1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



41 



to ship his honey to a new firm that claim to be able to 

 get so much higher prices than those quoted by old honey 

 firms almost the next door to them. Surely, any one could 

 easily have compared the prices quoted in the mailed circulars 

 with those published in the bee-papers, when it would have 

 been seen at once that something was wrong. 



It pays to watch the market quotations of old aud re- 

 liable firms, and not accept the "say so "of some who have 

 not learned the A B C of the business. 



•*-—* 



Buying- Bee-Supplies.— The time will soon beat 

 hand when bee-keepers will think of preparing for another 

 season. What supplies to get, and where to buy them, will 

 have to be decided. Now we believe that all who offer bee- 

 supplies in the advertising columns of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal are entirely reliable— that they will in each and every 

 instance give " value received." So, when you get ready, just 

 send for their catalogues, and when doing so, be sure to say 

 you saw their advertisements in the Bee Journal. 



The American Bee Journal, its editors nor its publishers 

 have any bee-supplies to sell, and we advise all to patronize 

 those who are the nearest to you, as you will thus save freight 

 or express charges — provided, of course, you get just as 

 good satisfaction. We believe in square and honorable deal- 

 ing — going where you can get the most of the best for your 



money. 



■*-»-^ 



Bee-Farms in Servia. — It is reported that a new 

 industrial departure of greatinterest has been taken in Servia, 

 where a society for bee and fruit culture has been established. 

 This society seeks to introduce a system of bee-keeping on 

 scientific principles, and of developing the industry on a profit- 

 able basis throughout that country, where until lately the 

 peasants have been in the habit of keeping their bees in coni- 

 cal straw-skeps daubed with mud or plaster, and destroying 

 the bees to obtain the honey. It is probable that the society 

 will provide the peasants with cheap straw-skeps with supers, 

 as well as bar-framed hives and other desirable agricultural 

 appliances. The farm of the society contains about 200 

 hives, placed in regular rows over the ground, six feet six 

 inches from each other, facing north. These hives are all on 

 the bar-frame principle, and of the pattern generally known 

 as Dzierzon hives, and they contain about 80 pounds of honey 

 in the comb when full. They are made of wood, with straw 

 sides, and cost about !p2.25 each. The bees appear to be a 

 species of the common bee (Apis melliftca), but are rather 

 small in size and unusually tractable. The Italian bee {Apis 

 Uijustica) does not succeed well in Servia, becoming quickly 

 merged into the indigenous stock. 



The bee-farm is provided with two centrifugal boney-ex- 

 tractors of very simple design, but perfectly practical. After 

 extraction the honey is put into glass bottles, with neat screw 

 tops, imported from Austria, containing respectively half- 

 pound, one pound, and two pounds. The price of the honey 

 is about 17 cents a pound, exclusive of the bottle, for which 

 an extra charge is made. The wax is sold to the wax dealers 

 for making into church candles, and realizes about 30 cents a 

 pound. 



The importance of encouraging bee-culture is evidently 

 realized by the members of this society and others interested, 

 and the introduction of a law is in contemplation obliging all 

 priests, schoolmasters, and certain others holding employment 

 under the government to turn their attention to the keeping 

 of bees. 



ES°° With a favorable location and a natural ability and 

 inclination for the business, there is no question but bee-keep- 

 ing is one of the most profitable pursuits in this great State of 

 ours, so noted for its many and profitable industries. — Hon. 

 Geo. E. Hilton, of Michigan. 



MR. ADRIAiy GETAZ. 



The subject of this sketch was born in Aigle, Canton de 

 Vaud, Switzerland, on April 28, 1844. His father went to 

 France when Adrian was only 3 years old ; he was a preacher, 

 in the employ of the Evangelical church of Geneva and Lyons. 

 He preached in several parts of Prance to congregations of 

 protestants, scattered among the Catholic population. His 

 work was more of a missionary than a regular pastor. 



In 1858, soon after Napoleon III ascended the throne, 

 an order founded on a constitutional technicality was issued, 

 ordering all the small protestant churches not under the state 

 supervision to be closed. This was done in order to please the 

 Catholic priests' party that was very strong at that time. Mr. 

 Getaz and three other pastors refused to discontinue preach- 

 ing, and were tried and condemned to heavy fines and impris- 

 onment. After six weeks passed in jail, they were pardoned 

 and released. 



In 1859 the senior Getaz took charge of the estates of a 

 large landowner, beside continuing preaching to a small con 

 gregation of protestants. He became a prominent agricul- 

 turist, and won many medals at the fairs. He instructed and 

 taught his children himself, not only in classical things, but 

 also along practical lines, such as bookkeeping, surveying, 

 civil-engineering, etc. Adrian was the oldest child. His 

 father and mother are now dead, but the eight children are 

 living — three boys and one girl this side of the Atlantic, and 

 three girls and one boy still living in Europe. 



Mr. Getaz followed the same business as his father, that 

 is, agricultural manager for some landowner, and finally en- 

 tered, in that capacity, in an industrial school. Soon after, 

 the directors found out that he could do other work than that, 

 and immediately assigned him a place as professor, and in- 

 sisted that he should take a diploma at once, and push in that 

 direction. He also had charge oi the bakery department dur- 

 ing a part of the time. But a change of directors brought out 

 an entire change in the personel of the institution, and Mr. 

 Getaz then went to Kuoxville, Tenn., in 1870. He worked 

 successfully at a sawmill, as a farm hand. In a broom-factory, 

 in a shoe-factory, and finally bought a farm on which he lived 

 several years. Farming did not prove very satisfactory ; the 

 land was poor, and what was worse, the panicky times of 

 1873, and the following years, caused farming products to 

 sell there at prices ridiculously low. Being of a mechanical 

 turn, he was his own blacksmith and wood-worker, and did a 

 good deal of work of that kind for the neighbors. He also did 

 work as carpenter, mason and well-digger — in fact, almost 

 anything that came along, including teaching music and 

 school, and firing a threshing-machine engine. 



Mr. Getaz finally went back to Knoxville, and worked 

 with Stephenson, Getaz «fe Co., as bookkeeper, paymaster, 

 lumber inspector and draughtsman ; later as bookkeeper and 

 cashier of the Knoxville Mantel and Cabinet Co., of which he 

 was a stockholder ; now as bookkeeper for his brother, D. 

 Getaz, who is a builder and contractor. 



Mr. Getaz says : "Very few bee-keepers have done as 

 many different kinds of work as I have, excepting, perhaps, 

 Mr. Heddon, who, I understand, among other things, has been 

 a dancing-master and Sunday-school superintendent. I have 

 always wondered if the two were at the same time." 



Mr. Getaz does not remember what year he began bee- 

 keeping, but it was about eight years ago when he began with 

 four colonies. A few nuclei bought later were a failure, on 

 account of robbing. He keeps now between 50 and 60 colo- 

 nies, in two apiaries — one about 3 miles from the city, and the 

 other 9 miles away. The results, or profits, of his bee-keep- 

 ing are not very brilliant, though his average yield per colony 

 has never been as low as Dr. Miller's was last year. Bees 

 have been only a side-issue with him, and sometimes woefully 

 neglected, when other work was pressing. Another reason is, 

 that he has been experimenting and learning, rather than 

 working for profit. A third reason is the presence of bee- 

 paralysis. He does not think that bee-keeping will ever be 



