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JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
1922 was 1587. These figures may be compared with Dufour’s maxi¬ 
mum daily average of 1627 during one 21-day period. On the other 
hand his highest daily rate for any period of at least 32 weeks was 
only 791 eggs, as compared with the daily egg-laying rates of 905 and 
895 for 1921 and 1922 respectively. Baldensperger in his rough es¬ 
timates gives 930 eggs as a daily average over a period, of 344 days. 
At the end of his article already referred to, Dufour makes a statement 
which applies with equal effect to the colony used in this research. 
Although he recognizes that the egg-laying rates which he publishes 
are only averages and, as such, were undoubtedly exceeded at times, 
yet he justly asserts that the results of his work do not warrant the 
assumption that any such daily egg-laying rate as 3000 or more had 
ever been reached in any of the colonies used in his experiments. Since 
the daily egg-laying average for any season is far below the daily egg- 
laying average for any particular number of days within that season, it is 
readily seen that the remarkably high rates of egg-laying over short 
periods, so often published in beekeeping literature, can not be used as 
the daily averages for an entire season. 
The following general conclusions may be drawn from the curves 
presented here, assuming sufficient bees in the spring, a good queen, 
plenty of stores, good combs, and proper insulation. 
(1) There is direct relation between nectar flows and brood-rearing 
activity. This also holds true for incoming pollen. 
(2) Prolonged inclement weather may retard brood-rearing in the 
spring, although a strong colony may be able to maintain its rate through 
unfavorable, cold weather of only a few days duration, even though it is 
unpacked. 
(3) Under such conditions as obtain naturally from year to year, a 
strong colony tends to retain its strength, as is evidenced by the re¬ 
markable similarity in brood curves found during two successive seasons 
in the same colony. 
Chairman M. C. Tanquary: If there is no discussion, I will read the 
paper of J. H. Merrill. 
