March, 1912. 



American 15Qe 



erly apply the knowledge obtained with 

 the necessary energy. 



Second, much depends upon how 

 you expect to go into the business. If 

 you e.Npect to start with a small busi- 

 ness and build it up to a large one, per- 

 haps one season's work with a good 

 bee-keeper would be sufficient. But if 

 you e.xpect to buy out an already es- 

 tablished extensive bee-business, you 

 would better work at least two seasons, 

 and more would be better, for it re- 

 quires a lot more practical knowledge 

 to take hold of and carry on an exten- 

 sive business than a small one. 



I don't think it would be advisable to 

 use the combs of honey as you suggest, 

 unless the swarms were very small, or 

 you could use them in this w'ay for 

 your last swarms at the close of the 

 honey-tiow, for such swarms would 

 most likely need them. But large, 

 early swarms would not need them for 

 best results. 



At the beginning of the honey-flow, 

 and during the greater part of its dura- 

 tion, all frames of honey mostly sealed 

 should be kept extracted, and the 

 empty combs inserted in the middle of 

 the brood-nest. This would mean 

 wholesale bee-production at the proper 

 time, and a great honey harvest. 



feasted on during our stay here, and 

 under the cool shade of which we have 

 sat so many times and enjoyed the 

 steady, balmy sovith breeze, and planned 

 out the most of the work of our busy 

 season which is fast approaching. 



Since we have been bee-keeping we 

 have made a number of investments in 

 real estate with the net returns of our 

 blessed little bees, but none do we ap- 

 preciate like this one; and it will be a 

 source of great inspiration to me dur- 

 ing the busy hours of the coming sea- 

 son. Oh! what a joy it will be to me 

 to wind up the season's work and re- 



Back to " Dear Old Georgia " 



I stated in the "Dixie " department 

 in the December issue that wife and I 

 left Georgia on Nov. 1.5 for Florida, 

 W'here we expected to winter, or give 

 the bulk of the cold weather the dodge, 

 which we have done, and now (Feb. 

 15) we are getting ready to return to 

 Georgia to begin our busy season, and 

 indeed we feel greatly benelited by the 

 trip in every respect. It has been the 

 pleasantest winter of our lives — no 

 frost, ice or cold, chilly wind to cause 

 our frail bodies to shake and quiver, 

 for most of the time it has been pleas- 

 ant and balmy. I feel greatly recuper- 

 ated after last season's hard toil, and I 

 can enter the approaching toilsome 

 season with greater vim and inspira- 

 tion than I ever have before, and I 

 hope and expect to press harder for the 

 goal than ever. 



But, aside from this, what did we 

 accomplish by the trip ? Well, I had 

 my cottage ready built in my mind be- 

 fore I arrived, and a bill of material 

 ready made out for it, and by the time 

 I got it on the ground, "Jack" — the 

 foreman of our bee-business in this 

 State (Florida) was here ready to help. 

 He had never done any carpenter work, 

 and it had been some years since I had 

 done much at the trade, but soon the 

 old "tricks of the trade "came afresh 

 in my mind, and it seemed that my 

 talent for the trade was greater than 

 ever before; and, my! how we made 

 the saws and hammers ring, and in 32 

 days from the time we started we were 

 finishing up the 6room cottage, which 

 has a hall through it, and the rooms 

 are not small, either. It is well finished 

 lip, too, and it is no bull of a house or 

 a shack. The cut shows the front and 

 rear views of the cottage which appear 

 so beautiful, sitting out on a ridge, 

 nestled among the orange, tangerine, 

 and grape-fruit trees, the delicious fruit 

 of which we have so sumptuously 



we will give you a good time in the 

 pleasant, sunny " Land of Flowers." 



The Wilder Winter Home in Florida. 



turn to this beautiful country where 

 the climate is so pleasant, and we are • 

 so well fixed to live and enjoy our- 

 selves. 



