The first examination in the spring should be mainly for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the honey stores have been exhausted. It should be early, and hence not so extended as to risk the loss of much warmth from the brood apartment. Merely lifting one edge of the quilt or, if the bottom board is a loose one, tipping the hive back so as to get a view in between the combs will often suffice. Should there not be at least the equivalent of two full frames of honey it is best to supply the deficiency at once. Without disturbing the brood full combs may be substituted at each side for the empty ones. If combs stored with honey and sealed over are not in reserve liquid honey or sugar sirup may be poured into empty ones and placed in the hives at night. A less dauby plan is to use one or more feeders directly over the brood nest, supplying several pounds of food at once. An excellent way is to give at one time all they need in the shape of a cake of bee candy, made by mixing fine sugar with just enough honey to produce a stiff dough. This cake of candy should be wrapped in heavy paper (half parchment, or such as is used for wrapping butter is good) and laid on top of the frames, after having punctured the paper in several places with a pencil or sharp stick to give the bees ready access. Two or three twigs or strips of wood laid across the frames before the cake is placed on them will also give the bees a better opportunity to reach the food. If the food be given in small quantities brood rearing will be encouraged and still greater supplies of food will be called for, rendering it absolutely necessary to give a large amount at once or continue the feeding until natural sources fully supply the needs of the bees and brood, otherwise both may starve. Three pounds of sugar dissolved in one quart of water will make a suitable sirup for spring feeding. Dry sugar may be used instead of sirup. The bees will liquefy it themselves if they have access to water. For stimulative purposes honey; s better than sugar, "strained honey" being better than extracted. This is because of the greater amount of pollen which the strained product contains, the pollen being highly nitrogenous, hence capable of building up muscular tissue. But if the liquid honey is one-half more in price per pound than sugar the latter would doubtless be the more economical, certainly so if a plentiful supply of good pollen in the combs or fresh from the fields can be had. Eye flour put in sunny places and sprinkled with honey to attract the bees will be collected until new pollen comes.