132 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



crops as we have had in the past. We shall see where the year 

 1903 put the emphasis in that matter. 



A furnace put in the cellar somewhat late the previous 

 winter had made had work with the wintering, so that 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, provided the weather was good (as 

 it turned out there was too much cold and wet for best expec- 

 tations), but enough supers were piled ready-filled to satisfy 

 any reasonable demands. The cool wet weather hindered stor- 

 ing no little, but was no doubt an advantage in the long run, 

 for it kept the clover growing and blowing, 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 abun- 

 dant 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 neces- 

 sary. 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 or- 

 dered. Getting them ready as needed was added to our already 

 heavy task.' We were kept on the jump till near the middle of 

 August. Then came the National convention at Los Angeles. 

 Some 12,000 finished sections were piled up in the house, but a 

 lot more were on the hives, and I hesitated about going. But 

 my assistant insisted I should go ; the bees had let up on stor- 

 ing, and I thought it would do no gTeat harm to leave all sec- 

 tions on till I got back, so I left August 12, getting back the 

 28th. 



Scarcely had I got out of sight when the bees made a fresh 

 start as fierce as ever, and gave Miss Wilson the busy time of 

 her life. Up at 4 o'clock in the morning to get sections ready, 

 then to one of the apiaries to take off and put on supers, with 

 no let-up in the work of going through colonies to keep down 

 swarming. Yes, indeed, there was swarming galore, and had 



