February, 1916. 



American Hee Journal 



duce the poorer grade so that the 

 eucalyptus honey is not favorably 

 known in the markets. 



The blooming period of the different 

 species varies so that some are in 

 bloom at all times during the year. The 

 blue gum, already mentioned, blooms 

 from December until June, while the 

 sugar gum blooms from August to 

 November. Several species bloom dur- 

 ing the winter months, when they are 

 especially valuable in sustaining the 

 bees until the time of the main honey- 

 flows, Figure 67 shows the eucalyptus 

 blossoms. 



PRICKLY PEAR OR INDIAN FIG. 



Plants of th ; cactus family are widely 

 scattered in the arid regions from Da- 

 kota to Washington and south to Texas 

 and California. Of the prickly pears 

 Opuntia, there are about IJO species, 

 mostly found in the warmer sections of 

 North America and southward. A few 

 are to be found in sandy soils farther 

 east, ranging from Ontario and Massa- 

 chusetts south to Florida. They are 

 also sometimes grown as ornamentals, 

 as shown in Fig. 68. The blossom of 

 the prickly pear is of pale yellow color 

 and very attractive. Fig. 69. It is re- 

 ported as a source of nectar in both 

 Texas and California. Opunlia cyigel- 

 manyii is reported by Scholl in " Honey 

 Plants of Texas," as "of much impor- 

 tance to the beekeeper, especially dur- 

 ing a season of partial drouth. Both 

 an abundance of honey and pollen was 

 obtained, the honey being light amber 

 in color, of heavy body, but 'stringy,' 

 so much so that it fairly draws out into 

 strings when very thick. The flavor is 

 very rank." 



Atlantic, Iowa. 

 Copyright: 1916. by Frank C. Pellett. 



The Use of Automobiles 

 Outapiary Work 



for 



BY WESLEY FOSTER 



AUTOMOBILES are now almost 

 universally used by Colorado bee- 

 keepers. Two or three years ago 

 I mentioned, in one of the bee journals, 

 that there were 20 autos in use by bee- 

 keepers in Colorado. Last June at the 

 picnic of the Colorado Honey Produc- 

 ers' Association, held in Boulder, there 

 were 17 autos that brought the bee- 

 kee()ers and their families, and none of 

 these autos came more than 40 miles. 

 There are now doubtless between 100 

 and 20l» autos in use by the beekeepers 

 in this State. 



The successful use of automobiles by 

 the beekeeper depends upon several 

 things, roads, cost of gasoline, me- 

 chanical ability of owner, and driving 

 ability of the driver. If you can run 

 an auto for not to exceed 7 cents a 

 mile, you can afford to use one in bee 

 work. If it costs you 10 cents a mile 

 you had better use a horse, and get a 

 motorcycle to use when the roads are 

 good. A horse, harness and wagon 

 can be kept for $150 a year, more or 

 less. But you can go three times as 

 fast with an auto and can haul about as 

 much load. With an auto of the right 

 kind, the control of swarming is sim- 

 plified for the beekeeper can get around 

 almost any time. 

 With my own experience of five sea- 



sons with autos, and with my observa- 

 tion of other beekeepers' experiences, I 

 have definite ideas on the type of car 

 the beekeeper should buy if he consid- 

 ers economy and service as the most 

 important requisites. 



The beekeeper who runs from 100 to 

 a 1000 colonies can do most of the 

 hauling with a light car, like the Ford. 

 By using a touring car, you can re- 

 move the rear seat cushions and pile 

 in 30 to 35 cases of honey, either cased 

 or in the supers. If you use the regu- 

 lar touring body in this way, carpet 

 cushions to protect the paint and car 

 parts from damage, when hauling these 

 loads, are advisable. Do not get two 

 bodies for your car, for if you do, it 

 will be largely a waste of money, be- 

 cause in the busy season you will not 

 find time to make the change from a 

 utility to a pleasure car. The roadster 

 style of car is better adapted to equip 

 with a box, but the disadvantage of 

 this is that you have only a two passen- 

 ger car. 



A well-to-do Boulder county farmer 

 told, me that any car weighing over 

 2700 or 2800 pounds was too hard on 

 tires. He had a car that weighed 4500, 

 and it cost him 25 cents a mile for 

 every mile he ran it. 



Mr. J. C. Mathews, of Montrose, uses 

 a touring car with a trailer and is well 

 satisfied with it, but he is now figuring 

 on a slightly larger, heavier and better 

 equipped car. Right here, I should say 

 that it is maintained by a number of 

 beekeepers that the cars, such as the 

 Buick, Dodge, Studebaker, etc., are 

 really cheaper to operate than the 

 Ford. The claim is made that though 

 tires cost more, the higher priced cars 

 have more substantial construction. 

 Mr. Edgar Polhemus, son of D. C. Pol- 

 hemus, of Lamar, Colo., who has had 

 thorough experience in handling cars, 

 thinks that the Studebaker cars have 

 cost less for the service obtained than 

 the Fords. Mr. Polhemus and his son, 

 who is his partner, drove one of their 



Studebakers 18 months with only $2.00 

 expense, exclusive of gasoline, oil and 

 tires ; these items of course being a 

 fixed charge on the mileage made. 



Mr. Polhemus and son have two 

 Studebakers, or rather E. M. F. Stude- 

 bakers, four-passenger models. The 

 rear seat is removable and a box is put 

 on for bee work. Trailers are used 

 when the rush season comes and then 

 each car is capable of hauling over a 

 ton at a trip. It is far easier on a car 

 to use a trailer and load the trailer than 

 to overload the tires. 



Beekeepers at times are tempted to 

 overload tires, so that the use of over- 

 size tires on the rear wheels is to be 

 strongly recommended ; it will save 

 expense in the end. 



The manufacturers of auto trucks 

 have claimed it to be a mistake to build 

 a truck body on a touring car chassis. 

 This claim has not been borne out by 

 tests where light cars are considered. 

 The heavy trucks come under a differ- 

 ent class and beekeepers should not be 

 misled into thinking a big truck the 

 thing. Get a small machine and go 

 oftener. 



If you are a beginner with an auto, I 

 would suggest that you get a small car, 

 either new or second hand. If you 

 make any serious blunders they will 

 not be so expensive if it is a second- 

 hand machine to begin with, and parts 

 may be replaced very reasonably. Your 

 second car may be a larger, more ex- 

 pensive car. Don't get your experience 

 with an expensive car, unless you are 

 careful by nature or mechanically in- 

 clined. 



There are a number of little conven- 

 iences that help make an auto more 

 useful. First, the size of the body; 

 make it 46 or 48 inches wide so that it 

 will take two hives crosswise. Make 

 the body long enough for a fair load, 

 but do not have it extend more than 

 18 inches behind the rear wheels. Use 

 a sheet of heavy iron or steel (one 

 piece) for the bottom of the body; 



AUTO TRUCK USED BY E. E. COVEYOU. PETOSKEY, MICH. 



