farmers' institutes. 289 



by calling him "an old fogy." In fact there is too much of this done: 

 for we sometimes tind that the new and so-called improved methods 

 are not as profitable as the "old fogy'' way. Especially is this true of 

 the man who is not adapted to that certain business. I believe that 

 fitness or adaptability has a great deal to do with the success that we 

 make out of our business. Yet many a man makes a fair success out 

 of a business that is not his calling, and because we cannot all become 

 experts in breeding fine cattle, fine hogs or fine poultry, it does not 

 necessarily follow that we must not try to raise cattle, hogs or poultry 

 on our farms, but on the other hand attend to the raising of these things, 

 using the best facilities at hand. 



Taking the country over, mixed farming is the usual thing, though 

 it is all right and proper that we should have specialists in different 

 lines, for it is to them that we owe the most of our improved stock, etc. 



Because each farmer cannot be a bee expert is no excuse for his 

 not keeping a few colonies of bees and having honey on his table the 

 year round. 



While I would advise the use of a movable frame hive and pound 

 sections. I would not discourage those who do not want to go to that 

 expense and trouble and prefer to have bees in the old fashioned box 

 hive with cross sticks to support the comb. If you are going to keep 

 your bees in that kind of a hive, you should know what size to make 

 your box for best results. If using ten-inch lumber, cut three of the 

 pieces fifteen inches long and one piece three-eights of an inch short 

 of fifteen inches. Make this short piece the entrance at the bottom. 

 Nail together good and strong. This makes a hive eight and one-half 

 by ten inches inside measure by fifteen inches high. Put in cross sticks 

 seven inches doMm from the top ; this makes a very good brood chamber. 

 For a top, cut a piece fourteen inches long and twelve inches wide ; 

 bore four or five one inch holes in this and fasten it on the top and 

 your hive is made. It need not take over fifteen minutes to make it. 



When the bees swarm, lay a board over the holes in the top, lightly 

 tacking it on ; hive them in the box hive and when all are in, take them 

 at once to their permanent place. Do not wait until night to move them, 

 for they go to work at once and get their new location, and if moved 

 after locating, many will be lost, as they will come out and go directly 

 to the field and when loaded will return to the place they had located 

 and finding no home there, will get lost. This is a big loss, for just 

 at this particular time, every bee counts, for it will be fully twenty-one 

 days before there can be any young bees in that hive, and about thirty- 

 five days before any bees except those that went in with the swarm will 



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