574 



usualW do not use them, for the reason that 

 they can get along just as well (or better) 

 bj' using their fingers alone. 



Another idea for frame-pliers, sent us by 

 Wm. Grams, of Sturgis, S. D., is shown 

 herewith. Perhaps the latter tool permits 

 of a rather firmer grip on the top-bar, with 

 less tendency of the frame to tip if not 

 grasped exactly in the center. — Ed.] 



BEEKEEPING A FAVORITE SPORT 



BY HENRY A. SHAEFER 



Keeping a few colonies of bees is my 

 favorite sport. I have hunted, fished, play- 

 ed ball, and used a camera. I soon tired of 

 all these, but not so with my bees. 



My father is a farmer, and I work on his 

 farm. I care for my bees at noon, and nail 

 up frames and get supers ready in the eve- 

 ning. We live in a rather hilly country whei'e 

 white clover is the principal honey-plant. 

 It is everywhere, and the honey-flow begins 

 about June 10, and usually ends the latter 

 part of July. 



The fii-st half-hour that I spent with the 

 bees was a very pleasant one. I had bought 

 a colony of bees during fruit bloom, when 

 it happened that the weatlier was too cold 

 for .the bees to fly. I could hardly restrain 

 my impatience until a warm day came. 

 Wlien it did come I i)ut on my home-made 

 veil (my bee supplies had not come yet), 

 and without smoker or gloves I Avent to 

 open the hive. I expected to get stung many 

 times before I closed it again, but not a bee 

 dared to be so forAvard. 



1 looked for the queen, for I wanted to 

 see if all the talk about her being so large 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



was true. Three or four times I thought 

 that I had her, only to find that it was a 

 worker distended with honey. It would go 

 into a cell with honey in, and I thought that 

 surely a c|ueen Avould not lay an egg in a 

 cell half full of honey. At last I found the 

 cjueen. She was much larger than the bees 

 I had mistaken for her. I took the frame 

 with the queen on it and proudly showed 

 her to the folks, then took the frame back 

 to the hive and carefully closed it, satisfied 

 that I had seen a queen bee. 



Every time after that, Avhen I looked into 

 the liive I saAv or learned something new. 

 That Avas and still is my pleasure. The 

 work connected with keeping a feAv colonies 

 is light, pleasant, and also different from all 

 other work on the farm. 



Colfax, Wis. 



HONORABLE 0. C. SKINNER 



BY A\'ESLEY FOSTER 



The keeping of bees attracts in all prob- 

 ability more people in varied Avalks of life 

 than any other line of Avork Avith perhaps 

 the exception of poultry-raising and farm- 

 ing. The latter rural pursuits have drawn 

 many business and professional men to their 

 ranks from the city during the past few 

 years. 



But bee culture embraces in its list of 

 devotees people from all ranks of life- 

 men, Avomen, and children. Editors and 

 newspaper men generally seem to be drawn 

 toAvard beekeeping because, no doubt, of 

 the opportunity for outdoor Avork, Avith- 

 out the physical demands that many phases 

 of farming require. 



Mr. Skinner is an old neAvspaper man, 

 Avho is now a member of the Colorado leg- 

 islature, and a beekeeper on the side. He 

 OAvns something like 200 colonies of bees 

 that he has leased to another party. But 

 20 colonies placed on the roof of a shed at 

 the rear of his home place in Montrose are 

 cared for by himself. I am shoAving a pic- 

 ture of this shed-roof apiary. Mr. Skinner 

 tells me it is a gi'eat improvement over 

 ]}lacing the hives on the ground, because 

 of the greater safety to passersby. The 

 disadvantage is that, Avhen Avalking on the 

 shed roof, all the hives are jarred more or 

 less, which angers the bees. But the flight 

 of the bees being above that of traffic on 

 the street more than balances this disad- 

 vantage. 



During the spring of 1911 I met Mr. 

 Skinner for the first time. I asked him to 

 introduce a bill in the House relative to 

 apiai'y ])rotectioii Avhich had been drawn up 

 by the committee on legislation of the Col- 



