MARCH 15, 191; 



r_ 



A. I. Root 



OUE HOME 



A. I. ROOT A BEEKEEPER. 



Tt sounds a little funny (does it not?) to 

 be told, after I have been fifty years or 

 more before the world as authority on bees, 

 that I am really and truly a beekeeper. 

 Well, just now I have several " funny " 

 things to mention that are happening down 

 here in "sunny Florida." Yes, and that 

 very expression, " sunnj' Florida," that you 

 see just now in the advertisements of Flor- 

 ida lands, is about the funniest of them all. 

 Tourists who eonie down here this winter for 

 the first time ask with a long and solemn 

 face, "Where is your sunny Florida we were 

 led to expect? " etc. Well, this winter is an 

 exception. Things are " sorter turned 

 round." We have not only been having big 

 rains and floods in the winter, but we have 

 {even here) "rainy days," sometimes tivo 

 in succession, with " naiy a glimpse " of 

 sunshine. "Overhead irrigation?" Bless 

 your heart, we have it, and it doesn't cost 

 " nobody " a cent. 



Well, my " apiary " that I proudly show 

 to visitors is a little funny, also, for it con- 

 sists at present of a single three-stoi"y hive, 

 and I'obbers have been so bad right here I 

 have hardly dared open it for two months 

 past. Pollen has been coming in, however, 

 more or less, all winter when it hasn't 

 rained. T have sat and watched the bees 

 bring in pollen (heavy loads) with almost 

 as much keen enjoj'ment as when I used to 

 hold " Blue Eyes " close to the entrance and 

 explain to her the " mysteries " of the bee- 

 hive.* Dear me! Blue Eyes is now a ma- 

 tronly mother of two boys, one of them 

 taller than his mother; and the other just 

 now as intent on studying the heavenly 

 bodies as his mother and I were with the 

 bees, almost fifty years ago. Orange bloom 

 is just coming on now, and the robber bees 

 are. I hope, earning an " honest livelihood." 



Here in Bradentown we have recently 

 started a bee convention, and there are sev- 

 eral funny things about this " convention." 

 One is, they hold a session (or did) once a 

 week. Another is, there are often less than 

 a dozen in attendance; and a third funny 

 thing is that, in this funny little weekly 

 convention we have one of the biggest bee- 

 keepers in the world. He reports 3000 colo- 

 nies, and 53 out-apiaries in Georgia and 

 Florida. See Feb. 1st issue for particulars. 

 Wo have also one beekeeper in this county 

 wlio owns and manages about 700 colonics 



in something like a dozen apiaries. One of 

 the subjects discussed was how to increase 

 as rapidly as possible down here in Florida, 

 where one has only a few hives to start 

 with. The letter below opens up the sub- 

 ject : 



Dear Mr. Root : — In accordance with your sugges- 

 tion I bought a nucleus last summer. They are fine 

 fellows, and are doing well. This season I want to 

 increase. 



Can't you give us some articles in the Florida 

 Grower or in Gleanings especially suited to Florida 

 conditions? I have an idea there are many in 

 Florida ■«''ho need some help in addition to the A B 

 C and other books. 



Clearwater, Fla., Feb. 3. S. H. East. 



By way of an answer I will mention how 

 I got my one colony. My neighbor Ault sold 

 me a colony of nice gentle Italians; but 

 before taking them away he removed a 

 frame or two of brood and bees which he 

 placed in another hive on the old stand, 

 thus giving them all the returning bees. 

 This made a very good nucleus, and they 

 soon had a young queen that was success- 

 fully mated, even in December. Of course, 

 one would be considerably ahead if he had 

 an extra queen to introduce; but while no 

 honey is coming, the loss of time is no very 

 great thing. 



Now, here is a " funny thing " that it may 

 be profitable to consider. While Mr. Ault 

 declares he can raise queens and have them 

 fertilized all winter long, down here, no one 

 has ever yet, so far as I can learn, offered 

 to furnish young queens all winter long. 

 All through March, April, and May there 

 is always a great call for young queens, and 

 no one has as yet gone into the business of 

 supplying them. If I am mistaken, if he 

 will stand up and speak I will gladly give 

 him a free mention. 



Tlie last and perhaps the "funniest thing" 

 of all about our " convention " is that a 

 bountiful supply of very nice nuts and 

 candy is placed on the table just before 

 adjournment, and everybody "participates." 

 The convention goes about from house to 

 house, or from apiary to apiary. Our host 

 explained the nuts and candy are to induce 

 busy beekeepers to come. Isn't this really 

 a " funny world," any way, and does it not 

 behoove us all to be neighborly, and " have 

 fun," instead of quarreling and killing each 

 other? 



* She was the baby that used to sing out, " Out 

 doorses, I do I out doorses, I do! " almost as soon 

 as her papa car.-.e in .sight. 



EDISON AND HIS RECENT FIRE, ETC. 



In view of what I said about Edison in 

 the Dec. 1st Homes, our readers may be 

 interested in the following, which I cUp 



