ready for harvesting and a splendid crop, standing up well. 
Corn for which we feared most, very promising. If now we
have seasonable rains and the proper heat, a very large crop
will be secured. Small fruits extra Peaches, pears, quinces and
apples unusually promising. When have we seen such a season. 
To God be all the praise. (16th) very hot, dry, 92 degrees. Bees much inclined
to Rob when hives opened. (17th) 74 to 90 degrees a nice little shower last night. 
Bees working well On red Clover and on white. Making comb in boxes. 
 (18th) Cool, rain last night, good showers during the day at intervals,
no wind, nothing to [illegible], glorious weather. (19th) 66 to 82 degrees
splendid weather. Bees very active on red Clover, work well on white. They
are now gaining again largely in honey. combs emptied a few days ago are
filling well. Interesting, very. In my record of one of my stocks, I find
the following June 9th Queen cells begun, (only) well off for brood. 11th
Queen not fertile enough, the bees intend to supersede her, she
ought to be removed. This Queen was allowed to remain and the
stock was not examined until July 10th when a beautiful large
and very fertile Queen was found, and one of her wings clipped. 
Two days later this queen was found dead on the alighting board, and
bore the appearance of and the bees allowed to remain undisturbed until
the 19th, when upon examination four Queen cells were found sealed over
and one unsealed. The small number of Queen cells for so large a
stock surprised me until I found the old Queen with both wings
clipped (showing that she was the queen that wintered with the swarm). 
This Queen was bred in 1867 and was then of good size. It was very evident
from her very slender appearance that and evident[illegible] that her
fertility had greatly decreased, and an examination of the brood comb
disclosed a meager allowance of eggs and [illegible] larva while the
spread of sealed brood from the previous [illegible] Queen was very large. 



