1917 



AMERICAN Hl-.r: JOURNAL 



305 



been removed, As seen by the illus- 

 tration, the ventilating bottom is 

 deep and lias wire screen on the sides. 

 Many bottoms similar to this have 

 been used at different times by bee- 

 keepers and several have been de- 

 scribed from time to time in the bee 

 journals. They have three drawbacks, 

 however, to more general use. In the 

 first place, they increase the cost of 

 equipment. In the second place, 

 much care will have to be taken or 

 the bees will build combs in this deep 

 space below the frames. Thirdly, in 

 localities where propolis is found the 

 bees will be apt to deposit large 

 ainounts of this in and around the 

 edges of this board, as their tendency 

 is to stop up all holes with propolis. 



Successful Beekeeping, The 

 Pivotal Point-Man 



By D. M. MacDonald. 



THE man (or woman) is undoubt- 

 edly the great and prime fac- 

 tor counting towards success 

 in apiculture. Some one may say, and 

 rightly so, that the seasons are not 

 within the power of man to alter, and 

 that on them depends our success or 

 failure. That is taking by far too 

 narrow a view of our industry. The 

 critic here does not approach the 

 matter from a proper focus or look 

 on it in the right perspective. As 

 well say that the farmer's success de- 

 pends on the seasons alone. That is 

 not more than a half truth. Neither 

 is it true in apiculture any more than 

 in agriculture. 



The man of energy, push and en- 

 terprise rises above circumscribed 

 circumstances, after turning semi- 

 failure into full success. Adverse in- 

 fluences brace him up to new efforts. 

 The bad season, which only comes 

 periodically, teaches him lessons 

 worth learning, whereby, when the 

 good seasons come, as come they 

 must, he can benefit to the full from 

 the experiences gleaned and the 

 knowledge acquired from the days of 

 adversity. The man in countless 

 ways dominates the situation, and 

 over a series of years comes out tri- 

 umphant. The weakling, the man 

 without grit, proves a failure; that 

 goes without saying, but it only goes 

 to prove beyond controversy that the 

 man is what may be called the piv- 

 otal point on which either success or 

 failure hangs. 



.Another critic may maintain that 

 Full Width 0/ Hive 



^ee >5pace 



A Bottom-Board Ventilator 



location is the chief factor. It counts 

 largely, but all the same it is only a 

 sub-factor. Wherever ninety-nine 

 men out of the hundred may be 

 planted down there they have to re- 

 main and simply adjust themselves to 

 circinnstances and surroundings, and 

 each man with perseverance can rise 

 above difficulties and carry on the in- 

 dustry successfully. 



Messrs. Holtermann and Ryer in the 

 far North and Messrs Scholl and 

 Poppleton in the far South, make 

 beekeeping an eminent success. This 

 they do in spite of Arctic cold or 

 tropical heat ; in spite of frost and 

 snow on the one hand or persistent 

 heat and drought on the other. The 

 man here again proves the governing 

 factor, the ruling influence securing 

 success. This convincingly shows 

 that weather and surroundings have 

 to be relegated to secondary posi- 

 tions. The man, the prime factor, 

 rules and controls so many minor 

 factors that he proves the dominant 

 force taking first place. 



Only once in a long period can we 

 find a Dr. Miller, but in a lesser de- 

 gree can't we all call un mental vis- 

 ions of men coming out successful in 

 spite of even adverse circumstances? 



Let us take, for instance, three bee- 

 keepers side by side. One comes out 

 triumphant, a second has only a 

 semi-success, the third proves a fail- 

 ure. The question arises. Why? Who 

 can doubt it is something inherent in 

 the one man lacking or quiescent in 

 the others? Perhaps a love of the 

 bees, a love of nature as a whole, 

 goes far to account for the first man's 

 success. It keeps him in the straight 

 path. Then a spirit of perseverance, 

 even in spite of occasional difficulties 

 or even setbacks, proves a sheet- 

 anchor in qualifying him for the 

 leading place in our trio. A score of 

 other gifts or attributes combine to 

 set the one man on the top of the 

 pinnacle. Weak only, or entirely 

 lacking in the others, their want ac- 

 counts for failure or only a medium 

 success crowning their spasmodic ef- 

 forts. 



