306 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



convert everything into cash, and move them from the South to the North to gather 

 our harvest ? Let us see how it may be done. 



A colony of bees will consume, from the end of August until the following June, 

 40 pounds of honey — at 7 cents, $2.80. Converting the combs into wax — 2 pounds 

 — 50 cents; or the combs maybe preserved at say 80 cents ; possibly the queen and 

 bees may be sold at say 50 cents — or the total, $3.80, may be realized per hive — 

 saving trouble and risk of wintering. Bringing thera through the spring has been 

 the greatest trouble the past three seasons, owing to continued cold weather. No 

 doubt many will be averse to any such proceeding, and will denounce it and declare 

 it impracticable and unprofitable, which is not the case. 



The spring of 1893 was one long to be remembered as one of the most disas- 

 trous in the loss of bees in the northern part of this continent. Before they could 

 be gotten into condition to gather the crop, the season was nearly gone — at least a 

 portion of the clover crop was required to get them into condition, when fruit-blos- 

 som in ordinary seasons would have sufiBced. 



Bees imported from Tennessee, or some such clime, can be laid down by May 

 10th, stronger in bees and brood, and more uniform than ours would be on June 

 10th, therefore in a condition to secure surplus from our earliest blossoms, yield 

 being as large from that source as any, if we have the bees to gather it. 



If the bees imported in 1893 be a fair criterion of what they can do, then I say 

 a bee-keeper would be money in pocket by following the above plan. The tijne was 

 when I would not advocate such measures ; it has now arrived — a living has to be 

 made out of the business ; we have, then, to look at it from a business point of view, 

 laying aside sentiment. Some will say, " What a cruel thing to kill the busy bee !" 

 That is so ; is it not equally so to kill the calf for its veal ? If we were strict veg- 

 etarians, we might talk in that manner. The writer is a vegetarian, and never 

 passes the shambles without an uneasy feeling lest he should see the shuddering 

 body of the bullock in the last throes of death. One thing I know is, that I can take 

 the life of a bee with less compunction than I could a calf. 



From experience and observation, I have arrived at this conclusion, that it is 

 the more profitable method, having brought a carload of bees from Tennessee in 

 June, 1893, as an experiment, arriving in Toronto on June 13th — one month late. 

 It would have been better had they arrived one month earlier, as the weather would 

 have been cooler, and more favorable for them. They were in transit six days, the 

 weather being very warm at that period, requiring constant attention, spraying the 

 bees, sides and roof of the car to keep them cool. They were so strong in bees that 

 before they arrived they nearly exhausted their stores. Each colony contained six 

 pounds or more of bees, and six frames of brood. Any practical bee-keeper would 

 know what that would mean, to have 200 colonies in that condition on May 20th, 

 in the northern part of this continent. It just means that enough surplus would be 

 gathered from early blossoms to meet all expenses, and have a larger surplus for 

 the balance of the season, besides solving the wintering problem. They arrived in 

 good condition, and I can report favorably on the project. In all likelihood I will 

 repeat it. The loss in transit was two colonies. 



I hope these few scattered thoughts may be the means of conveying to the 

 minds of some of the Bee Jouknai/s many readers, some facts that may be helpful 

 in reducing labor, risk and expense in their apiaries. Toronto, Ont., Canada. 



J^" To me, it seems that the matter of good drones is of greater value, if pos- 

 sible, than is that of good queens ; for I believe that the father has as much, or 

 more to do with the impress left on the offspring, than does the mother. — Doolittle. 



