiit-apiaries. 



few colonies making a line record, and he thought it was be- 

 cause of the great enthusiasm of the beekeeper as a beginner. 

 I think instead of unusual enthusiasm it was unusual opportu- 

 nities for the bees. I can easily imagine a place where five 

 colonies might store continuously for five months, and where a 

 hundred colonies on the same ground might not store three 

 vveeks. There might be flowers yielding continuously through- 

 out the entire season, but so small in quantity that, although 

 they might keep a very few colonies storing right along, they 

 would not yield enough for the daily consumption of more than 

 ten to fifty colonies. Remember that the surplus is the smaller 



