U THE AUSTRALIAN" BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
rapidly, and not enough to store any surplus. 
White clover proved nearly, if not quite, a 
failure in this part of the country, as far as I 
know. 
About June 2oth. there was a fine flow of 
honey from the basswood blossoms, which grow 
abundantly on the banks of the Missouri river, 
and all along out water-courses. This flow 
lasted two or three weeks, when it ceased, leaving 
the bees with well-filled hives and a fair surplus 
stored in the sections. The balance of the season 
furnished the bees only enough to keep them in 
good condition, and keep brood-rearing under 
good headway. 
The present condition of bees in general is 
very good, with the exception of late swarms, 
which will starve long before spring. My bees, 
which are being wintered on the summer 
stands, began the winter with all the conditions 
favorable, the colonies being strong in numbers, 
and having an abundance of well-ripened honey. 
During 13 years’ experience in apiculture, I 
have always practiced out-door wintering. By 
actual test and experience in this matter, 1 long 
ago arrived at the conclusion that bees wintered 
on the summer stands successfully, must have 
protection against the extremes of temperatures 
of cold winters of Nebraska. The bees wintered 
with proper packing, invariably came through 
the winter stronger in numbers, build up more 
quickly in the spring with less dwindling, and 
better in condition to receive the harvest than 
those in single-walled hives standing side by 
side. 
The inventory of my apiary at this date (Dee. 
31 1 shows that 75 colonies out of 96 are packed 
in chaff on the summer stands, and if my 
experience is anything like it has been hereto- 
fore, I do not expect to meet with any unusual 
losses in wintering. 
MAKING INCREASE BY DIVISION. 
While dividing colonies for increase is pre- 
ferred throughout the country by a large 
majority of bee-keepers. I practice and prefer in 
my own apiary, *‘ natural swarming.” from the 
fact that apiculture is my sole occupation for a 
livelihood, and I work the business for all that 
is in it. 
If the bee-keeper has plenty of time and 
extra combs, with which to supply his divided 
colonies, he will without a doubt succeed with this 
method. I will say this in behalf of dividing 
colonies, from the fact that I do not wish to be 
understood to say that bee-keeping cannot be 
made success financially without it, viz : — 
If increase is the bee-keeper’s object, and he 
has plenty of comb foundation already drawn 
out, and plenty of money in his pocket, by all 
means use the dividing method of increase. 
On the other hand, my experience has enabled 
me to arrive at the conclusion that natural 
unarming pays best, if dollars and cents is the 
object to be sought. 
The question might be asked . how do you 
control swanniug ? I do not always do it, but 
then to a certain extent I do. Just soon as the 
bees begin to show spmptorrs of swarming I put 
on the sections, and keep the bees supplied with 
plenty of room, never allowing them to be idle if 
there is honey in the fields. In a few days after 
the first swarm issues, I open the hive from 
whence the swarm came, and remove ail queen 
cells but one, if there seems to be no newly 
hatched queen present. 
Some apiarists may claim that bees will swarm 
too much, but my experiments in that direct ion 
have proven to the contrary. From 7(1 colonies, 
spring count, I obtained only about 30 swarms 
altogether, for the season of 1887 ; and in sum- 
ming up all my reports from year to year, 1 can- 
not find one instance whatever of doubling my 
number of colonies by natural swarming. 
Dividing colonies is a safe way to increase, 
and can be carried to almost any extent; and 
while I have said so much against it, I could not 
well dispense with this new improvement in bee- 
culture ; for it is by this means that all my 
nuclei colonies are formed, and queens reared. 
COMB AND EXTRACTED HONEY. 
Now a few words as to my method of obtaining 
comb and extracted honey, The apiary is worked 
for both comb and extracted honey, from the 
fact that there is to be found in any apiary 
a number of colonies that do not feel disposed to 
work in surplus sections ; whenever colonies of 
of this kind are found, they are supplied with an 
extra set of combs, and by this means they can 
be induced to store a fair surplus of honey to be 
extracted. In this way a portion of my apiary 
is ” rigged -up ” with two sets of combs, fores- 
tracting purposes. When honey begins to come 
in fast, these combs are placed in the extractor 
about once a week (or just as often as necessary) 
and the honey taken out. I seldom disturb (lie 
lower story in extracting. 
The rest of the apiary, being composed of all 
strong colonies, is supplied with sections when- 
ever necessary. Wlren one case is partly full, it 
is raised and an empty one placed under it. My 
favorite section for obtaining comb honey is the 
4J x i\ inches. I use two widths, namely, the 
lj-inch and the 2-inch. Which width is the 
best I am not prepared to say. 
My market demands a section that bolds 
a pound of honey ; sometimes I get this pound 
in the lg-inch section, and offtimes in the 
2 inch section. My judgment, based upon 
experience, is that a section which will hold as 
nearly as practicable one pound of honey, is 
what the trade and market demand. 
In conclusion, I will state that the season s 
work for 1887, summed up in a nut-shell, is not 
an encouraging report by any means. After 
uniting a few late swarms in October, I began 
the winter with 96 colonies, having had 7b 
colonies with which to commence the seasons 
work. My sales of comb and extracted honey 
amounted to upwards of 1700 pounds, about 
1500 pounds of which was produced during the 
last summer. The comb honey was disposed 01 
at a good price Kxtracted honey has had only 
a fair sale, but I am glad to say that the demani 
is increasing. 
Rock Bluffs, Nebr. 
