THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



u: 



beginner (and what one is not enthusias- 

 tic) expect to become one of these ex- 

 perts some time, and does he care very 

 much for reading beginner's reports? I 

 also bought several other bee books, and, 

 later, subscribed for all of the bee papers. 

 I would have been the loser had I not 

 done so, for I think I have learned some- 

 thing from each one more than enough 

 to pay the subscription price during my 

 whole bee keeping life. One bee paper 

 alone by no means contains nearly all 

 there is to tell of bee keeping experience 

 and information. A beginner should 

 read them a//^and I am yet a beginner. 



I made a visit to a neighboring bee 

 keeper where I saw my first patent hive, 

 and secured a sample, after which all 

 my earlier hives were made. I also 

 visited Mr. France, at Platteville, and 

 saw how they handled the bees there. 

 It was a revelation to me and a most 

 valuable lesson. Actual demonstration 

 is way ahead of any written description 

 or instruction in a bee book. A beginner 

 can do nothing more profitable than to 

 visit some nearby brother in bee keeping. 



I worked with bees in the summer, and 

 attended an Art Institute in Chicago in 

 winter; having given up teaching as soon 

 as I had bees enough to give a little 

 revenue. I kept only between 60 and 

 70 colonies and thought that was about 

 all my locality could profitably maintain. 

 Now I have about three times that num- 

 ber in the same locality, and do not think 

 it is overstocked, and it is only an aver- 

 age one; but the management is 

 different. 



Financial losses and difficulties finally 

 compelled me to give up my art studies. 

 About this time there appeared the edi- 

 torial in the Bee Keepers' Review urging 

 the keeping of "more bees." I resolved 

 to do so in the hope of recovering what I 

 had lost, and increased to about 100 

 colonies. The following spring 1 com- 

 menced an out-apiary about eight miles 

 from home. I started it with only 1 8 

 colonies. That was a mistake. 1 should 

 have taken half the colonies in the yard. 



I had no money with which to buy hives- 

 and fixtures but I had a lot of discarded 

 hive-bodies, and I resolved to use these 

 in my out-yard. That was another 

 mistake. 1 should have used them in 

 the home-yard where 1 could better 

 watch them and give the attention that 

 old and worn out hives sometimes 

 demand. 



I had an opportunity to buy some cheap 

 lumber, on credit, and had some nice bee 

 sheds put up, three in number, 6 x 16 

 feet. Having neither covers nor bottom 

 boards, I put the bees in these sheds, or 

 house apiaries, and increased until they 

 were full, and the rest I put outside. 



It is uphill work building up an 

 apiary without covers or bottom boards. 

 I used dirt bottom boards, sawdust bottom 

 boards, and wood, and, for covers, many 

 hives were just covered with paper and 

 any boards I could find to use, weighted 

 down with stones so the wind could not 

 blow them off. Colonies do not become 

 very strong under those conditions. And 

 in the fall I had a lot of weak colonies to 

 unite; and in the spring a lot of dead, or 

 very weak, ones; caused by mice getting 

 into the hives. But every year I made 

 some advance, until now my colonies are 

 in pretty fair shape, and I have increased 

 both yards until I have about 300 

 colonies. 



I used to do nearly all the work alone, 

 and did much for which 1 was neither 

 fitted nor strong enough. Then I got a 

 neighbor boy to help me during part of 

 the school vacation. Now I employ help 

 whenever I need it, provided 1 can get it. 

 Help is always hard to get; especially 

 help in a bee yard, and I often have to 

 do everything alone, and work from 

 daylight until dark. Lifting is the hard- 

 est part of bee work for a woman, and I 

 think I've done my share of it. 



I keep no horse but go to the out-apiary 

 by train, as it is near the railroad station. 

 Board is cheap and I remain until the 

 work is finished, doing only what seems 

 most necessary at the time. Of course, 

 with so many bees, and often insufficient 



