THE BEE-KEEPERS' JIFA'IEW. 



65 



or any chance to pry into a case of honey, 

 about one-half the would-be thieveB out of a 

 large apiary were from one or both of these 

 colonies. It is to be hoped that this peculi- 

 arity may stand them in stead in the gather- 

 ing of nectar when an opportunity occurs. 

 Lapeer, Mich. Feb. ->i\, ISD.f). 



If Crops are Grown in the Future, There 

 Will Also be Honey to Gather. 



C. p. DAI>ANT. 



rrjHERE are many very good points raised 

 'iS in the editorial on the future of bee- 

 keeping, but we must not be too radical in our 

 ideas of the changes that are taking place 

 the world over. It is very true that the 

 breaking of the soil, the draining of the 

 marshes and the cutting down of the forests 

 has a tendency to increase the floods in the 

 spring and the drouth iu the summer months, 

 but will this increase be of such an extent as 

 to destroy all chances of successful honey 

 crops ? Then we may look not only to the 

 destruction of our apiaries but to the failure 

 of all our crops of any kind whatever. If 

 flowers will not yield honey there is little 

 hope of getting good crops from them. 



But is this matter as V)ad as we think ? It 

 is only four years since we have had as good 

 a clover crop in these parts as ever was har- 

 vested. The conditions of the country have 

 not changed since. Were there no seasons 

 of scarcity of honey tliirty years ago V If 

 you will inquire of the old men they will tell 

 you that they have seen many a time, a suc- 

 cession of bad seasons, of drouth, or even of 

 excess of rain which is just as bad for the 

 bees. 



There is, doubtless, a tendency to greater 

 extremes in drouth and moisture, owing to 

 the changes civilization has wrought, but 

 these changes are not so radical but that 

 there is a chance for good crops yet. It is 

 only two years now, since the greater por- 

 tion of Europe has experienced such a drouth 

 as they had not seen for a hundred and fifty 

 years. In eastern France and western (rer- 

 many in 189H, horses sold as low as $2.0() per 

 head, owing to the lack of hay and pastur- 

 age. Yet no one can say that the climatic 

 conditions have changed there, as they are 

 supposed to be here, by the advance of civil- 

 ization. There are no swamps there to drain, 

 no forests that a man may cut at his own 



bidding, for the forests of Europe are all 

 under the control of the governments and 

 the greatest care is exercised by these gov- 

 ernments to preserve them. 



If we are really going to be sure of an un- 

 interrupted drouth, caused by the progres- 

 sive changes made in the soil by cultivation, 

 we will have to irrigate, and, in my opinion, 

 it will not take long before this is done ; if 

 we once become thoroughly convinced of the 

 necessity of it. America has been taking 

 giant strides in civilization, and irrigation 

 is an open question. 



In some way or other, we must grow crops 

 and put the soil to the best possible use. 

 Whenever we can do this we surely can grow 

 good honey crops. The past three years 

 have killed the clover, the corn and all the 

 weeds around here. The praire fields are as 

 bare of wild growth as the bed of a well 

 tilled garden. No wonder that the bees have 

 suffered. If this should continue, not only 

 bee-keeping should be abandoned, but farm- 

 ing itself would have to become a side issue. 



Hamilton, 111. Feb. 1(!, 189;"). 



^:^:^^>^^^<;^ 



Improvements Will Enable Specialists in 

 Bee Culture to Remain Such. 



L. A. AHPINWALL. 



I'fognobtics respecting the wind and tlie woathor, 

 Would lielp solve the (luestiou if taken together. 



T N the January number of the Review your 

 1 editorial upon the subject so thoroughly 

 depicts the situation naturally growing out 

 of the varied conditions set forth, that it has 

 led me to consider the subject, based upon 

 certain contingencies. 



Although somewhat prophetic, a retro- 

 spective view, extending thirty or forty 

 years, should furnish many analogies, which 

 may be accepted as lessons for the future. 

 The numerous enterprises which have had 

 their beginning within that period, furnish 

 excellent object lessons for time to come. 



Upon reflection, we will find that every 

 original enterprise was contingent upon 

 some great development. For example: the 

 railway and steamship lines were projected 

 by virtue of the steam engine. Money mak- 

 ing corporations grew out of the invention 

 of the sewing machine, mower, telephone, 

 etc. This retrospective view presents to our 

 minds another fact, viz : aided by inven- 

 tions we are enabled to accomplish vastly 



