48 BEE PASTURAGE AND PRODUCTS. 



writes as follows: "A kind Providence furnishes this bountiful 

 supply each day, and if workers are not on hand to gather it on 

 that day, it is gone. I have never knoAvn a season -when this 

 honey harvest did not enable every strong colony, in the course 

 of a few days, to lay up an abundant supply for its own con- 

 sumption, and a generous surplus for its owner. To secure this 

 result, however, the hives must be abundantly supplied with 

 workers. The whole secret lies in strong swarms. The rapidity 

 with which swarms, at this period of the year increase in weight, 

 is surprising, ranging from three to five, ten to fifteen, or even 

 eighteen pounds per day. My own bees, the last season, built 

 combs and stored honey in their surplus boxes only from twelve 

 to fifteen days. The shortest harvest I have ever known. In 

 this short time, many of my swarms collected, in addition to an 

 ample supply for their own consumption, from thirty to thirty- 

 five pounds surplus. The same would have been true had the 

 number of stocks been ten times as great. I am satisfied it 

 makes but little difference how many strong swarms are collected 

 together; a few days will make them all rich." 



We visited Mr. Sturtevant's apiary about the time of this 

 writing, and found it to contain something over two hundred 

 swarms. "We have seldom kept more than one hundred stocks 

 in one place, preferring to keep them at different points, two 

 or three miles apart, but after all, we believe the question of over- 

 stocking to depend in a great measure upon a continuous and 

 abundant supply of flowers, from early spring till Autumn. 

 Where this supply can be had little fear need be entertained of 

 overstocking. 



