1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



60S 



handled them as a commercial pursuit, 

 keeping during- this time from 500 to 3000 

 colonies, 100 of them being in my home api- 

 ary, of which I will more particularlj^ 

 write. During the thirty years I have ex- 

 perimented with about all kinds and sizes 

 of hives, and will give my observations 

 more on the line of hives and some points of 

 management wherein I differ radically from 

 the average bee-keeper. At the outset I 

 wish it understood that I have no hives for 

 sale, and am writing simply as a bee-keep- 

 er. 



I claim by my method of handling, of 

 which I can describe only some of the prin- 

 cipal features, bees may be made to pro- 

 duce double the ordinary surplus and per- 

 haps more. I assume that the reader is a 

 bee-keeper who has plenty of nectar-secret- 

 ing plants in his neighborhood — as any sec- 

 tion can be made a good place for bees at 

 an expense of $60 for catnip and sweet-clo- 

 ver seed, and this sum is less than the prof- 

 it I derived from a single colony last year. 

 Much of this increase is attributable to the 

 plants; but I am confident that my partic- 

 ular methods helped largely to bring about 

 the greater yield. 



These methods I advocate are for the use 

 of the up-to-date bee-keeper; the lazy, care- 

 less operator will be in no way benefited 

 by changing. Usually a man successful 

 in other pursuits will be a successful bee- 

 keeper, while he who fails in other pursuits 

 will be as likely to fail with bees. Knowl- 

 edge and industry are absolutely necessary 

 in apiculture, and one should not attempt 

 the handling of even a few colonies without 

 studying a good text-book on bees, and sub- 

 scribing for and reading at least one relia- 

 ble bee journal. One reason for this is that 

 the bee industry is in its infancy, and many 



important discoveries are being made from 

 time to time. The importance of this ad- 

 vice can not be overestimated. 



J. L. GANDY. 



Many will doubtless wish to know what 

 I consider constitutes an up-to-date bee- 

 keeper, and I will, therefore, give a pen 



ONK OK THIC GANDY ()UT-YAK1)S. 



