THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



17 



puts it, and he puts it well, provided 

 the farmer is fit for the ivork. If a 

 farmer is systematic, and understands 

 both bee-keeping- and farming", tliere is 

 no question but what he can both farm 

 and keep bees, but that does not 

 change the fact that the busiest time 

 with farming- and with bee-keeping 

 both come at tlie same time. There 

 are several branches of agriculture 

 that may be taken up in connection 

 with bee-keeping- to much better ad- 

 vantag-e than g-eneral farming-. The 

 raising- of winter apples, or grapes, 

 the keeping of a winter dair}', the 

 raising of early chickens for broilers, 

 etc., are illustrations. I still main- 

 tain, however, that a man gains noth- 

 ing-, from a money point of view, by 

 eng-aging- in several occupations. A 

 man can do more of one thing to better 

 advantage and greater profit, than he 

 can do less of two thing-s. If a man 

 has a farm adapted to the growing of 

 potatoes, he will make more money, 

 and have less worry, by making a spe- 

 cialty of potatoes. He can have spe- 

 cial tools for this business; such tools 

 as the general farmer cannot afford. 

 Now then, the potato-farmer, or any 

 farmer, for that matter, instead of 

 putting money into bees, might better 

 take that mone}' and so use it as to 

 help him in his regular business. 

 The potato-farmer better use the money 

 in buying the best potato digger, or an 

 improved sprayer for sprajdng his 

 vines, or in slat-boxes in which to pick 

 up and store his potatoes, so as to 

 avoid handling them more than once. 



The farmer who is making- a specialty 

 of ha}', better buy a hay tedder, or a 

 hay loader, or rig up a horse-fork for 

 unloading the hay, than to put money 

 into bees. If these men have all the 

 tools and appliances that it is possible 

 to procure or use in their business, then 

 they mig-ht better buy more land and 

 extend their business, than to take up 

 some other kind of business. 



It is true that the bee-keeping, in 

 many localities, is largely dependent 

 upon agriculture, upon the crops that 

 are g-rown, but there is no necessity 

 that the bee-keeper should raise those 

 crops himself. The crops that a man 

 can raise, himself, on an ordinary 

 farm, will have very little influence 

 upon his honey crop. Flowers, or 

 honey plants, must cover large areas 

 in order to be of value as honey pro- 

 ducers. To take advantage of culti- 

 vated crops, the bee-keeper must locate 

 in a place where the natural condi- 

 tions favor the cultivation of the desired 

 crops; where they will be raised 

 whether he is there or not. 



It is true, as our friend remind us, 

 that Mr. Coggshall does own and 

 manage a good sized farm. I believe 

 it was inherited, or something- of that 

 sort, and Mrs. Coggshall wished to 

 keep it and live upon it, as she con- 

 sidered it a safe place upon which to 

 bring up her boys, but Mr. Coggshall 

 told me, when I visited him some two 

 or three years ago, that, so far as 

 money was concerned, he would have 

 been better off if he had given away the 

 farm years ago. — Ed. Review.] 



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Wisconsin bee-keepers will hold 

 their annual convention Feb. 1 and 2, 

 in the Supervisor's room, court house, 

 at Madison. 



In Horizontal Wiring of brood 

 frames, Mr. Dadant says that the 

 upper wire ought to be quite near the 

 top-bar — not more than an inch from 



