The stores given to the bees from the end of one season to the beginning of the next are of the first importance. It is necessary to consider both the quality and the quantity of these stores.

QUALITY OF STORES.

As has been stated, it is fortunate that in both of the zones where cellar wintering is or might be practiced the natural stores usually are good. Honeys such as those from white and alsike clovers, sweet clover, alfalfa, wild raspberry, buckwheat, and willowherb are fine stores for winter, while honeys from basswood, heartsease (smart-weed), asters, goldenrod, and most of the other fall flowers are less desirable. It is especially important during the period when the bees are in the cellar that the stores shall be of the very finest quality, and it is therefore the practice of many good beekeepers to feed each colony 5 pounds or more of sirup made of granulated sugar Into in the fall, after all brood-rearing has ceased. This insures that the bees will have for their use, during the period of confinement in the cellar, stores which will not bring about the condition known as dysentery. In general it may be stated that honeys from mixed sources and dark honeys, except buckwheat, are to be avoided. Honeydew honeys are highly injurious and in all cases where such stores are present granulated sugar sirup should be fed.

QUANTITY OF STORES.

From the end of one honey season to the beginning of the next a good colony of bees will need fully 45 pounds of honey. When the bees are wintered in the cellar, it is usual not to have all of this honey in the one hive body in which they are wintered. It is a good practice to have at least 20 pounds within this hive, although 15 pounds will be safe. It is absolutely imperative, however, that the remainder of the 45 pounds shall be available to be given to the bees soon after, they are taken from the cellar. The most common cause of poor colonies in the spring is poverty, directly due to neglect on the part of the beekeeper. A good beekeeper sees to it that at no time when brood is being reared do his bees have less than 15 pounds of stores in the hive, and the full amount of 45 pounds often will all be used, and is always needed if the colonies are to come to full strength on time for the gathering of the full crop. This amount is always augmented by honey from spring flowers, for 45 pounds of honey is not enough to bring a colony to full strength in time for the main honey-flow.