114 



THE AM Eli 1 CA N BEE KEEPER . 



not, Now some of these same old 

 principles are being advocated as 

 something new. It is strange that we 

 so many times pass by homely truths 

 that would carry us to success, in or- 

 der to adopt something strange and 

 peculiar that is almost sure to cause 

 us Joss. Over twenty years ago I 

 read in a bee book that the whole se- 

 cret of success iii bee keeping is to 

 keep all colonies very strong in num- 

 bers, that they may be able to gather 

 honey rapidly when it is abundant in 

 the fields, for a weak colony will 

 barely live where a strong one will 

 rapidly increase in stores. I have 

 proved this truth in the school of ex- 

 perience and paid for it dearly. We 

 can't expect our bees to work in their 

 honey cases just to please us, when 

 they have room to cluster below. In 

 a weak colony there is not enough 

 bees to build comb if they do go in 

 their cases, and they know it, We 

 can't raise bees at special times or 

 occasions for special honey crops, etc. 

 You can't get them raised at the right 

 time. It's a peculiar job to practice, 

 though it may look well on paper. 

 Some cog is sure to slip if you try it. 

 Keep them raised all the time. Then 

 you have time by the forelock, and 

 no fussing, but all is straight busi- 

 ness, and not quite so much mixed 

 science. The science of simplicity is 

 what we want for our young bee-keep- 

 ero. They like that kind and will 

 take interest in it. We are running 

 away from the boys. Teach them 

 some simple rules and keep these 

 rules before them. Beginners dis- 

 like complex matters. Teach them 

 that if one man can't lift a load let an- 

 other help him. If one colony is too 

 weak to store surplus put another 



with it. Keep doing so till you con- 

 quer, which you are sure to do. If 

 your horses are not fed until they are 

 hitched to their load they won't draw 

 it. x I have not got as many colonies 

 now as I had last spring. 1 have 

 been pushing them down, not up. I 

 keep the hives full of bees in poor 

 years and keep down increase. It is 

 poor policy to try to get both honey 

 and increase "1' shocks in a poor sea- 

 son. One or the other, and some- 

 times both, will prove a failure. Fall 

 is the tim° to begin to make our bees 

 strong. A colony of bees should not 

 have less t han 45 pounds of sealed 

 honey if wintered in-doors, and 60 

 pound.- is little enough is wintered on 

 ■summer stands. Some will think this 

 too much, but that don't change the 

 facts. Certainly we can get our bees 

 through with less stores, but I am 

 •speaking of first-class wintering. Sec- 

 ond-class wintering comes cheaper, 

 .and you obtain cheap results. Com- 

 pare a cheap wintered horse with 

 £l well wintered one. On the amount 

 of natural stores bees have in the fall 

 depends your success the following 

 season- Feed is the life of all living 

 creatures. Scrimp them and they 

 will pay you hack in like maimer. 

 " Like begets like." Its a law of na- 

 ture that can't be changed. Our 

 brood chambers are too small to hold 

 enough stores for winter. Leave a 

 full case of sealed honey on your 

 bees and you will not regret it. 

 Ovid, Erie Co., Pa, 



CSubbing List. 



We will send the American Bee-Keeper with 



the— 



American Bee Journal, 

 Aniericiin Apiculturist, 

 Bee-Keeper's Review, 

 Canadian Bee Journal, 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture, 



PUB. PRCE. BOTH. 



(81 00) SI 35 



( 75) 1 15 



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( 75) 1 15 



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