peaking of these
cases generally. My experience has mostly been in a section where this
crop is raised, and will say that there is not more than one season in
ten, but that the honey will be in proportion with the bees the first
of September; that is, if there are bees enough, there will be honey
enough.

WHEN BEES ARE NEEDED.

I have frequently had stocks with stores amply sufficient to carry a
good family through the winter, and yet too few bees to last till
January, or even to defend themselves from the robbers. Hence I am in
the habit of supplying bees oftener than honey.

I usually have some few hives with too little honey, as well as too few
bees. Now it is very plain if the bees of one or more of this class
were united with the first successfully, we should have a respectable
family. I have made additions to stocks in this way that proved
first-rate.

CAUTION.

Whenever we make additions in this manner, it would be well first to
ascertain what was the cause of a scarcity of bees; if it was
over-swarming or loss of queen, it is well enough--but if from disease,
reject them, unless the bees are to be transferred the next spring, and
then, when too many cells are occupied with dead brood, as the bees
cannot be successfully wintered.

PRINCIPAL DIFFICULTY.

The greatest difficulty in uniting two families or more in this manner,
is where they have to be taken from different places in the same
apiary; where the locations have been marked. It is sufficiently shown
that bees return to the old stand.

To prevent these results, it has been recommended "to set an empty hive
with some pieces of comb, fastened in the top in the place of the one
removed, to catch the bees that go back to the old stand, and remove
them at night for a few times, when they remain." This should be done
only when we cannot do better; it is considerable trouble; besides
this, we do not always succeed to our satisfaction.

HOW AVOIDED.

I like the plan of bringing them a mile or more for this purpose, and
have no after trouble about it. Two neighbors being that distance
apart, each having stocks in this condition might exchange bees, making
the benefit mutual. I have done so, and considered myself well paid for
the trouble. But latterly I have had several apiaries away from home,
and now manage without difficulty.

ADVANTAGES OF MAKING ONE GOOD STOCK FROM TWO POOR ONES.

This making one good stock out of two poor ones, cann