342 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



The spring I was 18. I bargained for 

 a first prime swarm to be de'ivered to 

 my father's place in town. This I paid 

 for in work, giving .$.■>.(>(). This colony 

 swarmed out later. I say swarmed out 

 for it did literally leave the hive as a 

 result of my continually molesting 

 them. The two co-onies got enough 

 for winter and I wintered them packed 

 in p'.aner shavings. I increased to seven 

 the next year and wintered them all 

 successfully. 



KEPT BEES IN TOWN. 



I kept these bees in town until I 

 reached around 40 when I moved them 

 about l}i miles out to my present home, 

 returning them to winter on a neighbor's 

 lot which I rented. Later on as my num- 

 ber increased I moved my winter hives, 

 as well as the bees to my farm. Here I 

 built a honey and supply house and also 

 lived in the building summers for sev- 

 eral seasons, then later built a more 

 commodious building 20x28, which was 

 used up to a few years ago. 



PURCHASED BEES FROM NEIGHBORS. 



I purchased bees from my neighbors 

 as fas't as they got tired of keeping 

 them and with the help of my father in 

 financing me through, managed to live 

 and get my supplies for another season's 



crop and increase. The supplies neces- 

 sary seemed to take about a'l I could 

 get out of the bees for a long while. Of 

 late it is a little easier sailing — still 

 there is that dread disease, foul brood, 

 to keep a continual look-out for, and a 

 decrease in the amount of honey per 

 colony. 



There were a lot of things that I had 

 to learn from actual experience, that 

 cost me many a hard-earned dollar but 

 so it is in nearly every business. I did, 

 however, take the Bee Journals from 

 the start, and really the first few years 

 I read nothing to speak of except that 

 pertaining to the keeping of bees. 



KEEPING MORE BEES AT A PLACE. 



The past season I decided to bunch 

 up my bees. I kept them in four yards 

 ere this, luit bunched to but two this 

 last fall. 



I have at present some 432 colonies, 

 in the two yards and I believe that five 

 or six hundred will do just as well. I 

 use bee-escapes in taking all my honey 

 and the queen excluder is considered 

 very essential to the successful use of 

 the escapes. 



I have done quite a bit of bottling of 

 honey, but at present sell mostly all at 

 wholesale in 60c tins. 



East Jordan, IMich. 



From the Hive to the Home. Larger Packages. 



GEO. SHIBER. 



WAS pleased with the position 

 taken by the Editor in a recent 

 issue of the Review in regard 

 to larger packages for honey, than the 

 ordinary Mason jar. Yes, I have been 

 all through that same experience of 

 pint, quart and two-quart glass pack- 

 ages for honey and my experience has 

 been such that I have dropped every- 

 thing but the ten-pound tin pail and 

 larger size of package for the consumer. 

 I don't enthuse much on selling to mer- 



chants as a rule. I believe the honey 

 producer should "cut cross-lots" right 

 to the man who eats the honey. Why? 

 Well, because it's "in the air"for one 

 reason. We have all heard of the move- 

 ment which is now on to get all kinds, 

 of products to the consumers direct. 

 The feeling today is almost a universal 

 one throughout the country, so in re- 

 sponse to this feehng (and bee keepers, 

 should of all classes welcome it) I be- 

 {Continued on page 346) 



