January 



American Vee Journal 



After our meeting, Mr. Brainard took 

 Dr. Phillips and myself out for a ride 

 over the High Line drive. This is a 

 scenic road built by convict labor from 

 the State Penitentiary, located in Canon 

 City. The road loops back and forth 

 up the side of a "hog back" till it 

 reaches the summit, between 500 and 

 700 feet above the town. Then it fol- 

 lows right along the summit, giving us 

 a delightful panoramic view of the 

 mountains to the west and the valley 

 to the east. The town lies at the foot 

 of the " hog back," and Lincoln Park 

 lying directly to the south, is a district 



the most solidly set to fruit I have ever 

 seen. It is made up, practically alto- 

 gether, of 5 and 10 acre fruit-farms, 

 and probably comprises several thou- 

 sand acres. 



The descent from the "hog back" 

 follows down on the side toward the 

 valley and the town; and while the 

 road is steep, carriages and automo- 

 biles make the trip safely. This scenic 

 roadway has been a great advertise- 

 ment for Canon City, and is an exam- 

 ple of the work of Warden Tynan in 

 letting out the prisoners in large num- 

 bers on their honor. 



Bee-Keeping 



In Dixie-^ 



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



Is Bee-Keeping Worth While? 



Of all the questions asked relative to 

 bee-culture perhaps none exceed the 

 above in greatness and the most often 

 asked. At least it has come to me 

 oftenest, and I can more readily an- 

 swer any other question than this one, 

 because it involves so much — (a human 

 being and his situation that I don't 

 know anything about). 



Location may be a matter of some 

 consideration, but this is not often the 

 case, for there are not so many loca- 

 tions in Di.xie where bees would not 

 do well. So it is mostly the man and 

 his situation. 



There are a lot of men who have the 

 ability to succeed at bee-keeping, but 

 other things intervene, and they can 

 not make a success at it until there is 

 a change in their situation. But would 

 it pay to make a change ? Sometimes 

 yes, and sometimes no. 



When does it pay to shift from an- 

 other line of business to bee-keeping ? 

 When a man fully realizes from actual 

 e.xperience that he is out of his calling 

 in life, and he has experienced enough 

 of bee-keeping to know that he is tal- 

 ented for it ; and would he like it as an 

 occupation, or as a side-issue, as the 

 case may be? for some people seem to 

 have talents for more than one line of 

 business, and can carry on more than 

 one with success. 



But what about the man who has not 

 the experience in bee-keeping sufficient 

 to know that liis talents run in this 

 direction? Well, he should put them 

 to test by buying a few colonies of 

 bees, and making them an object of 

 study for a while, along with literature 

 on the subject. Or if this is too ex- 

 pensive, take- an interest in the bees of 

 some of the neighbors (they are always 

 glad to have interested help with their 

 bees). If this is not sufficient, get a 

 job with some experienced and suc- 

 cessful bee-keeper for a few months, 

 and obtain knowledge at his expense. 

 That is, he will pay you for your ser- 

 vices and will bring the talents out (if 

 you possess any for the business), and 

 will tell you whether you are talented 

 or not in bee-keeping. 



And above all, don't forget that if a 

 great success is obtained, a lot of 



"ginger" has to be added along with 

 experience and natural gifts. 



I?ut aside from the above, is bee- 

 keeping worth while in a general way ? 

 Yes, it is, even followed as it is, and as 

 badly neglected as it is, and if modern 

 conveniences and methods were adopt- 

 ed, bee-keeping would be a good busi- 

 ness all over our Southland. 



"How Shall I Start With Bees?" 



Friend Wilder;— From time to time I 

 have seen articles in papers about bee-keep- 

 inirand the large profits that could be de- 

 rived from bees, if properly cared for, all 

 over our Southland. Now, I am a little, old, 

 poor farmer down here in North Louisiana, 

 and think I would like bee-keepint'. and I am 

 asking your experience and advice about 

 the business, and I hope you will take the 

 time to tell me what you think I ought to 

 know about it to make a success of it. I 

 have had no experience with bees whatever. 

 Tell me how to start the business and run it 

 successfully, and I will thank you very 

 much. P. F. TiLLEY. 



