September, 1915. 



American Hee Journal 



erent races. Of course, good strong 

 colonies of any race may be resistant, 

 but unless one has the time and oppor- 

 tunity for personal experiments it is 

 well to heed our leaders in the profes- 

 sion who have. They are giving their 

 labor and time tor the benefit of all, 

 and may save us much valuable time. 

 It is a good time to get queens now if 

 done at once, as they are cheaper than 

 early in the season. 



Auto Trucks for Honey 



Perhaps no State in the Union uses 

 more automobiles than California. In 

 fact, some think we run to extremes 

 here in that line. Auto trucks are 

 now used a great deal for moving both 

 honey and bees. While I am a great 



lover of the horse, and do not like to 

 see them altogether replaced by ma- 

 chines for pleasure driving or even 

 draft work, it seems to me that this is 

 a line of work in which the machine 

 especially shines. The distances are 

 usually great from out-apiaries to mar- 

 ket, also the rapidity with which bees 

 can be moved from one locality to an- 

 other is of course a great advantnge. 

 One must have a reliable machine, a 

 careful driver, and a heavy load, how- 

 ever, to make everything go satisfac- 

 torily. 



The snapshots of truck load of our 

 honey on its way to market shows a 

 characteristic California scene during 

 the honey harvest. The auto truck 

 never gets stung, though the driver 

 may on some of our mountain roads. 



SHOWING THE QUEEN TO THE VISITORS 



Bee-Keeping 



In Dixie^ 



Conducted by J. J. Wilder. Cordele. Ga. 



A Trip Over the Business 



It is the greatest desire of many 

 of those who have joined our ranks as 

 beekeepers to bring their business up 

 to a point where they may be num- 

 bered with those who succeed and take 

 a peep at life on its pleasure side. 

 Leaving luxury out, I have reached 

 such a point and know how one feels 

 when he can count his colonies by the 

 thousands. It is not so much being 

 comfortably situated in life and having 

 a bank account as having good busi- 

 ness relations who love the business as 

 I do and take interest in it. They are 

 just as eager for improvements as I 

 am when it comes to increasing the 

 number of colonies. 



The honey crop or prospect of one 

 is a matter of importance to us. All 



the time spent at an apiary is taken up. 

 Every member of the family is glad to 

 see us and do everything for our pleas- 

 ure and comfort they can, which makes 

 the time spent at each place a source 

 of great pleasure. There is nothing 

 better in life than pleasant business re- 

 lations to the enterprising or progres- 

 sive business man. 



On Aug. 1, I left my summer cottage 

 up in the mountains for a hurried trip 

 over my business, beginning at Cor- 

 dele, Ga , and ending at Ft. White, Fla., 

 which are the extreme points of my 

 business and 200 miles apart. Between 

 these two branches I have five other 

 apiaries, and the main sources of honey 

 differ at each one and come at dif- 

 ferent seasons of the year, from March 

 1 to Nov. 1.5. In some places the main 

 flow was over and the honey was all ofT 



and shipped, but at these places there 

 was just a little nectar and pollen 

 coming in, and the apiarist was busy 

 requeening. In some places the tlow 

 was just coming on and the apiarist 

 was busy supering and doing general 

 apiary work. In other places the flow 

 was passing oflf, and hauling and pack- 

 ing honey was the order of the day. 

 At some places I found the apiarist off 

 on a vacation, and at other places I 

 found him on the banks of a near-by 

 stream fishing and having a good time. 

 .•\t other places they '.vere getting up 

 and going to work at 3 o'clock in the 

 morning. 



Well, it was a great trip which I en- 

 joyed, and the more, too, when I found 

 the business everywhere in the very 

 best condition. I am exceedingly proud 

 of my business, as every one should 

 be who has found his natural calling 

 and is following it. 



Wants to Come Back to Dear Old 

 Georgia 



"Mr. Wilder; — I am going to try 

 to get back to my old home country 

 (Georgia) this fall and beekeeping is 

 my aim. I want to ask you which por- 

 tion of the State is preferable for this 

 purpose, the southern or northern ? 

 Any information will be appreciated. I 

 have been here in Wood Co., Tex., for 

 a number of years." 



Quitman, Tex. W. M. Blackwell 



Mr. Blackwell, doubtless you are not 

 aware that I also wish to return and 

 roam over some of the old ground of 

 my boyhood days, and I wish we could 

 just exchange places for awhile, for I 

 spent my boyhood in great Texas; yes, 

 and in Wood county at that. We first 

 got interested in bee culture in your 

 county, and established our first apiary 

 there and contracted a "bee fever" 

 that will last through life. 



Southern Georgia is a level country, 

 and some of it is what we would call 

 low, so much so that it is \yorthless for 

 agricultural purposes, being covered 

 frequently with water, and in many 

 places it is malarious, and no one can 

 live there and enjoy good health ; chills 

 and fevers soon overtake one, and he 

 will lose all energy. In many such 

 places beekeeping would pay well, and 

 perhaps better than elsewhere in Dixie, 

 but to live there and enjoy good health 

 is impossible. The higher and better 

 settled portions of south Georgia are 

 not quite so good for beekeeping, but 

 health is better. 



By knowing the country and the 

 various honey plants, one can pick out 

 a choice location and do well in bee- 

 keeping, if it is properly followed. But 

 as a rule a new comer into our terri- 

 tory meets with failure, quits bee-keep- 

 ing and follows something else or 

 pulls up and moves away. This has so 

 often occurred that we dare not advise 

 any one to move into our country and 

 engage solely in beekeeping. 



While I have succeeded very vvell 

 here, it was done under very trying 

 circumstances, such as not many would 

 care to come under. The same thing 

 might be said of the northern portion, 

 but the general health of the p ople is 

 far better for side lines, such as poul- 

 try, fruit growing, trucking, stock rais- 

 ing, etc., which are most desirable for 



