being strong, repulsed them, and they finally gave
it up. I mention this to show how easy it is, with a little care, to
prevent robberies at this season. Too many complaints are made about
bees being robbed; it is very disagreeable. Suppose that _none were
plundered through carelessness_; this complaint would soon be a rare
thing.

UNITING WITH TOBACCO SMOKE.

By the use of tobacco smoke, bees may be united with nearly the same
success. First, smoke the two to be united, thoroughly; disturb them
and smoke again, that all may become partially drunk, and acquire the
same scent. Then invert both hives, and with your pruning tools, cut
the combs down on the sides of the hive, and across the top, and take
out one comb at a time with the bees on it, and brush them with a quill
into the other hive; they immediately go down among the combs, without
once thinking it necessary to sting you. When done, the bees are to be
confined, the same as in the other method. I do not like this method as
well as the first, and do not resort to it when I can get the
puff-ball. The bees are more liable to disagree, and it compels me to
take out the comb, which I do not always like to do at the time. To
avoid it, I have tried to drive them, but when the hive is only part
full of combs, or contains but few bees, it is a slow job; and more so
in cool weather.

CONDITION OF STOCKS IN 1851.

The latter part of the summer of 1851 was very dry and cold; the yield
of buckwheat honey was not a tenth of the usual quantity; the
consequence was, that none but early swarms had sufficient honey for
winter; twenty-five pounds is required to make it _safe_ in this
section. I had over thirty young swarms with less than that quantity.
Feeding for winter I avoid when I can; they would not winter as they
were; and yet I made the most of them good stocks for the next summer
by the following plan.

HOW THEY WERE MANAGED.

I had about twenty old stocks with diseased brood, and but few bees,
yet _honey enough_. Now this honey appears healthy enough for the old
bees, and fatal only to the young brood.

I transferred the bees of these new swarms to the old stocks with black
comb and diseased brood. The bees were thus wintered on honey of but
little account any way, and all that was in the others, new and
healthy, was saved. These new hives were set in a cold dry place for
winter; _right end up_, to prevent much of the honey from dripping out
of the cells