The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-02-03
ALssss Ea.ss.,
An Apinrist's Report.


Pref. IA Nj Cook, of the Michigan
A~grfcutnrhf College, furnishes the
Lansing Republican with an abstract OF
his forthcoming report on the apiary
belonging to the college. from which VIC
extract as follows:
OF the ten colonies of bees placed in
the new cellar Nov. 26, 1875, all but one,
the experimental colony, with nome but
old bees, came through the winter in
tine condition. That one lived till
spring, and then died. These colonies
were all removed from the cellar once
in January, and once in March, that
they might have Il purifying flight,
They were not removed to the summer
stands permanently till the middle OF
April.
During the previous autumn the bees
were kept breeding ven into October.
and consumed nearly all the pollen.
several colonies had non These had
no brood when removed from the cellar
| attempted to supply this lack by feed
ing meal during the last of April, but
found that nearly as soon as the weather
would permit the bees to fly they could
get pollen, and thus would not touch
the meal. l fed sparingly of syrup till
the fruit trees were in bloom, and by
that time had six or frames OF
brood in each hive. | also fed a little
between the fruit trees bloom and that
of white clover, with the most satisfac-
tory results.
During the season | have increased
from nine to twenty colonies, all large
and in excellent condition. l also pro-
cured two Italian queens imported from
Italy, but lost one III Introducing. The
other has done well, and from her
have Italianizcd the whole apiary,
though | am in doubt whether all the
queens were purely mated. | did not
permit the colonies to swarm, put prac-
iced artificial swarming, or dividing.
lost three colonies, one coming out in
even waiting to alight; the other two
going off this fall. before | suspected
any such thing, choosing Sunday of
curse as the time for their leave-taking.
Had | previously cropped the queens
wings, all of these would have been
-aved. have now no queens with UNI
cropped wings.
| have extracted during the season
507 pounds from the brood chamber.
About a third of this was from bass
wood, the other two-thirds from fall
bloom, and none was extracted except
from worker-comb, which it was de-
-ired TO keep free from honey that it
might be used for brood. During the
season l have worked for comb-honey,
both in boxes and in small frames, and
found that L could secure much more in
The frames. / find, too, that the honey
In small frames is liked quite as well by
consumers.
The experience of the summer shows
that the following honey-plants not only
Weld well, but that they bloom from
early in July till autumn, covering a
period when there is a dearth of native
lloney-bloom; mignonettc, borage and
black mustard. Chinese mustard is in
lerior to black mustard. 1t blooms
earlier, and the bloom fades away much
sooner. Sunflowers are unworthy of
cultivation, while the Rocky mountain
bee-plant blooms too late too be valua-
BILE where there is plenty of fall bloom
native to the region. With no native
bloom to furnish autumn honey, it
would be valuable. All of the above do
well on light sandy soil. Our autumn
experience proves that golden-rod honey
though rather dark, is of very superior
fiavor. Several good judges have pro-
nounced it superior even to linn or
white clover.