THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



75 



eotairesmeiits for ^mccessfftal 



^Ensiv© Joe©°ir^©©piiiigo 



BY M. A. GILL. 



EDITOR REVIEW, before answer- 

 ing' the many questions j'ou have 

 asked about keeping bees in large 

 numbers, I must indulge in a little 

 sermon upon the requirements of the 

 man who is to tackle a proposition of 

 this kind. 



HARD WORK AND ENTHUSIASM NEEDED 

 IN EXTENSIVE BEE-KEEPING. 



First, he must not be a human 

 ■machifie, that has been standing idle, 

 rusting out as it were, and waiting for 

 something ^a5j' to turn up; and when he 

 contemplates bee-keeping upon a large 

 scale, his only thought must not be 

 upon the pleasure there will be in the 

 possession of what the business will 

 bring him — like the hired man who 

 thinks only of his wages, and longs for 

 sundown. He must realize, before going 

 into the business, that it means work, 

 and much of the time hard work. He 

 must have some enthusiasm, either 

 acquired or natural, for enthusiasm is 

 force, and force is success. He should 

 be a man who does not allow his ideas 

 to become fossilized ; nor one who keeps 

 a little hobby horse to ride down every 

 hobby that is sure to be found along 

 the broad, practical and sensible road 

 that leads to successful bee culture. 



A home-apiary is very desirable; 

 but if a person is located in a field 

 that is already occupied, and does not 

 wish to give up schools, churches, and 

 other things that make life worth liv- 

 ing, it is not necessary to have a home- 

 apiary. 



HOW TO SELECT A LOCATION FOR AN 

 OUT-APIARY. 



As to how far apart apiaries should 

 be located, I will say, that is one of the 



many questions the apiarist must de- 

 cide for himself. Being on the ground, 

 and knowing that different fields differ 

 greatly, he must decide whether a 

 location is fully stocked or not. Suffice 

 it to say, that locations should be 

 picked out where there is the greatest 

 amount of the particular flora from 

 which comes the bulk of the surplus 

 honey. Where it is possible, arrange- 

 ments should be made with the owtiet 

 of the land, and not the renter, then, by 

 choosing a tract of untillable land, in 

 an out of the waj' place, arrangements 

 can be made so the bees can be kept 

 there for a term of years by the bee- 

 keeper paying an annual rent, which 

 may go to the land owner or renter as 

 agreed upon. 



HORSES THE BEST METHOD OF TRAVEL. 



At the present cost of owning and 

 operating automobiles, the best and 

 cheapest mode of travel is, perhaps, 

 with a good team; as the hauling out 

 from the central station can be done 

 while making the weekly visits to each 

 apiary during the spring and early 

 summer. 

 WHETHER YOU MAKE OR BUY YOUR 



HIVES, LET THEM BE OF STANDARD 

 SIZE AND MAKE. 



With regard to making or buying 

 your own hives, I will say that if you 

 have good material, and sense enough 

 to make as good a hive as you can buy, 

 and can save money by so doing, why, 

 make them, of course, but if you have 

 got a notion in your head that you 

 know more than Father Langstroth, 

 and all the other manufacturers since 

 his time, and are going to get up some 

 outlandish contraption that is better 



