GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Iiom Aix-la-Chapelle, one traveling by au- 

 tomobile goes tln-ough the ordeal of a cus- 

 tom-house inspection. This concluded and 

 the journey resumed, he arrives at the first 

 town in Belgium, Henri-Chapelle, where the 

 well-tilled farms, large herds of cattle, ca- 

 pacious barns, and neat and comfortable 

 houses, surrounded by flower and vegetable 

 gardens, testify to the industry and thrift 

 of the Belgian farmer and his family. 



In a limestone section one naturally ex- 

 pects to find an abundance of white clover 

 and other nectar-producing plants. In this 

 respect the valley of the Vesdre is no ex- 

 ception to the rule, for white clover gi'ows 

 everywhere in profusion. 



Under such conditions an apiary consti- 

 tutes a valuable asset to the equipment of 

 a farmer, more especially a Belgian farmer, 

 whose areas for cultivation are relatively 

 small, and who must, of necessity, practice 

 an intensive system of agriculture. 



The accompanying 

 picture of the twelve- 

 colony apiary and 

 the tile-covered bee- 

 house of Jos. Crutz- 

 en, at Quatre Che- 

 mins (four corners), 

 Henri-ChapeUe,gives 

 a good idea of the 

 farmer's apiary of 

 Belgium. The order- 

 ly arrangement and 

 spacing of the hives, 

 the presence of su- 

 pers, with numbers 

 to cori'espond witli 

 those on the hive- 

 bodies, and the neat 

 surroundings all in- 

 dicate that attention 

 and care are given to 

 this secondary indus- 

 try on this particu- 

 lar farm. 



I think it is a safe 

 prediction that the 

 care of the bees de- 

 volves upon the good 

 wife of Mr. Crutzen. 

 Certainly she evinced 

 particular interest in 

 the picture-taking, 

 and was so good as 

 to write her hus- 

 band's name and 

 address in my jour- 

 nal. 



Between Vei'viers. 

 noted for its cloth- 

 manufacturing, and 



Liege, famous for the fortifications that 

 stayed the progress of the German army in 

 its recent invasion of Belgium, is the small 

 town of Trooz. The route at (his point is 

 especially picturesque. The river, road, and 

 railroad run close together in the deep val- 

 ley. Near the I'ailroad station, where we 

 ate our luncheon on July 1, was a well- 

 kept flower and vegetable garden which 

 contained a small apiary belonging to an 

 artisan who lived in a modest cottage on 

 the slope of the hill across the highway. 

 One might infer from the surroundings that 

 the owner derived a large amount of pleas- 

 ure and some income from his few hives of 

 bees. 



The skeps above, the box hives below, the 

 red-tiled roof on the beehouse, the bloom of 

 flowers, and the merry hum of the bees, 

 produced in one, upon the spot, a sense of 

 pleasure that description and the black and 

 white of the photograph cannot convey. 



Apiary at Trooz, Beljiium. 



