BEE-KEEPERS’ AXIOMS. 521 
7th. In districts where forage is abundant only for a short 
period, the largest yield of honey will be secured by a very 
mocerate increase of colonies. 
8th. A moderate increase of colonies in any one season, 
will, in the long run, prove to be the easiest, safest, and 
cheapest mode of managing bees. 
9th. Queenless colonies, unless supplied with a queen, 
will inevitably dwindle away, or be a by the bee- 
moth, or by robber-bees. 
10th. It must be obvious, to every éntelligent bee-keeper, 
that the perfect control of the combs of the hive is the soul of 
a system of practical management, which may be modified to 
suit the wants of all who cultivate bees. 
11th. A man, who knows ‘‘ all about bees,’’ and does not 
believe that anything more can be gained by reading Bee- 
Journals, new bee-books, etc., will soon be far behind the 
age. Yet, as what is written in the journals and books, ours 
included, is not always perfectly correct, every bee-keeper 
should try to sift the grain from the chaff. 
12th. The formation of new colonies should ordinarily be 
confined to the season when bees are accumulating honey ; 
and if this, or any other operation must be performed, when 
forage is scarce, the greatest precautions should be used 
to prevent robbing. 
The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in 
Oettl’s Golden Rule: KEEP your coLoniEs stRONG. If you 
cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you invest 
in bees, the heavier will be your losses; while, if your col- 
onies are strong you will show that you are a bee-master, as 
well as a bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on generous 
returns from your industrious subjects. 
