108 25th have been absent a week. Beautiful weather, slight Frost 
yesterday. [illegible] to 80 degrees. Examined a colony to which a laying queen had been 
given some weeks or more ago. She had just begun to lay. [illegible] 
queen cells built after [illegible] they had when I [illegible] 
some of them from their appearance must have been well advanced. 
26th 50 to 80 degrees Cloudless, bees gathering from red Clover and wild aster 
27th 60 to 82 degrees glorious weather. Saw the largest (for acreage and
Yield) crop of corn ever produced in this country [illegible]. being cut 
up. I have still drones in the nuclei, fed and queen removed when 
fertile. Have given queen hatched in a cage to nuclei in same 
cage, well fed, and accepted when liberated. Important 
[illegible] stated to me and others the same sign of hopeless 
queenlessness given by DA McCord, viz, spreading and flickering
Or fluttering of wings. [illegible] how such bees would rush to his
fingers and roar when [crossed out: queen from] he had been handling a queen. 
He knew nothing of [illegible] experience. [illegible] says he and
[illegible] have noticed the same fluttering in queenless stock. 
When bees were [illegible] would swarm at once upon any comb
Set out of hives, tried keeping permanently out resting against hives 
so as not to get sun, some [illegible] old comb, bees some [illegible] 
them, and were by no means so prompt to [illegible] other comb just set out. 
After a [illegible] bees were off their feed, and [illegible] not 
[illegible] any. Begin this week to feed up for winter. 28th 60 to 80 degrees noticed 
my nucleus so full of drones a few bees inclined to worry drones. 
[illegible] was probably impregnated yesterday. Fed at once and it [illegible] 
[illegible] had left comb and were on bottom of hive. Have been feeding it daily 
daily and shall feed three or four times, till queen lays and is [illegible] 
[illegible] queen extra choice, liberated yesterday gone. Found a queen 
cell overlooked from which a young queen evidently a few days old had 
hatched. In all cases where it is possible there may be a queen [illegible] 



