1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



317 



For luy heaviest hauling I use a farm 

 team; but for most of the road work I use 

 the auto, and find the saving of time, when 

 work is pressing, a most valuable feature. 



Prophetstown, 111. 



[Mr. Stewart's experience has been quite 

 in line with our own. For the last five 

 years we have used the automobile in going 

 to our bee-yards. It has proven to be relia- 

 ble; and as a means for getting to the yards 

 quickly it has no equal. Where a man runs 

 a series of outyards a machine will enable 

 him to take care of more bees than he could 

 possibly do in the old-fashioned way with a 

 horse and buggy or a horse and wagon. If 

 his time is worth any thing this is a big 

 item. 



As Mr. Stewart says, there is no danger 

 from stings; and the modern automobile, if 

 one has ordinary skill and mechanical sense, 

 will give him no trouble in handling, i)ro- 

 viding he has a standard make. In this 

 connection it is fair to say that some per- 

 sons would never be able to run a self-pro- 

 pelled vehicle, because it is not in them to 

 run or drive it. An automobile is some- 

 thing like a fractious horse — it requires a 

 little skill and a little experience to han- 

 dle it. 



We are just beginning to test the motor 

 cycle for outyard work. While it is a si)len- 

 did one-man machine, it can carry but a 

 very small amount of luggage: and its ca- 

 pacity is, therefore, somewhat limited. But 

 there are conditions under which the motor 

 cycle will do quite as much work as an or- 

 dinary automobile at far less initial cost and 



far less cost for maintenance. Brand-new 

 machines can now be had for anywhere 

 from $175 to $250. We are testing a Harley- 

 Davidson that sells for $210. As soon as 

 we have had more experience with it we will 

 give our readers the benefit of the informa- 

 tion. 



In the meantime we are fully convinced 

 that some form of self-propelled vehicle will 

 be almost a necessity for outyard work, es- 

 pecially if there be as many as four or five 

 apiaries, some of the furthest of which are 

 ten or fifteen miles from the home yard. In 

 order to get good locations it is sometimes 

 necessary to go quite a distance. If a yard 

 is fifteen miles away, a horse-drawn vehicle 

 is too slow, wasting too much valuable time. 

 If a man is capable of handling and operat- 

 ing four or five yards successfully, the more 

 actual work among the bees he can do him- 

 self, the less he has to hire. If he has to 

 si)end half his time on the road he loses 

 practically half of his capacity to make the 

 yards earn him his revenue. — Ed.] 



MEDIUM-PRICED AUTOMOBILES. 



Steam vs. Gasoline Machines. 



BY JOHN P. TIILL. 



Noticing the few remarks in Gleanings 

 about automobiles, will you kindly inform 

 me if you have any knowledge of the Stan- 

 ley steam car? Have you any in your city? 

 Would you prefer steam or a gasoline car? 

 I may order a car for about flOOO, to seat 



HENRY STEWART'S BUICK, MODEL, 10, WHICH HE USES FOR OUT-APIARY WORK. 



