THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



195 



' The Btate of the art to which an invention 

 belongs at the time thut invention was 

 made, must be considered in construing any 

 claim for tlie invention." 



I thank Bro. Taylor for placing himself 

 on record in a light that ends all controversy 

 between us. 

 DDowAQiAo, Mich. .June 17, 189.5. 



Early Rising — Swarm - Catchers and the 

 Uses to Which They May Be Put. 



B. TAYLOB. 



iTTiPIARIAN sci- 

 Xi ence is much 

 like military sci- 

 ence. There is the 

 recruiting time, the 

 arming and drill- 

 ing, the dress par- 

 ade , finally the bat- 

 tle. In my article 

 m the April Review 

 I said, in naming 

 the main factors in 

 making honey pro- 

 ducing a success, " a live intelligent enter- 

 prising bee-keeper who is ivilling to get up 

 at three o'clock and work until eight." Per- 

 haps I should have qualified this by saying 

 one willing to work such long hours in an 

 emergency, for I do not believe in making 

 beasts of burden of ourselves, especially for 

 the mere purpose of serving "mammon." 

 I know that the " life is more than meat, the 

 body than raiment." but when one is willinrj 

 tolwork long hours, labor is not slavery but 

 oftimes the most joyful freedom. Friend 

 E. T. Abbott in the A. B. ./. takes exceptions 

 to those long hours, and ecolds fiercely. 

 Friend Abbott, 1 did not mean you when I 

 recommended these unusual hours, I said 

 "willing,^' and, as you do not seem to be 

 willing we will excuse you ; but if we or oth. 

 ers can enjoy this service, I hope you will be 

 generous enough to give us the privilege. I 

 do not believe many persons harm them- 

 selves by early rising. I believe there is too 

 much .<f/ii'rfcin{;o/fci(s/»c.s.s and too little tcil- 

 ling, joyful industry. Taking the year 

 around I do not get up so early as six 

 o'clock, but I have practiced all my life, at 

 certain seasons, to rise very early, and have 

 no evidence of having harmed myself there- 

 by. Now in the weakness of advanced years. 



if I have any hard tasks to do I am compell- 

 ed to arise early and do them in the cool 

 morning air, for I cannot work in the noon 

 heat. If Mr. Abbott wants to, I will not 

 scold, but I hope I will be more thoughtful 

 than one of my acquaintances. I visited the 

 house of this good man one morning : the 

 wife had a smoking hot breakfast upon the 

 table but the husband was not visible. Pres- 

 ently he came shambling out of the bed- 

 room half dressed, and feeling a little 

 ashamed no doubt. He began to explain 

 that he did not believe in early rising ; did 

 not believe it necessary ; thought every one 

 could make a living without working before 

 breakfast. I facetiously agreed with him 

 and advised his wife to never again ivork be- 

 fore breakfast. I do not know whether the 

 gentleman saw the 2yoint or not. 



Now friends I have given my reasons for 

 the safety and profit of early rising. Espec- 

 ially in swarming time it is with me, here in 

 Minnesota, a necessity, for swarms have 

 frequently come out as early as six a. m., 

 and as late as six p. m. Those late swarms 

 always remain over night and I have found 

 many a one by chance the following morn- 

 ing. Such swarms, if not discovered and 

 hived, leave for the woods at 9 or 10 o'clock. 

 Those that come out early in the morning 

 remain about the same time and then leave 

 for a new home in some hollow tree. 



We have usually kept about 200 colonies 

 here in the home yard and to have been in 

 bed at six a. m. in swarming time would 

 have been fatal to success. At such times 

 we never think of all leaving the yard for 

 dinner. I commonly remain and watch un- 

 til the help returns and then take my meal, 

 and I have frequently hived from four to six 

 swarms in this brief time. If there had been 

 no watching many of these swarms would 

 have been lost. I know a bee-keeper with 

 100 colonies who never watches his yard in 

 swarming time, further than to go two or 

 three times each day and look among the 

 neighboring trees for clustered swarms. I 

 know this man loses dozens of swarms each 

 year, yet he says and seems to believe he 

 does not. Of course this good man has net 

 made bees pay. 



Now friends I have written all this to im- 

 press on you that industry and unceasing 

 diligence is the price of .success in bee-keep- 

 ing, and if I have succeeded I have done you 

 a great service. What you must have to 

 make bee-keeping, or in fact any other busi- 



