106 



1 HE A MEEK '. 1 N BEE-KEEPER. 



were only two frames in the hive that 

 had comb in them, and there was 

 about a quart of bees. This was my 

 first disappointment. After I saw 

 that I was badly beaten I hoped to 

 build up the few bees that cost me 

 $10.00 so that I would come out all 

 right anyway, but as that season was a 

 poor honey season I made slow prog- 

 ress. I got the colony built up so that 

 it wintered, but it came out very weak 

 in the Spring. About the tirst a f June 

 the Italians all disappeared and my 

 bees were all blacks. This was my 

 second disappointment. 



In the fall of my second year my 

 little colony of black bees was hardly 

 better if as good as it was the first 

 year. By this time 1 was thinking 

 that SI 0.00 for that colony was an 

 awful high price. In the fall of the 

 second year I purchased a pound of 

 bees with an Italian queen from a 

 tirst class bee-keeper; killed the black 

 queen and put the Italians in with 

 the swarm of black bees. I also pur- 

 chased a pound of Italian bees with a 

 queen from another party, and these 

 I built up to a fairly good colony, so 

 in the fall of the second year I had 

 two colonies. The following spring I 

 cut a wild lice tree and hived the 

 swarm, and sold a bee hive to a neigh- 

 bor for two other swarms, so I had five. 

 I got one artificial swarm, making six 

 for last winter. All came through in 

 good order. Now, I made pretty large 

 calculations as to how I would increase 

 this summer. I had found four bee 

 trees last fall and intended to cut 

 them down and get the swarms. I went 

 to the first prepared with axe, hive, 

 smoker, etc., but some one had been 

 there before me, cut the tree down 

 and got all the honey. The second tree 



I cut down, hived the bees and took 

 them home. In the third tree the bees 

 were all dead. I cut the fourth tree 

 the first day of June and got a big 

 swarm of been, but while I- was out 

 getting these bees a rousing big swarm 

 came out of one of my hives of Ital- 

 ians and went into the woods. This 

 made me feel somewhat discouraged, 

 but I thought if the big Italian swarm 

 had gone 1 had secured a big lot out 

 of my tree, but yesterday they swarm- 

 ed out of the hive, leaving three 

 frames filled with sealed brood that I 

 took out of the tree and fixed into the 

 frame, and went off to the woods to 

 find a home more suitable for their 

 wild natures, so you see I am about 

 discouraged. Out of the four trees I 

 secured only one swarm. 



The beginner, when he makes his 

 calculations, had better figure to re- 

 duce them about one-half or three- 

 fourths or he will be greatly disap- 

 pointed. Yours, &c, 



John Slaubaugh. 



Eglon, W. Va., June 5, 1891. 



W. T. Falconer Mfg Co., Gentle- 

 men: The goods were received all 

 right and are very satisfactory as to 

 quality, price and freight. My bees 

 are doing well considering the back- 

 ward weather. Yours, &c, 



Thos. < K Kelt.ey. 



Slippery Bock, Pa,, June 8th, 1891. 



W. T. Falconer Mfg Co., Gentle- 

 men: Excuse me for not acknowledg- 

 ing how well the hives suit. They are 

 beauties and cheap enough. I believe 

 they have paid for themselves by the 

 increased sales of honey caused by the 

 attention they have created. 



Bostm, Mass. Calvin W. Smith. 