We have not been here alone, either, 

 for quite a number of bee-keepers from 

 the Northern States are here " winter- 

 ing," and the little bee has been the 

 subject of many long and interesting 

 conversations, a summary of which I 

 will give at another time, for some very 

 important points were brought out 

 relative to our industry. 



Fellow bee-keepers, make your ar- 

 rangements to meet us here late next 

 fall and spend the winter months, and 



Wintering and Other Qualities of Cau- 

 casian Bees 



Mr. Wilder:-! am writiiiir you at this 

 time for I read your articles in the Ameri- 

 can Bee lournal, and I saw that you had 

 never had a report as to tlie winterine quali- 

 ties of the Caucasian bee here in the North. 

 I have had the Caucasians for a number of 

 years. and am well pleased with them, even if 

 there are still some fault to find with them. 

 But when 1 sum up their bad qualities, and 

 then try to balance them with the good ones. 

 I tind them away ahead of the other races, 

 and I have tried about all there are to try. 

 even paying D. A. Jones Si5. away back in the 

 early '8u's. for a pure Holy Land queen, and 

 had to kill her the second year in order to 

 save myself and family from death by stint'- 

 ing ?'. for they were not to be quelled ex- 

 cept \vith chloroform. 



As to wintering of the Caucasians. I will 

 say they are the most hardy bee in exist- 

 ance today. They will stand almost any 

 kind of usage, and I can winter in my cellar 

 almost a mere handful, when the other races 

 will worry and desert their hives. Herein 

 the North there are some who winter bees 

 out-doors, but I at times think it is almost 

 an impossibility to do it. 



I honestly think I can get a third more 

 honey in my location with the Cancasians 

 than I can with the Italian. I have both, and 

 run about even as to number of colonies. I 

 breed my Caucasian queens at the main 

 yard, and fertilize them in an isolated place. 

 I have only the gray variety; I have had the 

 yellow, but I think them inferior to the gray. 

 I import all mv breeders from the Caucasus 

 district, and I have had some from a\yay 

 down east, bordering on the Caspian .Sea. 

 but they were all mixed up. both yellow and 



As you say. they are good proplizers. but 

 if the entrance is made dark, and not too 

 large, that will lessen their propensity for 

 daubing up things with their dark-brown 

 glue, which resembles them in color. 



Ingham Co.. Mich. A. D. D. Wood. 



Glad to hear from you, Mr. Wood, 

 relative to the qualities of the Cau- 

 casian bees in the North. So far noth- 

 ing but good reports have come in of 

 the past season, from either North or 

 the South, as to the qualities of this 

 variety of bees. They have proven to 

 be at least one-third better than any 

 other bees I have been able to obtain. 



Convention (#) Proceedings 



Eastern New York Convention 



The Eastern New York Bee-Keepers' 

 Association held its 4th annual con- 

 vention Dec. 2\. 1911, at .Albany, N. Y. 

 Owing to unfavorable circumstances 

 only a short notice could be given, and 

 consequently there were only about 30 

 bee-keepers present. 



The proceedings consisted mostly of 

 routine business, and the consideration 

 of technical questions pertaining to 

 bee-keeping. 



The members reported the past sea- 

 son as the poorest in many years. The 

 production of honey was less than half 

 of an average crop; but with the opti- 

 mism characteristic of bee-keepers, 

 they all hold bright hopes for the 

 future. 



The Secretary's report showed a list 



of 103 members since the organization 

 of the Association, 4 years ago. The 

 Treasurer's report presented a healthy 

 condition of the treasury with a neat 

 balance on hand. 



Pres. Wright, in his address, reviewed 

 the condition of the industry, referring 

 to the very unfavorable season and the 

 shortage of the honey crop, and noting 

 that a material advance in prices had 

 resulted, which it was hoped might be 

 maintained in the future. 



He called attention to the action of 

 the National Bee-Keepers' Association 

 in reorganizing that body and adopt- 

 ing a new constitution for the working 

 of the Association on a new and en- 

 tirely diflferent plan. Much considera- 

 tion was given to the subject, and 

 many expressions of disapproval were 

 offered. U was decided unanimously 