Who will deny that book learning 

 is a ladder aiding any apiarist in his 

 endeavors' to rise? i?y this it is not 

 meant that a beekeeper should count 

 on climbing each stile by simply 

 reading bee literature on the point. 

 Solomon long ago advised men to ac- 

 quire knowledge, but he added, get 

 "understanding." The man who 

 "draweth out understanding" is his 

 ideal. Our successful man climbed 

 the ladder of bee knowledge step by 

 step, and book learning greatly aided 

 his ascent. 



The man who has perused and re- 

 perused such works as those of 

 Quinby, Root, Langstroth and a 

 score of others, must be a better man 

 as well as a better beekeeper than 

 the man who shuns such works. They 

 all aid in the acquiring of that under- 

 standing so eloquently yet pithily ad- 

 vocated by the sage Solomon. It 

 should be remembered that these 

 beebooks embody the knowledge and 

 wisdom accumulated frdm the ex- 

 periences of centuries. This hard- 

 won knowledge is ours for the tak- 



ing. The man whf) undervalues it has 

 much to learn. 



Apart from the acquired skill and 

 knowledge the man has certain in- 

 herent gifts or qualities greatly aid- 

 ing success in our industry. Take the 

 question of temper and temperament. 

 Bees at times are wary creatures and 

 when handled without care and dis- 

 cretion may show the temper of 

 wasps. As a soft answer turnefh 

 away wrath so a gentle, quiet re- 

 sponse from the apiarist may soothe 

 and pacify the little savages. The 

 manipulator should keep his temper. 



An even temperament, natural to 

 some, counts in such a case. Imper- 

 turbable coolness wins the day by dis- 

 pelling the nervous irritability of the 

 excited insects. A species of courage 

 is indispensable in carrying on this 

 industry. So much of it at least as 

 may be designated steadiness of 

 nerves is essential to success of the 

 highest kind. This is, fortunately, 

 easily acquired. At first, in the no- 

 vitiate days, it may be wanting, but 

 to a man with an equable tempera- 

 ment, each successive sting counts in 

 favor of progress. Others do it, why 

 should not we? 



Ancient beekeepers understood all 

 this well, and old beebooks treat the 

 subject lovingly. The man. in their 

 eyes, was the pivot on which success 

 depended. "Handle them quietly and 

 leisurely," saith one, "and you may 

 00 with them what you will without 

 hurt." "Goe orderly to them and 

 thou shalt find them gentle as 

 sheepe," says another. Gentleness 

 was and is a prime requisite in hand- 

 ling bees. The man who thus handles 

 them has gone a long wav towards 

 success in his beekeeping career. 



Some men have a natural aptitude 

 for certain pursuits or professions. 

 Hence, perhaps, arise the positions 

 in_ which are found our suppositional 

 trio. The fussy man, the nervous 

 man, the bouncing man, the man who 

 IS untidy, unclean or awkward in 

 handling tools or manipulating bees, 

 frames or appliances, will never be 

 successful. And much more will 

 these points prove a detriment to 

 any aspirant in our calling when he 

 starts to handle honey. On that rock 

 more men make shipwreck than on 

 any other. 



It will be noted that mere man does 

 not get all the honor and glory at- 

 tendant on eminent success in api- 

 culture. He, or she, is the pivotal 

 point on which success depends. In 

 some respects the ladies tower above 

 us. Of old the woman of the family 

 was the chief beekeeper, and it may 

 be safely predicted that, in the fu- 

 ture as in the past, the other sex 

 will take a leading place in carrying 

 on this fascinating industry. 



The text on which the above is 

 based, the pivot on vi^hich it is hung, 

 may be found in an autograph in- 

 scription on page 86 of the last vol- 

 ume of the American Bee Journal, 

 over the signature of C. C. Miller. It 

 IS worth quoting: "For best success, 

 get pure stock, keep tab on every 

 pound of honey taken from each 

 colony, then breed from the best 



