THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



THAT HARDWARE CLERK 



Isn't dead yet, nor has he taken 

 a back seat. In the "Api" for April 

 '84, page 83, among other remarks, 

 occurs the following by J. M Hicks : 

 "We suggest that it would be well 

 that all who contemplate trying to 

 keep bees either on a small or large 

 scale, should at least procure some 

 good book or books, giving full in- 

 structions on the subject ; also take 

 some good bee journal giving lessons 

 each month in the care and manage- 

 ment of bees. We have noticed of 

 late in some of the agricultural pa- 

 pers, articles defamatory as to the 

 profits on bees, and the business of 

 keeping bees, of which, all we have 

 to say is, we do not wonder they 

 write such articles, when they are en- 

 gaged in so many other pursuits, 

 either of which would afford ample 

 labor for any one who is disposed to 

 try to make a success at any occupa- 

 tion. For instance, we saw an arti- 

 cle written by a man who, not long 

 since, wrote us two long letters telling 

 us how much labor he had to per- 

 form, which embraced four different 

 occupations, viz. : hardware clerk, 

 gardening, beekeeping and poultry 

 raising, all of which, if taken together, 

 are well calculated to burn at least 

 some of the many irons placed in the 

 fire at the same time, and yet we feel 

 quite sure that if the gentleman's lo- 

 cation is worth anything for either of 

 the vocations mentioned and properly 

 attended to, there need not be a 

 failure in a single one." 



Now I am that hardware clerk and 

 propose to answer Mr. Hicks, though 

 I have not had time to do so be- 

 fore. I will pass over the slur at a 

 brother beekeeper as unworthy of 

 notice. I will ask Mr. Hicks to 

 point out to me one line in any arti- 

 cle I ever wrote, where I said tliat 

 my bees did not pay me. Long 

 years of sickness, and death of a 

 member of a man's family with con- 



sequent neglect of business in caring 

 for the loved one, may bring finan- 

 cial distress to any one as it did to 

 myself, and any man with a parti- 

 cle of grit would do his utmost to 

 redeem his losses, and do that 

 which he could best do to bring in 

 immediate cash to meet pressing 

 wants. Mine was just that case, and 

 the hardware clerkship was the best 

 opening I had. But Mr. Hicks for- 

 gets, or wilfully leaves out of sight, 

 that I had my father to help me with 

 the garden, fowls and watch the 

 swarms, and that my place of employ- 

 ment was close home, and that I was 

 allowed to run up and attend to any 

 swarm that in any way bothered my 

 father. My per cent of swarms is 

 very small and easily taken care of. 

 I had an abundance of surplus combs 

 for extracting, and sections ready 

 crated for comb honey, and it was 

 easy to keep ahead by tiering up. 

 Our bees are our main business, our 

 garden and poultry yard are small, but 

 are 7<:W/ taken care of and pay well. 

 I have long since quit sending in "re- 

 ports," but for once will break over. 

 From fifty-six stocks, spring count, I 

 took over 7,000 pounds of honey, 

 1,400 of which is comb, and my in- 

 crease was but .five, or sixty-one in 

 the fall, and I earned, cash, for my 

 summer's work over ^250. Will Mr. 

 Hicks please tell me what iron got 

 burned, and can he make a better 

 showing, with a steady drought from 

 June 1 2 to Sept. ? It is consistent ( ?) 

 in Mr. Hicks to speak of too many 

 irons in the fire. If his bee business 

 alone pays him so well, why does he 

 add to it architecture, beekeepers' 

 supplies, lecturing, classes of bee- 

 keeping students, etc. ? Wliy so many 

 irons in the fire? Don't some of 

 them get burned? I would advise 

 Mr. Hicks to stick to his bees if he 

 would make them profitable. I have 

 never said that beekeeping did not 

 pay, it has always paid me well. 

 But I have fought and will continue 

 to fight, with whatever influence I 



