522 



GLB/LNINGS IN BEE CUIiTUnE 



General Correspondence 



THE POSSIBILITIES OF BEEKEEPING AS A SIDE 

 LINE 



BY K. FRED GARDINER 



[The following article is the substance of a paper 

 read at the last convention of the Oklahoma Bee- 

 keepers' Association by Mr. Gardiner. This explains 

 the quotations made from the various books, etc. As 

 it deals with the possibilities of bees as a side line 

 or recreation, we are glad to reproduce it here. — 

 Ed.] 



It has been stated by the publishers of 

 one of our leading bee- journals that they 

 believe that fully 90 per cent of their read- 

 ers are what could be termed " back-lotters " 

 — that is, they keep bees on a back lot or in 

 their dooryards as a side line while they 

 follow some other business or profession. 

 This is likely true of beekeeping in general. 



Since the greatest number of bees are 

 kept as a side line, the more astonishing, 

 then, are the yields of honey and wax and 

 the value of the same. I have found it very 

 difficult to obtain any figiu'es on the prod- 

 uct ; in fact, I could get none whatever from 

 the 1910 census. The 1900 census gives the 

 honey production in the United States as 

 61,196,160 pounds. Our authorities think 

 that these figures are exceeded by the comb 

 . honey alone produced, and likely these fig- 

 ures should have been doubled at least. As 

 an illustration of how unreliable these cen- 

 sus figures must be, it will be necessary only 

 to state that it has been the practice of the 

 census bureau to list only the bees on farms 

 or tracts as large as four acres. Therefore 

 we sideliners haven't done much to raise 

 the figures in the census reports. Why, 

 don't you know I raised 1500 pounds this 

 season myself? Then if we double the fig- 

 ures of the 1900 census report we have over 

 61,000 tons, which is not likely too large. 



One of the most astonishing features of 

 this is, that this gi-eat volume of sweetness 

 was not piled up by a steam-shovel, but by 

 a small insect, a small part of a drop at a 

 time under the direction of us sideliners — 

 90 per cent of it any way. 



But we must not get a wrong impression 

 of what this side line means. We must not 

 think that, because of the term, we are to 

 secure a few hives of bees and set them over 

 against the line fence or in some out-of-the- 

 way corner and visit them only to replenish 

 our depleted larder or secure figures for 

 the census enumerator, 



I believe I can say without contradiction 

 that there are but two conditions under 

 which beekeeping can be counted a success. 

 One is where it is followed by a specialist 

 for the " almighty dollar," and the other by 

 the side-liner from pure love of the work. 



However, it is not infrequent that the side- 

 liner allows the object of his affection to 

 grow so that he finds that he has become a 

 specialist. 



The words of Dr. Bohrer before the 1909 

 convention of the National Beekeepers' 

 Association I consider good wisdom for 

 those contemplating becoming a sideliner 

 or possibly a specialist. Dr. B. says in 

 part, " I have made it a custom for several 

 years, especially since foul brood has come 

 into the country, to discourage all persons 

 who know nothing about the management 

 of honeybees. When they talk to me about 

 buying them I tell them that, unless they 

 stud}' standard works on the habits and 

 management of the honeybee, and read the 

 bee- journals, they can buy decidedly more 

 honey than they will ever get out of bees by 

 owning them." 



For my part I have frequently been in- 

 strumental in securing for interested friends 

 bees in modern hives, or have assisted in 

 transferring from boxes and logs and gums 

 into modern hives, and then have watched 

 their interest lag and have seen the bees 

 left to utter neglect. 



On the other hand, here are some inspir- 

 ing words from Mrs. Comstock, in the A B 

 C and X y Z of Bee Culture, on beekeeping 

 for women. I quote from this chapter the 

 following : 



" I should put first of all, and as embrac- 

 ing all other reasons, that beekeeping may 

 be an interesting avocation which may be 

 earned on coincidentally with other employ- 

 ments ; it is an interesting study in natural 

 histoi'y ; it cultivates calmness in spirit ; 

 self-control and patience ; it is ' a heap ' of 

 fun ; incidentally it may supply the home 

 table with a real luxury; and it may add a 

 very considerable amount to the woman's 

 spending money. It may also be carried 

 on as a regular business and be made to 

 support a family. 



" But it is as an avocation that I am espe- 

 cially interested in the apiary. Any woman 

 who keeps house needs an avocation which 

 shall take her mind and attention complete- 

 ly off her household cares at times. 



" Beekeeping is one of the best of these 

 life-saving, nei-ve-healing avocations; it 

 takes the mind from household cares as 

 completely as would a trip to Europe, for 

 one can not work with bees and think of 

 any thing else. Some of the attributes 

 which make beekeeping an intersting avoca- 

 tion I will mention: First of all, the bees 

 are such wonderful little creatures, and so 

 far beyond our comprehension, that they 

 have for us always the fascination of an 



