64 



queens kept in the brood apartment by means of excluding zinc. Five 

 colonies were given two crates each of unfinished sections, the sections 

 of the whole weighing 113 pounds. Three hundred and thirty-eight 

 pounds of honey were fed these five colonies during twelve days. The 

 honey was thinned with 12 per cent of water and warmed before feeding. 

 The amount of finished honey obtained was 367 pounds, or a gain of 

 254 pounds by feeding 338 pounds of honey. The hives were weighed 

 both before and after the honey was fed, and a gain of 36 pounds dur- 

 ing the feeding recorded for the five hives. The following gives the re- 

 sults from a financial view : 



254 pounds comb honey by feeding, at 14 cents $35. 56 



36 pounds stored in hives, at 8 cents 2. 88 



38.44 

 Minus value of 338 pounds fed, at 8 cents 27. 04 



Profit as pay for labor, etc 11. 40 



Two colonies were given crates of sections with full sheets of foun- 

 dation and were fed extracted honey, under the same conditions as the 

 five colonies above : 



Pounds. 



Amount of honey fed each colony 66$ 



Colony No. 1, finished comb honey 41| 



Colony No. 1, gain in weight of hive 9 



Colony No. 2, finished comb honey 38 



Colony No. 2, gain in weight of hive 7£ 



Taking these two colonies as a basis, the following financial state- 

 ment is made : 



79£ pounds comb honey, at 14 cents $11. 13 



16^ pounds honey stored in hives, at 8 cents 1. 32 



12.45 

 Minus value of 133 pounds honey fed, at 8 cents 10. 64 



$1.81 



Deducting from this profit the value of the sections and foundation 

 used, the actual profit, as pay for labor, etc., is, at most, nominal. 



When this whole experiment was begun, and during the time it was 

 in progress, no honey was gathered from the fields, but before the seal- 

 ing was all accomplished the fall honey flow began, and for this reason 

 the experiment was ended and the honey removed sooner than would 

 otherwise have been advisable. 



The results obtained in this work or in any experimental work of a 

 similar character might vary under more favorable or unfavorable con- 

 ditions of environment, and a continuation in various seasons, and under 

 other conditions, would alone give really reliable results. The above 

 trials are, however, very encouraging, and longer and varied work in 

 this line is desirable. 



