194 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. [September. 



approached, while beyond it it rapidly the most successful in a specialty are 



dwindled from tree to tree until at a allowing their specialty to ride 



distance of two or three trees fruit smoothly by the support of numerous 



was scarcely to be seen. The orchard ^ther side helps. Indeed, we may dis- 



to the North was a large one and the cover that their speciaHzing consists 



Ime of the bees working limit was very i^ ^ combination of several kinds of 



pronounced. A small orchard a thou- helps 

 sand feet to the east set practically 



no fruit and the same was true of The farther we go toward specialty 



many other small orchards observed, the less net profit we will obtain on 



The limit of the bees' work was noted o"!" honey because our profits must 



at the time the trees were in bloom be paid out again for necessaries we 



and the set of the fruit clearly showed are obliged to purchase of others, and 



the efficiency of their labors. who are going to charge us a high re- 



But the set of fruit is only a part tail price — two or three times the first 

 of the good the bees do. Through the cost of production. In order to meet 

 courtesy of Mr. Burton N. Gates of this high cost of living, or other ex- 

 Worcester, we are enabled to show penses, a specialist must produce two 

 pictures of two apples, one perfect or three times as abundantly as the 

 the other imperfect. It will be no- opportunist and the opportunist is li- 

 ticd that the latter has imperfect seed able to be the most expert of the two 

 on the poorly developed side. The operators. The specialist's location, 

 blossom was imperfectly fertilized or other means of production must be 

 hence the defective fruit. The two two or three times as good as the 

 apples were types of two lots from ordinary; but, to expect or hope to 

 different orchardists. Both were up find such a condition is comparable to 

 to date in pruning, spraying, cuiti- thrusting a boat out into a broad 

 vating, etc., but the man producing stream with the expectation that the 

 the perfect apples kept bees in his current will carry your boat more 

 orchard, while no bees were kept swiftly than other boats are carried, 

 within two miles of the orchard of If there is a part that is more rapid 

 the other man. The lesson is obvi- than the general current all the boats 

 ous. would be steering into it, and the 



Providence, R. I. same method applies in bee-keeping. 



If we find a good spot in which to 



~ specialize it will not be long until 



_,_,_, -^y^^^^^^ there will be plenty of company trav- 



BEE-KEEPING AS A .SPECIALTY, eling the same road and it will be 



c. w. DAYTON. traveled until there are Profits for 



none — like a band of robber bees 



THE REPORTS we see in the continue to nose around for hours 



bee-papers for this year and ^''^"^ the memory of where the bait 



last do not point very favor- o^ honey once was. 



ably toward giving up every other line I am not averse to specializing; 



of dependence and embarking in the except in instances where there is not 



sole business of bee culture. While a reasonable opportunity. We dis- 



a bird in the hand may be worth sev- cover opportunities by study and ob- 



eral in the bush there is a possibility servation, in fact, through proper 



of no bird in the bush, sometimes. judgment, and this judgment is made 



It begins to look like the success- posssible through experience. We can 



ful man is the man who is prepared to neither buy nor borrow experience or 



grasp opportunities, whatever they work up enthusiasm or determina- 



may be. If we reside in a locality tions to a sufficient height to compen- 



where we can make a living, or a part sate for the lack of it. We should 



of a living, by some side issue be- not specialize merely for the name, 



cause the locality is naturally suited honor or position it may seem to 



to the side issue then I should not give. Beware of this as a snare to 



neglect the_ side issue merely to be a your feet. If such ideas get into the 



specialist in some other direction, head they will occupy the place of the 



We usually find that those who are real necessary things which ought to 



