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rHE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



151 



delightful branch of agriculture. Rev. 

 L. L. Langstroth, to whom great honor 

 is clue, is the father of American bee- 

 keeping; indeed, it was through him 

 that the pursuit has been developed from 

 a game of chance into the great industry 

 tliat It is to-day; for it was his invention 

 of the movable-frame hive that has 

 changed the occupation of the apiarist 

 from one of pleasure but uncertain profits 

 into a well-pajing business. 



The illustration herewith shows a 

 growth of six years" duration, or, in 



however, that each hive should binng in 

 at least five dollars a year, and as each 

 hive also throws oflf a swarm annually, it 

 is easy to see how a little capital invested 

 in bees will grow and multiply, besides 

 yielding a very fair per cent, of profit. 



In locating an apiary and arranging 

 the hives, much taste can be displayed, 

 but a few general principles should 

 always be observed. It is an advantage 

 to have the hives facing eastward or 

 southward in order to have the morning 

 sun shine in at the entrances of the hives. 



APIARY OF F. G. H ERM 

 Other words, an old box-hive transform- 

 ed into a cozy little apiary of sixty colo- 

 nies. The crop of honey has multiplied 

 from two pounds into two thousand. 

 Who can foretell the possibilities of the 

 busy little bees ? 



And now as to profits. As I am a 

 mere man, and bee-culture is still only a 

 side-issue with me, possibly you may not 

 consider my own testimony valuable, 

 though my bees bring in a tidy, easily 

 earned, and ever-increasing addition to 

 my regular income. It is a conservative 

 estimate of the bee-keepers generally, 



AN, ENGLEWOOD, N. J. 



which induces the bees to fly forth early 

 in quest of the nectar which collects in 

 the flowers during the night. When the 

 hives are in this position, they will also 

 be protected from the north and west 

 winds. A hedge of evergreens or honey- 

 suckle, as shown in tlie picture, will be 

 a further protection and make a splen- 

 did enclosure. A few shade-trees in the 

 apiary are an advantage and invariably 

 attract the swarms which may issue 

 from the hives at swarming time. 

 Englewood, N. J. 