I infer from your letter that you 

 want to engage in bee-keeping to make 

 money thereby, and not merely to 

 keep a few bees that you might obtain 

 a little honey along for use. Any 

 farmers can do this without giving 

 bees much consideration, but when it 

 comes to making money at bee-keep- 

 ing it is a different proposition, and 

 one we will now consider for a few 

 moments. But first, let us consider the 

 qualifications of a beginner who would 

 most likely succeed at bee-keeping. 



He must at least possess three essen- 

 tials, viz: Inclination, energy, and 

 will. If an individual doesn't possess 

 these eleinents there is no use in try- 

 ing to tell him how. It would be a total 

 loss. 



As to the "how" — in the case of a 

 qualified beginner, all we have to do is 

 to refer him to any of the numerous 

 text-books printed on the subject, and 

 there he can obtain the practical in- 

 formation so far as theory is con- 

 cerned, and when he comes in posses- 

 sion of some bees he can begin to mix 

 in some practical experience with the 

 book-information he has obtained, and 

 then he begins to progress. 



The word "how" covers a broad 

 field, and it takes a book to cover it. 

 Space in a bee-paper is too limited and 



can only give it a little at a time, and 

 not right straight along, then, like it 

 should be done, so that it could best 

 be understood, but it just skips about 

 over the field, here a little that is help- 

 ful — now for the beginner, and yonder 

 a heap he may not need for a year or 

 so. So a bee-paper gives out the in- 

 formation too scatteringly, and can not 

 take the place of a practical book on 

 the subject. I never will forget how 

 tangling or puzzling the first bee-paper 

 I ever read. It kept my mind ad- 

 dled for a while, skipping from subject 

 to subject, leading me out in so many 

 different directions, and dropping me 

 where I did not see my way out clearly. 



Our bee-publications are helpful to 

 the beginners, and they should sub- 

 scribe for them, but when a great strug- 

 gle for information is desired they can 

 not take the place of te.xt-books. 



So much for bee-papers in the hands 

 of beginners. Let us go back and see 

 who is the qualified beginner, or the 

 beginner who is sure of success. 



Now, if I am not qualified to do cer- 

 tain work, it is a favor to me if some 

 one will tell me so, and it will not of- 

 fend me in the least. If I were to make 

 known to some people by these few re- 

 marks that they were disqualified to 

 make money at bee-keeping, it would 

 be a favor to them. 



First, one must be naturally inclined. 

 I mean by this, that the honey-bee 

 must offer, him great fascination, and 

 its nature or habits, and field of work 

 be a very interesting study to him, and 

 he must forever be on the alert to learn 

 more about the bee and how to culti- 

 vate it. So the apt beginner must en- 

 ter a continuous study of his bees and 

 his bee-business to succeed. 



Second, a bee-keeper must be filled 

 with energy. He may not need so 

 much at times, but at other times he 

 will need all a human being can pos- 

 sess. He may have to sacrifice sleep 

 and necessary rest in order to supply 

 the needs of his bees. So, too, the apt 

 beginner must be a "hustler." 



Third, back of it all he must have a 

 fixed and determined will to succeed. 

 If a beginner in bee-culture is naturally 

 inclined, and is energetic, and has his 

 will set on success, why, there is noth- 

 ing else but success for him. In other 

 words, an apt beginner in bee-culture 

 must be a well-rounded business man, 

 who would likely succeed at anything 

 he undertook to accomplish. 



Now, when a beginner is qualified it 

 matters not whether he starts with one 

 colony of bees or 100 colonies. But 

 the promoters of our industry advise 

 only 1 or 5 colonies for the average 

 beginner, and this advice should not 

 be ignored by those who are in doubt 

 as to their qualifications. 



Keeping Bees in the North in Summer 

 and in the South in Winter 



Mr. Wilder:— I would like to come South 

 after I put my bees up for the winter here, 

 and spend the winter down there in some 



Clace where I could lind a eooii location for 

 ees. I can leave here al)oiit Oct. ist. each 

 year, and leave down there about the latter 

 part of April, and return here and look after 

 my bee-interest during the season. Can I in 

 this way keep bees at both ends of the line 

 successfully ? 

 I am a young man and can do the necessary 



