FIFTY YBAES AMONG THE BEES 197 



on for the later flow. I am not sure whether this is wise, 

 except in the few years in which from some unknown source 

 some exceptionally white sections were secured at the Hastings 

 apiary. In other years at the Hastings apiary, and in all the 

 years at the other apiaries, the honey stored during the cucum- 

 ber flow is rather dark in color, and is likely to have an un- 

 pleasant appearance on the surface, as if lightly varnished 

 with be&-glue. But of late years the late honey has been im- 

 proving, both in color and flavor. I don't know why. Pos- 

 sibly a greater proportion of sweet clover may have improved 

 the flavor. Possibly, also, the increase of heartsease may have 

 something to do with it. Although I think my bees get no 

 inconsiderable quantity of honey from cucumbers, I confess I 

 don't know what pure cucumber honey tastes like, but I am 

 afraid it does not rank very high in flavor. 



LATE HONBT. 



As I said, I am not sure that it is ever wise, except in the 

 Hastings apiary, to allow supers to stay on after the white- 

 clover harvest is over. True, a considerable amount of honey 

 may be got in sections from the late flow, but it is not all of it 

 of the best, and if it were stored in brood-combs and saved as 

 extra combs to be crowded into the brood-chamber the next 

 year before the beginning of the harvest, there might be nearly 

 or quite as many more sections of white-clover honey stored 

 to offset what was lost in sections in the fall. 



OBJECTS TO PORTER ESCAPE 



For the purpose of getting bees out of sections I have 

 tried pretty thoroughly the Porter escape and other escapes 

 which work on the principle of allowing the bees to go down 

 out of the supers without the chance of returning, but they 

 do not work fast enough to suit me. When I go to an out- 

 apiary, I always want to bring home with me all the honey 

 taken off that day. Even at home I want it all taken in the 

 same day that it is taken off. I may want to go elsewhere the 

 next morning, and I don't want to be hindered from an early 

 start by having to get it in before starting. Besides, I am 



