Apr. 1. 1912 



193 



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INTERNATIONAL AUTO WAGON SAVES EX- 

 PENSE OF HIRED MAN 



BY N. L. HENTHORNE 



In this section of Colorado, tliirty-flve 

 miles north of Denver, in the Platte \'alley, 

 bee range is rather limited, thus making 

 the maintenance of large apiaries in one lo- 

 cation not conducive to the best results. 

 The only alternative is to place from fifty to 

 seventy-five colonies in different places 

 throughout the district. I have between 

 500 and GOOcolonies within a radius of twelve 

 miles from my home, and this necessitates 

 traveling from 100 to 150 miles every week 

 during the swarming season. In order to 

 get the work done I was obliged to keep a 

 man to assist me; and my experience with 

 hired help during the swarming season has 

 been far from satisfactory at the best. The 

 long drives I was compelled to make every 

 day during the summerwere very fatiguing, 

 for considerable time was spent on the road 

 alone; and in order to keep the horses in 

 shape I could not overwork them; and the 

 cost of maintaining a driving outfit in this 

 country amounts to about thirty dollars a 

 month. 



A very important advantage of a motor 

 vehicle is in getting to a yard and away 

 again with a load of honey. With horses 

 it is always risky if not dangerous. 



In view of the objections to horses as 

 given, I became convinced that the auto- 

 mobile is the only means of transportation 

 in the bee business, and I decided to buy 

 one. Upon investigation I learned that I 

 could buy second-hand machines in Den- 

 ver at prices ranging from $100 to $600; but 

 I knew nothing at all about automobiles, 

 and I believe investments in second-hand 

 machinery to be inadvisable at best. There- 

 fore I bought a new truck, manufactured 

 by the International Harvester Company, 

 the solid tires and the air-cooled cylinders 

 being strong points in its favor, in iny esti- 

 mation. The car is ostensibly built for ser- 

 vice; but by adding a rear seat it can be 

 turned into a pleasure car, as it rides quite 

 comfortably. 



I held the wheel of my machine for the 

 first time at four o'clock on the afternoon of 

 •luly 11, 1911. The morning of the 12th I 

 loaded on 72 empty eight-frame comb-hon- 

 ey supers, and ran out 1% miles into the 

 country, did the necessary work there, and 

 reached home in time for the midday lunch. 

 In the afternoon I went nine miles in anoth- 

 er direction, arriving home at o : oO. 



Aside from the usual minor troubles of 

 the inexperienced driver, I have had no 

 trouble whatever with the machine; and in 

 the 4(X)0 miles of travel which I have cover- 

 ed with it I have not paid out a cent for re- 

 pairs aside from one slight accident to the 

 engine. During the summer I can make 



the distance of 100 miles with a load on eight 

 gallons of gasoline and one gallon of oil— the 

 former at 14 cents per gallon, and the latter 

 at 43, making a total running expense of 

 $1.55 per hundred miles. This machine 

 can carry 1500 pounds twelve to fifteen miles 

 per hour, and I have run into Denver with 

 a load of honey, and out with supplies, in 

 one afternoon— a distance of 70 miles, round 

 trip. Mr. llauchfuss, of the Colorado Hon- 

 ey-producers' Association, will verify ray 

 statement that my honey arrived at the as- 

 sociation in better condition than any other 

 he received. I now expect to do all my own 

 work this summer with the use of the truck. 

 I can haul from 55 to 65 cases at a trip. 



Naturally there will be the expense of 

 new tires in the future. The cost of tires is 

 nine dollars each, put on; but I can say that 

 I have never been delayed a minute because 

 of tire trouble. I have made several trips 

 into the mountains with my truck, and it 

 works well on the mountain roads. I can 

 hardly wait until fishing time comes for a 

 run into the hills. I have used the machine 

 in mud and sand with good success. Like 

 all machinery it requires good care in order 

 to do good work. 



Platteville, Colo. 



REO DRIVEN TEN THOUSAND MILES WITH- 

 OUT REPAIRS. 



BY C. A. KINSEY. 



Since April, 1911, I have been driving a 

 1910 25-30 h.p. five-passenger Reo, and have 

 covered between eight and ten thousand 

 miles. I have had no repairs made on the 

 car so far, outside of tires, except to grind 

 down two exhaust valves. The tire expense 

 is something that depends a great deal on 

 the quality of the lire, kind of rou<:a, and, 

 most of all, on the carefulness of ine driver! 



AVith this Reo it is possible to start out at 

 7 o'clock in the morning, with six grown 

 people, two children, nine and ten years of 

 age, lunch-baskets, fishing-tackles, etc., and 

 go 45 miles up a rocky canyon into the heart 

 of the Rocky Mountains, making a rise of 

 nearly 3000 feet, si)end a good part of the 

 day fishing and berrying, and get home 

 again at 7 p.m. This car ordinarily will 

 travel 15 miles on one gallon of gasolene. 

 In this Gallatin Valley, surrounded by 

 mountains, there is always an up grade, 

 either going or coming, from 30 to 50 feet per 

 mile. There is one particular road that 

 rises some 1700 feet in a little less than four 

 miles. The Mitchell and the Reo, with fa- 

 vorable conditions, will take this grade on 

 "the high." 



I know from personal experience that an 

 auto is a boon to beekeepers. There is no 

 danger from stings and resulting runaways 

 as with horses. 



Helgrade, Mont. 



