FEBRUARY 1, 1915 



103 



I use Root hive-tools, a four-inch copper 

 smoker, and a bee-veil of my own make 

 which 1 think has every thing to date beaten. 

 This 1 will describe and illustrate in a later 

 article. 



I have not (old how 1 went to work to do 

 any of the things that are essential to suc- 

 cess in this business. I know there are scores 

 of little things that will come up that are not 

 explained. 1 know that many attempting to 

 do some things that I do may not fare just 

 as I have. On the other hand, many have 

 worked out an altogether different system 

 which proves a success. My methods may 

 not do for some other localit}'; but remem- 

 ber that ofttimes there is some little kink 

 that really makes for the success of the 

 entire system, and the locality is not alto- 

 gether to blame. It would be impossible 

 for me to try to explain here, step by step, 

 how I proceed from spring to fall. 



I am pretty sure I am right in feeding- 

 sugar instead of honey, for in this locality 

 I know that sugar won't spread disease, and 

 is a safe winter store. I know that the 

 queen-excluder, properly manipulated, is 



not a honey-excluder, and is one of the 

 greatest time-savors known. I know that 

 tlie escape is indispensable when the exclud- 

 ei is used, and a nuisance when not. I know 

 (hat a clean level yard is a wonderful help 

 in taking olf honey and at other work, and 

 will not ordinarily cause any trouble in 

 getting queens mated. I know, too, that in 

 a well-lighted, commodious, tidily kept hon- 

 ey-house, free of bees, nearly twice the work 

 can be accomplished, and the honey goes 

 into the cans free from dirt or bees, and is 

 really worth more on the market. 



Now just a word to the beginners. It is 

 said 90 per cent fail who enter the-' bee 

 business. You expect to be among the 10 

 per cent who succeed. Success is a matter 

 not so much of locality as it is of the man. 

 If you are a good, clean, moral young man, 

 full of ginger and ambition, and exercise 

 some judgment, you will succeed in the bee 

 business as in any other line. Don't think 

 that the bees always work while you sleep. 

 Remember (hat a little vim and push are 

 required, even in this vocation. 



East Jordan, Mich. 



PERSONAL REACTIONS AND REWARDS 



BY J. L. BYER 



After receiving the editor's request that 

 I contribute an article to the special number 

 on experiences of prominent beekeepers, it 

 was with reluctance that I finally consented 

 to oblige him in this matter. In the first 

 place, it seems that, after writing more or 

 less steadily for a number of years, the 

 beekeepers will have come to know all about 

 my fads and fallacies without my i-etelling 

 them: and, again, I rather object to the 

 term " prominent beekeepers," knowing full 

 well that many who have never written a 

 line publicly have nevertheless a greater 

 claim to the title, judging them by their 

 success in the calling. In Gleanings, Jan. 

 1, 1913, an article was published from my- 

 self under the heading " Mistakes and Ex- 

 periences of Beginners," and if T should 

 repeat any thing at the present time tliat 

 was published then, readers will have to 

 bear with me; for in an article where per- 

 sonal references have to be made it will be 

 impossible to do otherwise. 



As all who know me are aware, my apia- 

 ries are not pretty to look at, since for the 

 most part they were bought of different 

 people and are, of necessity, in different 

 l>atternp of hives. In fact, I have every 

 tiling from the regular eight-frame L. hive, 

 which T regard as much too small for ex- 



tiacted-honey production, up to the twelve- 

 frame Quinby, or Jumbo, as some would 

 call it. Having these different kinds of 

 hives is not a matter of choice; but as I 

 started beekeeping with no funds on hand, 

 and no other assets than a good wife and 

 three children, I was no chooser in the 

 matter of kinds of hives, and bought bees in 



Fro. 1. — Part of one of J. L. Byer's apiaries in 

 (louMpwallpd hives permanently packed. 



wiiatcvor liives tliey happened to be. In 

 llie course of a few years I cleaned up the 

 \arious small lots around us, the owners 

 finding the bees unprofitable with the lim- 

 i(ed attention usually given to such stock by 

 farmers. These few remarks will show that, 



