1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



357 



ings. I might cite numerous illustrations ol similar progress. 

 I very well recollect when bee-keeping was not a profitable 

 pursuit, although the sources of honey were abundant, and 

 not until Mr. Quinby gave his system to the public was it 

 otherwise ; and with the advent of the Langstroth frame came 

 still greater profits, attended with a wonderful degree of 

 progress. 



Notwithstanding the loss sustained by drainage of marsh 

 lands, and clearing of the forests of basswood, also the pro- 

 duction of crops which yield no honey, we have forage from 

 shade-trees, fruit-blooin, the clovers, buckwheat, etc., in lieu 

 of the primitive sources. 



With changed conditions bee-keeping in many portions of 

 the country has ceased to be a paying pursuit. Bee-paralysis 

 has also tended to reduce the profits in many localities. Dry 

 seasons have proved an equivalent to overstocking, resulting 

 in the storage of much poor honey, which is unfavorable to 

 successful wintering. These discouragements, intensified by 

 a lack of control in swarming, tend to make the profits still 

 less. 



With these conditions relative to bee-keeping, what shall 

 be the remedy ? What will enable the bee-keeper to obtain a 

 reasonable profit when the seasons are unfavorable '? It re- 

 quires no great skill to secure a crop of honey where the for- 

 age is abundant, with weather favorable to the secretion of 

 nectar. I have met men who, with favorable seasons and 

 Rood yields of honey, flattered themselves that they were bee- 

 keepers, when really the bees were their keepers. He only is 

 a bee-keeper who can secure surplus under unfavorable cir- 

 cumstances. To accomplish this, several requisites are nec- 

 essary. 



First, we should possess a thorough knowledge of bee- 

 keeping to its latest developments. The bee-keeper should 

 also possess a natural adaptability to the profession. Pre- 

 suming the knowledge has been acquired, there still remains 

 certain requisites not contained in the volumes of the bee- 

 keeper's library. The numerous experiences of the past five 

 years are sufficient evidence in support of such a statement. 

 How few in Michigan have been able to show a balance in 

 favor of bee-keeping. However, these seasons and conditions, 

 already mentioned, have served as a school of necessity. Never 

 was there known such an effort to lessen manipulation as of 

 late ; never so much experimenting to prevent swarming, and 

 never so great a desire to winter bees successfully with in- 

 ferior stores. 



Let us consider some of the requisites for success in bee- 

 keeping: 



1st. A thorough knowledge of the up-to-date methods. 



2nd. An easy and successful method of wintering. 



3rd. Management with less than half the present manipu- 

 lation. 



4th. Complete control and prevention of swarming. 



5th. A thorough and complete remedy for all diseases. I 

 refer especially to foul brood and bee-paralysis. 



6th. And lastly, we should include a good feeder. 



In considering the method of wintering I will simply refer 

 to it as a necessity. It is not within the scope of this article 

 to treat the subject. I will merely allude to a statement made 

 by Mr. Quinby, in which he said that "colonies well wintered 

 were the only ones from which surplus could be expected." 



The third requisite — requiring less manipulation— is con- 

 tingent upon the methods employed throughout the year, win- 

 tering included, which must be simple and easy in manage- 

 ment. It certainly should include a non-swarming'system or 

 hive. Every bee-keeper knows something of the labor and 

 annoyance during the swarming season. This must be 

 done away with, if possible, and comb honey produced exclu- 

 sively. But an objection may be raised. Unless some ex- 

 tracted is obtained, we fail to realize the maximum profit 



from our bees. This objection will hold good if manipulation 

 is not taken into consideration. 



I have come to believe that bee-culture must be so man- 

 aged that, if desirable, it may be followed by a side-issue, or 

 in connection with another occupation. With lessened ma- 

 nipulation, which implies no swarming or extracting of honey, 

 larger holdings will be possible, also greater assurance of suc- 

 cess. It is unnecessary for me to state that comb honey does, 

 and always will, occupy a higher place than extracted, which, 

 if secured at less expense, is a point gained. 



Lessened manipulation in itself calls for a non-swarmer. 



The demands of the times call for an advance in these 

 lines, and they must and will be forthcoming. 



In alluding to non-swarmers — the fourth requisite — I will 

 state for the benefit of all concerned, that I have no small de- 

 gree of confidence in their ultimate success. Two seasons of 

 experiment upon a large scale demonstrated that but one col- 

 ony in 20 non-swarming hives cast swarms, while all without 

 the attachments swarmed. The non-swarmers gave a sur- 

 plus, while the swarmers were almost destitute of stores. This 

 season's experiments will be more complete, having gained by 

 the experience of the past two years. 



The fifth calls for a positive remedy for foul brood and 

 bee-paralysis. The former is sufficiently understood by in- 

 telligent bee-keepers to be thoroughly under control, although 

 it is liable to spread through carelessness and ignorance. As 

 regards bee-paralysis, but little Is understood as yet. Cer- 

 tainly the disease is such as to seriously affect the yield of 

 honey. 



The sixth requisite is a good feeder, without which the 

 preparation for successful wintering cannot be accomplished. 

 The use of comb foundation in the sections as a bait, together 

 with the tiering system leaves the brood-nest depleted in stores 

 at the close of the season. I am speaking relative to the un- 

 favorable conditions already mentioned, hence the great ne- 

 cessity of feeding. To prepare for extreme winters, each col- 

 ony should contain not less than 40 pounds of food. 



L. A. ASPINWALL. 



W. Z. Hutchinson — Bees don't need so much honey for the 

 winter as the amount mentioned by Mr. Aspinwall, but they 

 may use it in the spring. 



M. H. Hunt — Mr. Aspinwall's paper is something to set 

 inventors to thinking. 



Mr. Aspinwall — Yes, that was what it was intended to 

 do, and what I have set forth in that paper is what we must 

 come to. 



W. Z. Hutchinson — There is no question but what a safe 

 method of wintering and a remedy for swarming would work 

 almost a revolution iu bee-keeping, as a man could scatter his 

 apiaries about the country, and care for them with but little 

 labor, and the result would be the production of honey at less 

 expense. 



Mr. Aspinwall — Out of 20 colonies in my non-swarming 

 hive, only one swarmed, and all gave a fair surplus, while 

 those in ordinary hives swarmed, and stored no surplus, and 

 had to be fed in the fall. 



The Secretary now read a paper from Mr. T. F. Bingham, 

 entitled, 



Horizontal Prices. 



The only real satisfaction to be gained by a careful sur- 

 vey of our industry, is that bee-keeping, like other industries, 

 is suffering from restricted consumption — in common phrase, 

 " over-production." 



We read that over-production is impossible. This may be 

 true, and to prove that this belief is reasonable, we are told 

 that the last five years have been light in the amount of honey 

 produced. Yet this supposed short crop has not only held at 

 former prices, but actually fallen in price. This is used as 



