42 
BEE PASTURAGE AND PRODUCTS. 
writes as follows : “A kind Providence furnishes this lountiful 
supply each day, and if workers are not on hand to gather it on 
that day, it is gone. I have never known 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. W e 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. 
