84 BEE-KEEPING FOR PROFIT 
bees. Old honey in the combs is of course 
the ideal food for bees, but where this is 
not available artificial food must be resorted 
to. 
Syrup Food.—All artificial syrup food 
should be made from pure refined cane sugar, 
which supplies the bees with a substitute as 
near to the natural food as is possible. Syrup 
for spring feeding or stimulating should be 
made as follows: 
Cane sugar . : : . Io lb. 
Water (clean spring water preferably) 7 pints 
Table Salt. ; : : . oz 
Vinegar ‘ : ; ' . 1 tablespoonful 
This mixture must be boiled in a clean 
enamel saucepan and all scum that rises to the 
surface carefully removed. Some bee-keepers 
add apinch of borax, or some naphtha beta, or 
other chemicals as preventives against disease, 
but unless disease be actually rife in the district 
these additions are totally unnecessary, espe- 
cially in the spring of the year. Moreover they 
are liable to spoil the flavour of any surplus 
honey subsequently gathered by the bees. 
It is only necessary to give each hive about 
one pint of syrup per week when _ spring 
feeding is commenced, but after a few weeks 
