THr. AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



151 



fourth to one-hail' mile from the stand, 

 among the bushes so as it was hidden 

 from view; then after the feeder was 

 full of bees at night I carried it to 

 this 'old hive and put it in. I soon 

 had all the bees there stinging each 

 other to death , so I soon quit that plan. 

 This plan is a good one sometimes, 

 I managed it on one colony that 

 swarmed August 18th. 



There was no honey flow here on ac- 

 count of dry weather. We had no 

 rain for about a month or more, but 

 the above swarm that issued August 

 18th was a uice one of pure Italiaus, 

 very strong, so I hived them in a box. 

 (Am sorry for it now, as it ought to 

 have been a frame hive ) The size is 

 15x15x15. It is a square box meas- 

 uring 15 inches inside each way. 



I commenced feeding them by plac- 

 ing a feeder in an old hive, as stated 

 before, but I placed the old hive in 

 my shop window, taking out a pane 

 of glass for entrance purposes and 

 covering the window with boards. 

 This colony carried the syrup from 

 fifty-six pounds of sugar. This is a 

 good record I think. Just compare 

 the dates; as I did not feed some days, 

 being afraid that the combs might sag 

 or break down if I fed too fast. Swarm 

 issued was hived August 18th. Feed- 

 ing alternately from this date to Sept. 

 24th, 56 pounds of sugar; size of hive 

 15 inches square. Number of combs 

 filled in hive, ten. Time of taking 

 feeder off, September 21th, Swarm 

 is now hatching brood. Combs are 

 filled and sealed. 



I had very little trouble in feeding 

 this last colony. I now have about 

 half a dozen colonies to feed, but they 

 do not need much. I like to have all 

 combs filled and sealed before winter 

 comes on. J. McC. H. F. 



Reading, Pa„ Sept 26, 1892. 



WHO SHOULD KEEP EKES 



The above quostion has been asked 

 a groat many times (for the purpose of 

 being answered by the questioner,) and 

 the answers have generally been very 

 broad and comprehensive. The far- 

 mer, the lawyer, the doctor, the preacher 

 the merchant, the mechanic, every- 

 body should keep bees, if we are to 

 believe what we sometimes read. But 

 I am becoming more and more con- 

 vinced that this advice is not good. 

 Only a small number, comparatively 

 have the necsssary qualifications to 

 make bee-culture a success, and if one 

 ii not adapted to the pursuit, he had 

 better let it alone. Artemas Ward or 

 some other humorist says, " Don't 

 never undertake to do notnin' what 

 aint your fort, lest you find yourself 

 sprawlin in the canawl, figeratively 

 speakin." That is very good advice 

 and applies to keeping and managing 

 bees as w 7 ell as anything else. You 

 may give some people the best hives 

 and implements that can be made, 

 and the combs will be built crosswise 

 in the frames and the surplus honey 

 will be all out of shape because the 

 cases and sections are not properly 

 put on and arranged, and the hives 

 lean to one side, or something else 

 will be wrong. Not long since a lady 

 who some years ago got some bees of 

 me desired me to help her take off 

 some surplus honey, which I gladly did. 

 The honey was made in small frames 

 intended for the extractor. I looked 



