1198 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



FIG. 4. — HOLLAND SERIES. STARTING FOR THE HEATH. 



sionally gives us of some harvests on the other 

 side of the pond the production on The Bee is 

 rather small. More than 30 lbs. a year per col- 

 ony is hardly ever gathered in this country, and 

 usually the production is far less — 30 to 40 lbs. 

 of surplus being, on an average, the yearly har- 

 vest per colony. However, as good extracted 

 honey sells here at 35 cents a pound, while Mr. 

 M.'s tins of comb honey find a ready sale at 40 

 cents each, the business can still be profitable. 



Visitors are always gladly welcomed at The 

 Bee, Mr. M.'s hospitality and courtesy never be- 

 ing called upon in vain. His farm is siiuated in 

 one of the most picturesque parts of Holland. 

 Readers of Gleanings, when visiting our country, 

 will do well to take at Amsterdam an early train 

 for Nieuwersluis, a trip of but 20 minutes, when 

 a walk of about two miles through a beautiful 

 alley of gigan- 

 tic old oaks 

 will bring them 

 to Mr. M.'s 

 residence. 

 [• In conclu- 

 sion it may not 

 be out of place 

 to mention here 

 that our gov- 

 ernment is 

 slowly awaken- 

 ing from the 

 torpor it has 

 until recently 

 remained in 

 with regard to 

 the promoting 

 of the interests 

 of bee-keeping. 

 As yet our De- 

 partment of 

 Agri c u Itu re 

 has no separate 

 division for 

 apiculture; in 

 fact, I do not 

 believe the 

 whole depart- 

 ment holds one 



single official able to distinguish 

 a queen from a worker. But we 

 have one very active society for 

 the promotion of bee-keeping, and, 

 of late, the government has in- 

 creased the subsidy for this society 

 from .$500 to .$1000, thereby ena- 

 bling it to appoint a scientifically 

 and practically trained person to 

 give all desired information to its 

 members, and to expound the 

 methods and theories of bee- 

 keeping at public meetings in our 

 bee-center. Besides, our organi- 

 zation issues a monthly review, 

 and appoints yearly a commission 

 chosen from our best-known prac- 

 tical bee-keepers and entomolo- 

 gists, to examine candidates for a 

 diploma of bee-master. A pro- 

 gram of the requirements for this 

 degree has been carefully consid- 

 ered and finally agreed upon by 

 the society, and it necessitates serious studies 

 indeed to go up for this examination, very few 

 candidates having succeeded until now. Some 

 day, perhaps, we shall have one of these at the 

 head of a separate bureau for apiculture in our 

 agricultural department; but first, as we say 

 here, much water will yet have to flow to the sea. 

 However, slow but sure is our way, and so we 

 work steadily on and don't complain. 

 Maarssen, Holland. 



[It has been supposed ihat a very highly culti- 

 vated country would be unfavorable to bees; but 

 the foregoing article would indicate otherwise, 

 for no country surpasses the Netherlands in this 

 respect. Probably the results per acre are 100 

 per cent greater than the best portions of the 

 United States. It is evident that the Dutch are 

 fast adopting the latest ideas. — W. K. M.] 



FIG. 5. — HOLLAND SERIES. MR. R. TUKKER EXAMINING HIS COLONIES. 



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