December, 1911. 



American ISee Journal 



this town for a number of years, and 

 his life was prolonged many years. So 

 far as climatic conditions are con- 

 cerned, the svirrounding country must 

 be healthful. There is always plenty of 

 public work going on there, and wages 

 are good and living expenses most rea- 

 sonable. I mention this because some 

 would come if they could make ex- 

 penses at public work. This they can 

 do, and more besides, and pass the 

 winter in an ideal climate and be 

 greatly recuperated. Now, don't any 

 prospecting bee-keepers go into that 

 immediate section, for territory for 

 bee-keeping is well taken up, or pros- 

 pectively so, there. 



There are already a number of bee- 

 keepers there, or near there, and A. I. 

 Root, who is so well known and loved 

 by all bee-keepers, spends the winters 

 there recuperating. Now, wouldn't it 

 be fine if a large number of us bee- 

 keepers would "winter" there? We 

 could almost have a protracted bee- 

 keepers' convention during the winters. 



A lot of Dixie bee-keepers would visit 

 us and obtain their share of instruc- 

 tion along all lines of our industry, and 

 from time to time greatly swell our 

 ranks. 



[We don't know about your getting 

 A. I. R. into that kind of a "protracted 

 meeting." He very likely would be out 

 with the chickens and garden-truck, or 

 may be flying around a mile or so high 

 in a Wright biplaine. He's a pretty 

 lively "boy," and doesn't like to be 

 penned up very long at a time. 



But your general invitation, Mr. 

 Wilder, may result in your being over- 

 run with Northern bee-keepers, who 

 would like to escape the rigors of their 

 "home-grown" winters, and spend a 

 few months among the oranges, pine- 

 apples, etc., of Florida. 



Should you have any of those "pro- 

 tracted conventions " of bee-keepers, 

 you must be sure to "extract" the best 

 of the proceedings for the department 

 of " Bee-Keeping in Dixie." — Editor.] 



Em Western ^ Bee-Keeping 



Conducted by Wesley Foster. Boulder. Colo. 



Sugar and Honey in Colorado 



Sugar sells at 8 cents, and honey of 

 the best quality may be bought in Col- 

 orado for 6 to 7 cts. Amber " strained " 

 honey of good quality brings 5 cents. 

 This condition need not be, for I know 

 bee-keepers who are getting S'j cents 

 just as easily as their neighbors get 6 

 to 7 cents. 



by bee-keepers doubled in Colorado 

 Where out-apiaries are run, nearly 

 twice as many colonies can be handled. 

 It is so comfortable to ride home 7 or 

 8 miles in 30 minutes, and have an easy 

 seat, and no horses to care for when 

 you are at home. I have not bought 

 my "auto," but the bee-keepers who 

 have them have told me of their value. 



Bee-Articles and Advertising 



We write on bees and prepare illus- 

 trated articles, the most of which is 

 probably rehash. The value of two- 

 thirds appearing in the journals is very 

 problematic ; but just turn to the ad- 

 vertising section— especially the want 

 advertisements — and you can get con- 

 crete, boiled-down information, full of 

 value to many of us. So we read the 

 journals for social purposes and the 

 advertising for facts of the honey mar- 

 ket, supply situation, bees for sale, etc. 



This statement is exaggerated some- 

 what, but it gives a hint as to the facts 

 in the matter. 



Automobiles in Colorado 



The bee-keepers are finding that au- 

 tomobiles pay in the handling of out- 

 apiaries. About 20 " autos " are in use 

 by bee-keepers in the State. Some of 

 them were purchased more for the fad 

 than for real economy, but the majority 

 are utility cars. Motor-cycles are also 

 in favor with some, though when a 

 runabout " auto " can be bought for 

 the same money as a motor-cycle, the 

 runabout will generally get the prefer- 

 ence. 



Within the next two years I expect 

 to see the number of " autos " in use 



Bee-Keeping in Montrose Co., Colo. 



Ten thousand colonies would be a 

 large enough estimate for Montrose 

 county, on the western slope of the 

 Rocky Mountains in Colorado. This 

 county is interesting from the fact that 

 the Gunnison Tunnel Irrigation Pro- 

 ject is located here. The tunnel cuts 

 right through mountain granite for a 

 matter of 6 miles. When fully devel- 

 oped, about 40,000 acres of land will be 

 watered, which will make more bee- 

 territory. 



