Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-05-02
8ee 4eepins.
BEE CULTURE.

DEE CUL UhE.
paper read before the Farmers Meeting of
the Board OF Agriculture, &C., at brandon,
March ,, bY J. E. Crane, Esq, Of BridpOrt.
Few portions Of our country, believe,
are more inviting to the apiarian than our
own State. Early in April the alders that
grow 50 profusely along most Of our streams
furnish Gne supply Of pollen. A little
later the various varieties Of willows, the
soft maple and elms, furnish some honey, aud
a great profusion OF pollen, so essential to
the early production of bread. These are
followed by the beautiful pendant blossoms
Of the sugar maple, the dandelion and straw
berry, on which our Industrious insects find
employment in collecting both honey and
bread. As these pass by, the currant and
goOseberry, with the fruit tree blossoms, fur
nish the bees oftentimes a real harvest. A
JEosk or ten days later and the red raspbsrry,
the white and red clover open their treasures,
which are eagerly sought by the bees. Usu-
ally, as the clover dries up, the linden or
Eastwood opens its waxen flowers and fur
nishes better supply Of honey from ten to
fifteen days than we may expect at any
other time during the season. Indeed, so
valuable is this tree for honey that it ought
not to BE cut down until it has measured its
years Of usefulness. After linden blossoms
fail the bees busy themselves on mulliens
and thistles and ragwort, the vine blossoms,
the second crop of red clover and buckwheat.
As the irosts Of autumn nip these, the golden
rod and the various varieties of the wild
asters. with their rich masses Of bloom,
gladden. field and forest, and the hum of in.
dustry is still heard.
These are few Of the most important
Of the honey producing plants in our State,
and it is very interesting to notice how the
wants of the bees are met from early spring
till late in autumn. Of these plants, fruit
trees, red raspberry, clover and Eastwood
furnish most of the honey in the section
in which reside.
will not attempt to estimate the amount
of honey that is annually produced and
wasted for lack Of honey .gatherers to secure
it. know it to be immense. shall in
this paper rather attempt to show how it may
bo secured, and thus furnish employment to
q large number of persons who may not have
the necessary strength or capital for other
occupations. Aud now for the question.
How may this large amount of honey that is
now largely going to waste be securedP l
answer; 1t may be secured by energetic,
wide awake, intelligent bee keepers in num-
bers sufficient that there shall be at least
one in every school district in our State, Of
course such will use movable comb hives,
the honey extractor, Italian bees, &c.
will now give very briefly my mode of
management, and if it shall assist others in
this fascinating pursuit | shall feel that my
labor has not been in vain. In the section
in which reside the "hOney harvest" COM
mences usually soon after the white clover
commences to blossom, or about the middle
of June, and closes with the Eastwood bios
SONS, from July 18th to August lst. Dur
ing this time in ordinary seasons honey is
very abundant, Now if every hive is full
of bees and brood at the beginning of the
harvest, il is almost sure to give large re-
turns in honey or young swarms, or both /;
but if any stocks are very weak at this time
they will give little or no profit and perhaps
not store even enough for winter. That
may got every hive filed with bees and brood
by the commencement of harvest, COM
mence with the first warm days Of spring
feeding in shallow boxes rye meal or unbolted
wheat -four, which the bees will carry to
their hives in large quantities until they can
get pollen from natural sources. At this
time, also,I endeavOr to 80 over all my hives,
carefully lifting the frames from each one,
and noting in book the amount of honey,
bees and brood that each one contains.
Guessing will not answer here, l must know.
If in early spring hive contains plenty
of bees, with the proper amount of brood
and sufficient honey to last until the flowers
furnish supply, it will need but little far
thcr attention before June, But where
many stocks are kept together some will be
found to be weak in numbers, or will lack
sufficient stores, or they may contain a