1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



757 



BEE-KEEPING IN THE 

 SOUTHWEST 



By Louis Scholl, New Braunfels, Tex. 



To old and young a merry Christmas and 

 a happy New Year. May the coming year 

 be a profitable one to us all in the things we 

 may do and the lessons that we may learn. 



THE 1910 CENSUS. 



It is unfortunate that the census will be 

 taken during the next year, since our pres- 

 ent year has been a very unfavorable one, 

 taken as a whole, all over the United States, 

 for the production of even an average crop 

 of honev and wax; consequently the census 

 figures will not show up the bee-keeping in- 

 dustry as they should. The Texas crop has 

 been barely half of the average. This will 

 make a material difference in the census 

 figures. These conditions exist similarly in 

 other States. For Texas, at least, it is my 

 candid opinion that it would be safe just to 

 double the figures for a true estimate of the 

 real output of honey and wax in an average 

 year. 



SOME PLANS FOR 1910. 



The past year has been the busiest that I 

 have ever experienced, and I fear that my 

 editorial work has not been just what it 

 ought to have been — at least it has not been 

 as good as I intended to make it. Judging, 

 however, from the many letters that have 

 been sent me, and from the statements of the 

 friends whom I have met, I believe that "Bee- 

 keeping in the Southwest " is being more and 

 more appreciated. P'or this reason my in- 

 tention is to make this department of more 

 interest during the next year. Our experi- 

 ence with twenty apiaries of bees, which com- 

 pelus to adopt short methods and up-to-date 

 equipment, should enable us to give to the 

 readers items which will not only be new and 

 interesting, but profitable as well. Begin- 

 ning with the new year I shall try to describe 

 our operations right through the season with 

 a large number of out-apiaries, using the di- 

 visible-brood-chamber hives, and producing 

 bulk, comb, and extracted honey. In this 

 way the many questions that have been ask- 

 ed will be answered fully. 



THAT THICK MIDRIB. 



Dr. Miller and the editor deserve a good 

 " swat " for trying to tell me how to use that 

 comb with a midrib half an inch thick so as 

 to make full-grown bees emerge from those 

 small cells by spacing the combs further 

 apart and allowing the bees to elongate the 

 cells. Who ever heard of any thing lil<e this? 

 Here are the facts: The comb was m a brood- 

 nest between straight combs, spaced the 

 natural or regular distance. The midrib of 

 this comb was half an inch thick on account 

 of the age, and the cell walls were thicker 



also. The cells were, therefore, too small to 

 allow full-grown bees to hatch from them. 

 The large numbers that did hatch out were 

 but little more than half the size of their sis- 

 ters. These are the fac^s, and I am convinc- 

 ed that combs, sometimes at least, as in this 

 case, become useless as brood-combs if left 

 too long in the brood chamber. Now, what 

 has spacing the combs further apart to allow 

 the bees to elongate the cells to do with the 

 facts? Surely, if the combs got into such a 

 condition the bees would be powerless to 

 spread them. It is impossible to tell how old 

 such combs must be, for I do not know how 

 old this comb of mine was. I believe, how- 

 ever, that it was more than thirty years old; 

 but how much more I do not know. 



AUTOMOBILES FOR THE BEE-KEEPER. 



A few years ago automobiles were consid- 

 ered impractical for the apiarist. Now there 

 are numbers of bee-keepers who are using 

 them to great advantage. With a series ot 

 outyards and reasonably good roads it is no 

 trick at all with one of these machines to 

 manage twice as many colonies as before. 

 It is not only tiresome but most aggravating 

 to jog along with an old-style wagon and 

 team when one is needed at every yard at 

 the same time. It is then that the long-felt 

 want is most apparent, and it becomes worse 

 when some other fellow passes by with the 

 thing you "auto" have, and leaves you be- 

 hind. 



With outyards twenty miles away it is nec- 

 essary to drive eight hours in hot weather, 

 and there are two hours left for work on 

 that trip. With the machine the time would 

 be just reversed — two hours for the trip and 

 eight for work, if ten working hours are 

 figured for the day. Furthermore, with a 

 team it would be cruel to misuse the animals 

 for many such trips; but the automobile, if 

 kept in good working order, would always 

 be ready to go instead of being tired out. 

 Furthermore, the danger of horses being 

 stung would be done away with. 



Bee-keepers generally should more readily 

 learn to manage and care for automobiles 

 than men of any other class, because of their 

 practical knowledge of machinery, etc. The 

 automobile not only brings the bee-keeper 

 and his bees closer togetner, aiding him to 

 be a more successful and extensive bee- 

 keeper, but it brings him closer to his neigh- 

 bors and closer to the markets. It aids both 

 in social as well as in business affairs. One 

 or a dozen miles cuts but little figure with 

 the owner of one of these machines, and he 

 can get more profit and more pleasure out of 

 life. The time is not far distant when every 

 up-to-date bee-keeper will own an automo- 

 bile. 



The question here naturally arises, ' ' Which 

 is the best automobile for the bee-keeper?" 

 Since this is an interesting topic, we should 

 be glad to have articles giving further light 

 on the subject. A few nave appeared; but 

 let us consider the best type of motor vehicle 

 for apiarian use. 



