The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-27

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unnecessary. Before I left | was coz
WINGED that he surely knows about all
that is not torn out Of the book, and
that my principal disadvantage was in
not understanding the subject sufi-
GENTLY to admit of it's full development
through proper questions.
Taking his smoker-a little bellows
like arrangement, through which
smoke ia projected with facility-Mr.
| Simpson told me to follow close behind
him among the hives. He had no
gloves, veil or other protection, ana
| the proposition was one that I did not
relish particularly; but I remembered
TO have heard Mr., w. ]. Waters re
mark once that Mr.. Simpson knew the
age of every bee on the hill and u
| call il bV name. I was inclined to re
/ nose the fullest confidence in Mr..
| gimpson. 7 am now almost Inclined
to believe Mr.. Waters statement; but
do not like to say so in print.
Opening up several hives, Mr.. Simp-
SON SuOWG0 VIC AGAACN 9A0G W0S AKA pGO
cess of manufacture. He explained
that the bees have not done very we'll
this year, SO far as surplus is concerned.
Only a few combs have been partially
filed and only a very small per cent.
of the honey cells have been capped
over. This, Mr.. Simpson says, is on
account of the untavora6le season.
After showing the surplus honey de-
partment Of one Of the hives, he went
into the brood department., moved and
took out several frames covered with
worker bees and drones, and finally
located the queen. ST found her a lit
tie too late" he remarked. IF I had
surprised her sooner, she would have
laid several eggs on my hand after |
picked her up. IL is her business, you
know, to lay the eggs; she keeps at it
continually, and that twas what sle
was doing when we found her," Then
holding up the comb to the light, where
I could see to the bottem of the cells
Mr.. Simpson showed me newly. depos.
tied eggs, little worms representing q
development of a day or two, and
other young bees in different stages up
to eating their way out of the
cells in which they had come to ma
turity.
Although all the eggs in a hive are
laid by the same queen" Mr.. Simpson
explained, they may be developed
either into workers, drones or queene.
Tne drone natures in "a days, the
worker in 81 days and the queen in
only IL days. The bees can make a
queen themselves whenever they want
one. Suppose the present queen should
die, for instance. The bees would i'm
mediately go to work and build a cone
shaped cap over one Of these cells in
which you see IN egg. Then, by feed
ing her a different kind of foOd-royal
j ely, the bee men call iC-they will
bring her to maturity within 16 days.
As TO whether they really give a diff
ferent Kind Of food I do not know. !
am inclined to think that they merely
give her the same kind tina they feed
to others, only more of It,"
While on the same SUBJECT, Mr..
Simpson said that the worker bees live
from about three to six weeks 10 sum
mer time, and from three to elk months
in the winter time. The average life
of a queen is from two to three years,
although sometimes they live five or
six years. In kee ping the purity of
your stock" he said, ''of COuts9 every
thing depends upon your queen. l
won't have anything but the Italian
bee II | can help it; but I fad it very
d tf 5ulJ to keep them absolutely pure
l bought my first queen 10 August,
1850, from DR.. Brown, of Augusta, ano
pad him 50 so for her. After that,
about four years ago, l imported a
queen be- direct from Italy. Sac cost
Is, and was IL days coming oVer. She
lived until ABOUT q year ago, and by
means OF her, l have been enabled TO
maintain my colonies at a high STANG
ara"
Here Mr.. Simpson called my atteE-
ton to a dozen or more bees that were
posted on the platform at the entrance
of a hive, buzzjng their wings with a
humming noise. These, he explained,
ARE engaged in ventilating the hive.
During weather like this, there is a
great deal of heat inside. II you should
stop up the interior for 10 minutes, the
whole interior would collapse, a sickly
mass, and kill the entire colony. With
their wings these bees are creating an