The Red Cloud chief., 1888-11-02
VALUE OF H~oNEv.coMos.
vhs ess~tiesbsttv ~ ssS>se Thew tee
seveVst SssVs' Operation.

Shs r~rs-si.sbUny ~ ssVss TSs~ sss
ssvesst Sssss' Npessitcw.
II has long been . question With boo
keepers whether honey -coDbs could
not bc used for repeated filling, thus
saving much time Ia th. busy insect.
\ correspondent ~ the C~crmantown
Telegraph considers the question as set
tied. for he has thoroughly tested the
experiment in his W apiary. lie
says: "a beehive should contain
about eighteen hund red or two thou
sand cubic inches Ia the brood cham
Der. which will require one and u
quarter pounds ~ combs 10 Oil IL az
properly arranged IA the bees will dol.
this being - fact as every u who
amy thing can testify. II requires nj
least twenty-five pounds Of liquid.
sweet or honey as the casc may be-. Ia
make the N and onc-quartcr pounds
~ combs. which IL also requires ut
least fifteen days time for u good
swarm ~ bees 10 gather and sccrcte
into WAX IN order w build the combs
from. which is to supply the brood
chamber. II IL also IA fact. not success
fully c~ontrovartod. that a good warm
of bees. say twenty thousand strong,
will gather nj least eight Or ten pounds
III honey In u day II the honey season
is II good one. We have often had
-warrns gather double that amount in
u day.
At first thought. those who think but
little about tho true value ~ combs
can hardly believe that IL takes twenty
live pound, Of honey for the bees To
produce IA pound and "a quarter 81
combs. yet this statement Il true, aud
any one who can figure will find Tint
bees will store M least one hundred
pounds of nice honey in u season In
combs given them 10 start with. and
not compel them to use mp the best and
most valuable honey for making their
combs. We have often ~contcndcd aud
arc still of the opinion that the best
honey IL gathered about the time that
fruit blooms rome out. and especially
when the white clover and other
earliest blooms are In full vigor. which
Ia usually the time our bees here In the
North do their swarming. They r
too often placed In ~ empty hive or
gum To build now combs and shift
for themselves. or. rs IL il usually
called. luck. while We are very suro
tho old sinner luck has for many years
been u failure. Az before stated. the
first honey IL our best, and In order To
procure the best We must save
our combs from stocks that may have
died or In some other way left their
hive which Is done too often by spring
~dwindling. These combs are truly
valuable tn the live bcc-kccpcr and can
bo turned To good account by saving
! them for another years operation,
Don't melt them up for wax. Tor surely
there Il but little pay In the II to the
producer nj twenty and t~wenty-thre,
cents per pound. while the combs In
many instances ran bc turned to good
account by giving them (nicely trans
fcrrcd and fastened In movable framcs]
to tho bees. which which will 500 Ill
them with tho host ~ all swccts-tha
Of honcy-which you can with yer,
little expense extract and return thu
combs to the bees for rcAlling. and thu
make u saving III ut least n hundred
pounds Of nice extracted honey worth
rs u rule. fifteen cent. per pound.
1--WE know whereof va speak wlier
We state that In tho year 1882 We took
from one stock ~ Cyprian bees ~
pound, ~ nicely extracted honey. whicl
Melted us twenty cent. per pound; thi
We could not have done had We no
have saved our best combs AMI usct
them n, before stated. saving both tim
and honey In the early part Of tn
season. giving tho bees the full b"ncil
oi u splendid honey harvest. Again
let mo say look we'll To your b,es an,
they In rcrurn will richly repay You fo
all tho trouble you may he Al In thci
caro-. Time Ia bee. Keeping may be- n
valuable ~ any other calling on earth
and he who will not heed its demand
must expect To make slow progress.