76 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July, 



OUR PRIMARY DEPARTMENT, 



Or First Principles in Bee-Eteepinef. 



[.Designed especially for the veriest novices, and 

 those Who know nothing ot'bees whatever. Conduct- 

 ed by a fellow Novice of several years experience 

 replete with blunders, as well as with occasional 

 successes.] 



^RI VERY few days, some one calls ou us to 

 } I know something about Bee-Keeping. 

 Although 'tis not always the first query, it 

 comes along very soon as to whether bees real- 

 ly pay in the long run. We inform them that 

 our Apiary has always paid us a fair profit, 

 and a few seasons a very generous one, but 

 still like nearly all new industries, in some 

 respects it must l>e considered quite uncertain. 

 Oftentimes comes the query, "If one is going 

 to devote their time to the business had they 

 not better buy 4.0 or 50 colonies so as to have 

 an income from them at once ?" to which we 

 reply, we should consider such a proceeding 

 not only very unwise, but almost sure to end 

 in failure. 



"Well, tell us just what you would advise 

 then Mr. N. to learn as speedily as we can 

 consistently with safety. Give us a short cut 

 that will relieve us of the necessity of wading 

 through long chapters of dry details, if such a 

 thing be possible. Tell us how to act, and let 

 us be doing something." 



With all our heart, and as we very much de- 

 sire that your undertaking be a source of pleas- 

 ure as well as profit, please excuse us if we 

 insist that you commence on a firm basis — do 

 well what you do, do. 



WHAT TO DO FIRST. 



Get two posts 6 feet long and three inches 

 square, these must be of some*durable wood, 

 white oak for instance. If you can afford the 

 trouble and expense we really would prefer 

 that you have them planed and painted, at any 

 rate do not expect your Apiary ever to be any 

 thing you may be proud of, if you push down 

 some old sticks temporarily, one longer than 

 the other perhaps, and both askew, for such 

 work soon becomes unattractive and is shun- 

 ned. Many visitors have admired our Apiary, 

 and thought it no wonder we enjoyed bee-keep- 

 ing in such a place, and these same persons 

 have declared their intention of tipping their 

 poor neglected hives of bees up square, and 

 true, removing the weeds, starting grape vines 

 etc., but alas ! their attempts were too often 

 but a couple of sticks picked up hastily as we 

 have mentioned, and a few vigorous strokes in 

 the battle with old dame nature, and then they 

 desisted before the "coy old lady" had even had 

 time to yield and bless her devotees with such 

 smiles as only the successful cultivator of the 

 soil knows she can give. 



Select the site of your workshop, for such 

 we shall expect it to be, near the house, and 

 where it can have plenty of sun ; and if conve- 

 nient slanting slightly to the south. Drive 

 these posts or stakes in the ground, so that 

 they stand east and west and just three feet 

 from each other, measuring from outside to 

 outside. They are to be driven in the ground 

 so that just four feet of them is left above, and 

 they must stand plumb and square; if .you 

 can't make them otherwise, get a lever and 

 strong chain and twist them until they are so. 



Now nail a strip of pine board 1x3 inches and 

 3 feet long, on the south of both, and just level 

 with the top, from one to the other; just three 

 feet below this nail a similar one. When the 

 whole is square, true, and plumb, stretch three 

 wires from one strip to the other ; these are to 

 be at equal distances from the posts, and from 

 each other, and we would then have something 

 like the following figure. 

 B 



n 



A 



Let A, A, represent the posts. B, B, the 1x3 

 strips nailed on the south side of the posts, and 

 C, D, E, the wires. These wires should be gal- 

 vanized iron wire, about No. 16 or 17, larger 

 would be more expensive and no better. Now 

 we are all ready to have a flue thrifty Concord 

 grape vine planted directly underneath the 

 central wire D. Of course some other grape 

 will do, but we have found none so hardy and 

 thrifty, and that gives us the strong rapid 

 growth that is so desirable for making a shade 

 for our hives as soon as extreme hot weather 

 comes on. Vines are usually planted only in 

 the spring and fall, but we should have very 

 much more confidence in your success if we 

 knew you were one of those clever individuals 

 who can plant a vine and make it grow, at drip 

 season of the year. You can surely do it if you 

 have a mind to. Go to your nearest nursery 

 man (don't ever buy of peddlers) tell him what 

 you want, and get him to help you take up the 

 vine, roots dirt and all, soaking the soil with 

 water to make it stick together if need be, 

 while you place the whole in a bushel basket 

 for transportation. Make a large hole beneath 

 your trellis, and lift your vine into it as can- 

 fully as you took it up, fill in with good soil, 

 and after cutting off all the top but one shoot 

 with three or four leaves, treat it just as you 

 would a hill of corn that you wished to do ex- 

 tra well. If the operation is done in hot dry 

 weather, it will probably need watering, and 

 may be shading, until it gets started. We ex- 

 pect you in future to see that no weed or spear 

 of grass is allowed to make its appearance 

 within a yard at leist of this grape vine. 

 Since we have our vine planted, and ready to 

 grow, we are now prepared to look up a hive 

 of bees to be located on the north side of our 

 vine, close to the trellis. 



Next month we will consider the future 

 training of this vine, a^ well as what to do 

 with the Bee Hive. 



If you purchase one meanwhile, select one 

 thai has lots ot'bees at work. 



