Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1914 — BEGIN WITH BEES IN EARLY SPRING [ARTICLE]

BEGIN WITH BEES IN EARLY SPRING

In Purchasing Colonies It Is Desirable to Buy From Neighbors—Examine the Hives. The best time to begin bee keeping is in the spring after flowers begin to appear. In purchasing colonies, it is desirable to buy from some neighbor and to look the hives over carefully, first to see that there are plenty of bees and brood, and, second, that the store of honey is good. A heavy colony - is better than a ligbt one. because it shows vigor and plenty of stores, says the Northeast Homestead. Always be willing to pay a higher price for a strong colony than for a weak one, because weak ones require great care to make them strong again. The bee keeper from whom the purchase is made will give hints as to removal and care at the start. It Is desirable to move the colony with as little jar as possible and to put it at once in the place It is to occupy foi the season. As to the kind of bee to keep, the Italian is at present the most popular because of its ability to work and its comparative mildness of temper. It is quieter than the black bee, which formerly was the favorite. Several other races of bees have been introduced, but have not become as well known as these two. Every beginner should at leaat have one first-class book on bee keeping. 1 « Signs of Liver Trouble. When the comb, wattles and face of fowl are pale It is an indication that there is trouble with the liver. A pill made out of baking soda, about the size of a pea, will open the bowels. Then put a teaspoonful of powdered charcoal in a pint of mash, and reduce the food for a day or so. A one-grain quinine pill will furnish a needed tonic. Feed less grain and more green stuff.