THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



A New Year. 



BY ME S. L. HARRISON. 



New Year's Day is the usual time 

 of settling off old scores and making 

 good resolutions for' the future. Bee- 

 keepers, in common with the rest of 

 mankind, are far from being perfect, 

 and it may not be amiss to do a little 

 of that resolving. 



Resolved, That we will use white- 

 wood sections, and that we will en- 

 deavor to have one pound sections 

 weigh one pound. 



Resolved, That we will not use foun- 

 dation in sections unless it takes from 

 ten to twelve square feet to weigh one 

 pound. 



Resolved, That we will pack our 

 crates uniform throughout, — not fac- 

 ing the glass with pearly white sections 

 and put discolored ones in the centre. 



Resolved. That we will cultivate our 

 home market to the fullest extent in 

 order to prevent the product accumu- 

 lating in large cities, thus reducing 

 the price, and that we will not under- 

 sell one another. 



Resolved, That in order to keep peace 

 at home and invasion from abroad we 

 will surround our apiaries with a law- 

 ful fence, "horse high, full strong and 

 pig tight," and if our bees are kept 

 near to a neighbor or highway that 

 there shall be a high board fence, 

 hedge or clump of trees intervening, 

 and we will not locate hives or bees 

 near to a hitching post. 



Resolved, That we will protect honey 

 plants and throw their seeds in waste 

 places. , 



PROCRASTINATION. 



The poet has well said, '-procrasti- 

 nation is the thief of time." This old 

 thief has stolen much from bee-keep- 

 ers, and they should all keep a keen 

 eve upon the wary old rascal. Let us 

 stop a moment and recall Mime of his 

 sly pilferings : Mr. Go-Easy lost his 

 three Hist swarms while he went to buy 

 hives when they were in the air. 



Plenty-of -time-enough lost the greater 

 part of his honey crop, and what he 

 did get was not in good marketable 

 shape, because he neglected to order 

 sections until they were needed. 

 Swing-in-the-hammock works his to- 

 bacco to one side as he recounts the 

 ravages of the bee-moth and his terri- 

 ble losses by cold Winters. Guess-it- 

 will-do lost a valuable horse while 

 moving bees because he did not fasten 

 the bees securely in the hives while 

 moving. 



Let us, at the commencement of 

 this new year, organize a brigade of 

 "ever readies," faithful until the last, 

 and see "What will the harvest be?" 

 It will be necessary for us then to take 

 an inventory of stock and see how 

 many new hives we shall probably 

 need, and guess at the number of sec- 

 tions. It is true that we have had 

 little need of sections for the past two 

 years, but would it not be better to 

 pay interest on them for a year than 

 to be without them when needed? 

 Who can estimate what the worry and 

 fret costs of running to the station 

 after bee supplies when they are need- 

 ed, and the abuse the agents get for 

 their non-arrival. All these can be 

 saved by ordering early. Especially is 

 this necessary when the goods are not 

 kept in stock by the supply dealers 

 whom you patronize. These servants 

 of the people have to work night and 

 day during the busy season in order 

 to fill their orders, and how much 

 better it would be for all concerned 

 if orders were sent in early. Hives 

 that are purchased in the flat could be 

 nailed up and painted during the cold 

 stormy winter, when little else could 

 b<- done. What a calamity it would 

 be, if, when laggards needed their 

 goods, the Falconer should be away 

 training hawks. 



Peoria, III. 



