1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



35 



Does Bee-Keeping Pay ? 



EY C1IA8. H. TUIES. 



This question I have often seen 

 asked through the journals, and have 

 seen it answered as often, and this 

 C[uestion is daily asked me, and my 

 answer is yes, or I surely would quit 

 the business. Yet while / can make 

 it pay it does not follow that you can 

 make it pay, or at least not that you 

 will make it pay. Unless you have a 

 natural liking for the business you 

 will hardly make it pay, this we will 

 find in all kinds of business, either 

 you will drive your business or your 

 business will drive you, just this is 

 one great trouble with many of our 

 bee-keepers, nothing will be done with 

 the bees or in the apiary until it is 

 just absolutely necessary, and often 

 not then. In some branches of busi- 

 ness certain things can be postponed 

 or delayed for a time without any 

 serious loss, but bee-keeping surely 

 does not belong to this kind of busi- 

 ness, if you are behind with your work 

 in the apiary you will surely have a 

 loss, which you cannot regain by dili- 

 gent labor afterwards. 



Ever since I have kept bees I have 

 tried to be ahead with my work, i. e. 

 I would try to have everything pre- 

 pared as much as practicable during 

 the winter months, and yet I don't 

 remember of a single season where I 

 was as well prepared as I might have 

 been, this has convinced me that we 

 cannot commence preparations any to 

 soon, and I now make it a business at 

 the close of one season to make ready 

 for another. I am well aware that 

 doing everything in the right way and 

 at the right time does not always as- 

 sure or secure us a success, but often 

 it decides our success, and it is always 



very desirable. To make anything 

 pay in dollars and cents requires some 

 thought and study. We may be able 

 to learn a great deal by reading, by 

 observation, etc., but because some- 

 body else made a certain thing pay by 

 following a certain course does not 

 assure you of the same success. You 

 must learn from practical experience 

 what methods are best adapted for 

 you to pursue, and what is best for 

 your locality. 



In conclusion would say, make all 

 possible preparation now, then if we 

 should again fail in securing a good 

 big surplus we will know that we did 

 our part of the work, and if we do not 

 then need them they will be ready for 

 another season. Thus far we have 

 had a very mild winter in Southern 

 Illinois. Bees appear to be wintering 

 nicely, and should this mild weather 

 continue all through the winter might 

 it not be possible that it would make 

 a change for the better in bee keep- 

 ing ? At any rate I am expecting to 

 again see one of the good old honey 

 flows as of old. 



Steeleville, 111. 



Successful Bee Keeping. 



BY JNO. F. GATES. 



Since I wrote about keeping bees in 

 large box hives for breeding I have 

 received so many letters on the subject 

 that from sheer force of numbers, if 

 kept up, will persuade me into the 

 belief that I am "some pumpkins" 

 or drive me into know-uothingism, 

 and either event would be sad. There- 

 fore, to save my conscience from re- 

 morse for not answering those who 

 forgot to enclose postage, I will try 

 and make the matter plainer with 

 reference to box hives for breeders, 



