6 Texas AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 
extracted and each empty comb returned to the super from which it was 
taken. The super with its empty combs was then weighed, the weight 
recorded, and the difference between its weight when full and when empty 
set down as the net weight of extracted honey taken from it. 
THE SEASON. 
A general knowledge of the season, the time and duration of honey- 
flows, the available honey-plants, etc., is quite necessary to a proper 
understanding of the experiments and their results. 
Upon the whole, the season was what the beekeeper would consider 
“fair”? The experimental apiary is located upon a sandy ridge less than 
one-half mile from the Brazos river. On this ridge horsemint* grows in 
abundance, as well as in waste places,in the river bottom across the river 
from the apiary. A considerable area of cotton, in the Brazos bottoms 
proper and in a wide creek bottom near at hand, is within easy reach 
of the bees. However, the principal source of honey was the horsemint, 
fully 80 per cent of the surplus being secured from this plant. The 
amount of honey produced by the cotton was relatively small and would 
not, of itself, have constituted a surplus of any importance. The follow- 
ing data, taken from the writer’s notes, will convey to the experienced 
beekeeper a fair idea of the season and of the bees’ activities at different 
times: 
“February 28.—Weather still cold, temperature 32°; nothing in bloom. 
March 3.—Warmer; plum and peach beginning to bloom. 
March 15.—-Cold spell; freezing. 
March 16.—First adult drones hatching in the hives. 
March 20.—Dewberries in bloom; first oak blooms. 
March 30.—Bluebonnet, wild vetch, wild pea and post oaks now in 
oe Supply of nectar about equal to amount being consumed by the 
ees. 
é March 31.—Swarming fever coming on. Wild grape beginning to 
loom. 
April 3.—Some honey being deposited in supers. Placed supers on 
strongest. colonies. 
Avril 5-9.—Rain. 4 : 
April 9.—Youpon beginning to bloom. Swarming impulse strong. 
April 11.—Youpon blooming well. More rain. 
April 22.—Youpon flow over with; red haw and black haw in full 
bloom. Swarming fever still strong. The colonies have put in an average 
‘of about 15 pounds surplus up to this time. 
May 1.—Haw done blooming; no honey-flow. Bees inclined to rob. 
May 1-12.—No honey-flow. Robbing bad. 
May 16.—Prickly pear coming into bloom. First horsemint bloom of 
the season discovered. 
May 23.—Considerable horsemint in bloom, but weather dry. Honey- 
flow very light. ee a 
May 28.—Heavy rain. 
May 31.—Horsemint in full bloom. Honey-flow increasing rapidly. 
*Monarda punctata. 