Montrose county is disappointing to 

 look at — there is so much waste land 

 that the good pieces of orchard and 

 farm land are eclipsed. The mountains 

 rise on the east in a series of dry, bare 

 adobe mesas, or flat-topped table- 

 lands, and the Uncompahgre Valley 

 (named for the river which flows 

 through it) is made up of bottom-land 

 and mesa land. 



The mesas are located from 100 to 

 200 feet above the valley. These 

 mesas have the orchards, as the cold 

 freezes are less frequent — the air drain- 

 ing off into the valleys. 



Alfalfa and sweet clover furnish the 

 honey for the bees. Sweet clover 

 grows in the gulches which abound on 

 the sides of the mesas, and the river 

 bottoms and roadsides are well seeded 

 to this prince of honey-plants. The 

 bee-keepers are sowing the seed, too, 



in the gulches, as the irrigated mesas 

 furnish seep-water which flows down 

 all these gulches. 



When the irrigation district under 

 the Gunnison Tunnel is fully developed, 

 probably twice as many bees will be 

 kept in Montrose county as are there 

 now. 



The bee-keepers, too, are an inter- 

 ested lot. They have their local asso- 

 ciation — the Montrose County Bee- 

 Keepers' Association — the objects be- 

 ing to combat foul brood, and aid bee- 

 interests generally. Each member in 

 signing the Constitution agrees to give 

 the secretary the number of colonies 

 of bees he or she owns, and also to re- 

 port all the bees in his or her neighbor- 

 hood to the county bee-inspector. 



To show the interest of the bee-men, 

 this association decided to assess their 

 own bees 5, 10 or 1.5 cents per colony, 

 to pay the inspector, when the county 

 commissoners refused to pay for the 

 inspection of bees. This, as yet, has 

 not been necessary, as the association 

 sent a committee to meet with the com- 

 missioners, the result being that the 

 work will be supported the rest of this 

 year, at least. There will probably be 

 some more work to be done with the 

 commissioners the coming year, but 

 the bee-men know how to go about it. 



The membership now numbers 25 

 paid up, and represents an ownership 

 of over 4000 colonies. Four of the 

 members own automobiles, and find 

 them very satisfactory for out-apiary 

 work. 



The foul brood situation in the coun- 

 ty is improving, as Montrose county 

 has had efficient inspectors who en- 

 forced the law as well as their time 

 and the funds available would permit. 

 J. R. Miller did excellent work, and 

 Robert E. Foster, who is now inspec- 

 tor, is careful and thorough in his 

 work. 



J. J. Corbut, of Montrose, is presi- 

 dent of the county association ; J. C. 

 Matthews is secretary, and Dr. S. H. 

 Bell, treasurer. Mr. Corbut has be- 

 tween 200 and 300 colonies. Mr. Mat- 

 thews owns and operates over a thou- 

 sand colonies, and is the most exten- 

 sive bee-keeper in the county. 



The largest and most enthusiastic 

 meeting of bee-keepers on Dr. Phillips' 

 Colorado tour, was held in Montrose. 

 Over 40 were present, including a half- 

 dozen or more ladies. Dr. Phillips was 

 fired with questions for an hour or 

 more, and the meeting was greatly ap- 

 preciated by all. 



"A Year's Work in an Oiit- 

 Ajiiary " is the name of a booklet by 

 G. M. Doolittle, the well-known honey- 

 producer of New York State. He tells 

 liow he secured an average of 114>^ 

 pounds of honey per colony in a poor 

 season. It is fully illustrated, and tells 

 in detail just how Mr. Doolittle has 

 won his great success as a honey-pro- 

 ducer. The price of the booklet is 50 

 cents, postpaid, but we club it with the 

 •American Bee Journal for a year — both 

 for $1.30. Every bee-keeper should 

 have a copy of this booklet, and study 

 it thoroughly. Address all orders to 

 the American Bee Journal, 117 North 

 Jefferson St., Chicago, 111. 



