196 THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. [September. 



comfort and attraction as do home caused through neglect to enrich the 



sports, music, pets, flowers and fruits colonies of bees, by providing more 



but cost far more. Vanity is always and better stores, by rearing better 



greedy and never satisfies those who queens, by obtaining better stock, giv- 



become slaves to it. Being artificial ing better protection in winter or by 



it must be obtained at a cost; a cost adopting some side line which will lift 



which is always just a little greater a part of the burden of expenses from 



than can well be afforded, causing a the apiary which means — give the bees 



scrimping of home affairs, and starv- a better chance. 



ing bees is only one of its foot-prints. While the yellow bees are denounc- 

 I once knew of about twenty-five ed because of poorer wintering and 

 farmers who settled on a tract of new putting yellow cappings on their hon- 

 land in Iowa, in 1870, and went pell ey I find them better to lay up a 

 mell into wheat growing as a special- store or honey when honey is hard to 

 ty. I was ten years old. I was herd- get. Often they fill the super and' 

 ing cattle on adjoining prairie and pack the brood nest while the darker 

 read in a scrap of newspaper that land stripes hardly make a living. They 

 v.'ould ''wear out" and become sterile breed less in times of scarcity and 

 by continuous cropping. One day as build up quicker in times of plenty, 

 one of these farmers stopped to rest especially from small beginnings. And 

 his plow team I galloped my horse they fly much farther for honey. Their 

 over to where he was and asked if greater energy may be the cause of 

 he was not afraid the land would their poorer wintering — more worry — 

 sometime fail to grow wheat. "No," greater wear to their bodies than 

 he said, "never". But in a few years would be the case with a less active 

 their wheat crops began to fail to ma- strain of bees. Perfect wintering con- 

 terialize and they borrowed money to ditions should make all bees alike on 

 buy more seed and pay for machin- that score. While their cappings are 

 ery, and bear living expenses until not so white as some others their 

 their property and land was totally honey in liquid form is lighter in col- 

 overwhelmed with mortgages and they or and somewhat better flavor and the 

 were all compelled to move. Four question comes up here whether it is 

 or five farmers, who came into the lo- preferable to work for quantity or 

 cality after the wheat land had been fancy appearance of the produce. In 

 taken by others, settled down on the my opinion fanciness is merely a 

 river flat where they were obliged to "label" to attract the eye but to the 

 clear ofT brush and stones in order person who wants honey to eat and 

 to raise small patches of corn, oats has eaten enough of it to regard it 

 and grass and sell eggs, butter, Jiiog.s properly its delicate appearance is 

 and occasionaly a fat steer. 1 hese something he will decline to pay for. 

 farmers are there still and b/ con- It would be ten times better to put a 

 stant, slow accumulation are now label on teaching the use and health- 

 wealthy, fulness of honey than one whose 

 There were several older men in the drawing force is curiosity exerted but 

 neighborhood who had been sturdy once or twice in a year. We have 



farmers "down east," (New York, been passing through two decades in 



Mass. etc.), but they were considered which consumers have been consum- 



as of the old fogy class, so their ad- ing the "rot" which the eyes sought 



vice was unsought and unheeded ^vhen out but we are merging into an age 



proffered. If they all had been "old when the stomachs are beginning to 



fogies" their wheat growing might assert their rights to decide. We 



have told a different story because should favor the consumer who is 



they would have taken time and cart inclined to make honey an everyday 



t • keep the land in proper order article of food because of its dietetic 



though their wheat crops might not advantages, the same as bee keepers 



nave figured so niciny bushels. should be of that thorough and con- 



Now while bee keeping is not farm- stant kind. It may seem like casting 



nig the general principles are much bread upon the water at first, but it 



alike. Most failures in bee keeping are will surely return after many days. 



I 



