PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W T FALCONER MANFG CO 



VOL. V. 



JfVNUfVRY 1895. 



NO. I. 



Experiments, and Winter 

 Worli Therein. 



BY WILDER CrRAHAME 



Frieud Doolittle hit the nail on the 

 head when he feays in Dec. Bee-Keep- 

 er that the occupation of the apiarist 

 petween November and May is a 

 pretty good indication of his success 

 during the horn y .season. In fact a 

 great part of the success of that sea- 

 son depends wholly upon previous 

 preparations of our supplies and of 

 ourselves. 



The progressive bee-keeper is never 

 satisfied. Not a season passes but 

 some experiment is either tried or 

 considered. Hardly a day passes 

 but some improvement or its need 

 in the construction of our impli- 

 ments is suggested, in many cases to 

 be again dismissed because of insuffi- 

 cient time during the busy season to 

 follow out the idea. 



The bee man who divides his time 

 .into the busy and idle season manu- 

 factures for himself a great deal of 

 unnecessary hurry and lost labor. 

 There should but one season — all 

 busy — and that would then be far 

 less exacting than under the spasmod- 

 ic system. During'the summer mon- 

 ths however, the work will be largely 



physical, and in the winter mental. 

 Of course I do not mean exclmively by 

 largely Mental and nhysical labor 

 can never he (i,>vor cd in successful 

 bee management in any season. 



There is no time like +he winter 

 mon'h-; for making improvements in 

 our summer tools. Schemes and de- 

 vices originated in the field of action 

 during the summer must too often be 

 set aside or adopted with too little 

 deliberation. Doubtless numy an 

 idea of real merit has been lost to the 

 world because when first put into use 

 in its immature crudity it failed to 

 equal expectations. On the other 

 hand more than one bee keeper has 

 tried to his sorrow experiments that a 

 little deliberation would have prompt- 

 ed him to modify or reject entirely. 



The honey season in its height de- 

 mands action, prompt and unhesitat- 

 ing — the poorest condition in the 

 world lor experimenting. Yet with- 

 out experiments there can be no pro- 

 gress. The way out is to perfect the 

 experiments and all apparatus accom- 

 panying them before the time for 

 their trial. Often, generally, in fact, 

 any great defect will show itself in 

 the m(Klel before put into service if 

 time can be taken to look 



