1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



171 



GOING OUT OF THE BEE-BUSINESS. 



A VETEHAN WHO IS ISKIMSTONING HIS BEES. 



By T. P. Andrews. 



Having been a bee-keeper for the past 2.5 

 years, and a reader of Gi.eanings from the 

 first number down to the present time, it occurs 

 to me that possibly some of my experiences and 

 conclusions might interest a few of your read- 

 ers. 



For several years I kept about 300 colonies; 

 and while my locality has not been particularly 

 good I have had some fair crops of honey. My 

 heaviest yield occurred in 1889, when I extract- 

 ed 7' j tons. I have occasionally had a more 

 valuable crop than that, of comb honey, al- 

 though of less weight. And now in view of 

 the changed conditions in this locality I have 

 come to the conclusion that the chance for 

 profitable honey-producing is about past, and 

 that I shall have to retire from the business. 



To particularize a little in regard to changed 

 conditions, I will state that, so far as I know, I 

 have never had a pound of surplus honey from 

 clover or basswood gathered here, and about 

 the same might be said of buckwheat. Our 

 honey comes mainly from Spanish needle, after 

 Aug. 3.5, with an occasional light yield from 

 heartsease during the two weeks preceding 

 that date. Honey- dew comes along about once 

 in three years, and saves some of the expense 

 of summer feeding. 



When I began bee-keeping much of the land 

 was raw prairie, producing a good deal of but- 

 ton-bush which afforded considerable honey in 

 July, though rarely any surplus. Now the 

 prairie sod and the button-bush are little more 

 than a reminiscence, and, of course, are not, in 

 that condition, of much value to the honey- 

 producer. The more thorough cultivation of 

 the lands, and the growing of a large acreage 

 of timothy meadows, have about cleaned out 

 the wild plants that used to keep our bees 

 through the summer, and have made great in- 

 roads upon the heartsease and Spanish needle. 



Twenty years ago many farmers kept bees, 

 and there was quite a sale for hives. Now the 

 bees have about all disappeared, and hives are 

 not wanted; neither is there any demand for 

 bees. This state of affairs is not limited to a 

 small scope of country, but seems to prevail 

 over several counties at least, in this part of 

 the State. 



One of the results of our scant summer pas- 

 turage is that our bees are practically non- 

 swarmers, especially in large apiaries. Another 

 result has been that, having little honey in the 

 hives in summer, a drouth or a cold spell has 

 usually made feeding necessary. Of late years 

 summer feeding has been the rule, requiring 

 some seasons as much as five barrels of sugar. 

 Fortunately I have never been obliged to feed 

 for winter, and have failed to get some surplus 



but twice in 35 years. My surplus for the past 

 five years has averaged annually only about 

 15 lbs. per colony of extracted honey. I 

 have reduced, in the past three years, from 300 

 colonies down to about 140, without much ef- 

 fort on my part until last fall, when I brim- 

 stoned 55 of the least valuable of the colonies 

 after extracting the honey. By this arrange- 

 ment I can realize something from the sale of 

 the honey extracted, and from the emptied 

 combs. 



While this may not be regarded by bee-keep- 

 ers as the most desirable way of retiring from 

 the business, it seems to have some advantages 

 over the more common way of letting the bees 

 starve and the moth eat the combs. 



Farina, 111. 



[Certainly this is not "painting the business in 

 too rosy colors," but it seems to me brimstoning 

 is both wasteful and unnecessary. It would be 

 far better to offer bees, hives, fixtures, etc., way 

 down cheap than to resort to the primitive 

 brimstone. " No one to buy," you say. Adver- 

 tise, and find some one. Friend A., in a private 

 note, says he is going to sell the combs after 

 extracting. But, dear me! it is a sad state of 

 affairs if the bees, hives, honey, and combs to- 

 gether are not worth more than just the honey 

 and combs alone. Say, Bro. A., before you 

 brimstone any more, tiy an advertisement of- 

 fering full colonies, including hives, cheap. If 

 the " ad." doesn't pay we will remit the charge. 

 -Ed.] 



— ■ — ^ 



MANUM IN THE APIARY. 



LEATHER ITALIANS; NEW VAKIETIES OF PO- 

 TATOES; THOROUGHBRED CHESHIRES, ETC. 



By A. E. Manutn. 



Returning home from one of my out-apiaries 

 just as Dan (my helper) was coming out of the 

 house from his dinner, I saw a strange carriage 

 in the yard, when I asked: 



" Dan, whose carriage is that ?" 



"It belongs to a young man who arrived just 

 as I was sitting down to dinner; and as Fred 

 took care of his horse, I did not learn who he is. 

 He and Fred are now at the table. I think he 

 is a bee-man, judging by the conversation I 

 heard between him and Fred." 



"Well, then, Dan, you may take care of my 

 horse if you will, and I will go right in. You 

 may unharness Daisy, as I probably shall not 

 go to another yard to-day if this man has 

 come to see me. . . . Well, well! Walter 

 Larrabee! I am surprised, truly, to see you in 

 Bristol— not only surprised, but greatly delight- 

 ed. It is not often that I have the pleasure of 

 entertaining the president of the Vermont Bee- 

 keepers' Association." 



" Thank you. Manum. You see, since we are 

 unable to get you out to the conventions of 

 late, where we can learn what you are doing in 

 the bee-business, I just thought I would take a 

 drive out here and interview you at your home." 



"Thai is right, Walter. Here is where you 

 will find me every day, right at home or at one 



