136 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



April 28. — Dandelion. 

 May 1. — Hard maple, plum. 

 May 2.— Cherry. 

 May 5. — Apple. 

 May 6. — ^Strawberry. 

 May 23: — White clover. 

 June 20. — Sweet clover., 

 June 29. — Linden. 



WHITE OLOVEE UNCERTAIN. 



That year, 1901, had perhaps the finest show of white- 

 clover bloom ever known, but it was a dead failure, perhaps on 

 account of the terrible drouth, although sometimes white clo- 

 ver blossoms bountifully and fails to yield honey when nothing 

 that can be seen in the way of weather is at all at fault. About 

 the middle of August the bees began storing, perhaps from 

 cucumbers and sweet clover, and gave a surplus of 16 pounds 

 a colony. It would have been better to have had it all stored 

 in brood-frames, I think. 



Thfe following year, 1902, was still more exceptional. As 

 already told, the bees would have starved in June but for feed- 

 ing, yet later on they did some good work, some colonies yield- 

 ing as much as 72 sections. The bulk of this was stored toward 

 the last of August or later. 



Fig. 70 is from a photo taken Oct. 1. In the picture the 

 bee appears to be perfectly still, but these are not moving pic- 

 tures, and I assure you that that bee was in very lively motion 

 when taken. 



OVBESTOCKING. 



To a beekeeper who has more bees than he thinks advisable 

 to keep in the home apiary, pasturage and overstocking are 

 subjects of intense interest. The two subjects are intimately 

 connected. They are subjects so elusive, so difficult to learn 

 anything about very positively, that if I could well help myself 

 I think I should dismiss them altogether from contemplation. 

 But, like Banquo's ghost, they will not down. I must decide, 

 whether I will or not, how many colonies will overstock the 



