June 28, 1906 



American Ttee Journal 



nary 1st, was considered dead stock and was a drug on the 

 market. Slowly and gradually there has been a change, and 

 there is now a demand for comb honey from January until 

 May, although prices may generally rule lower than those 

 obtained in the early fall. Therefore, it is only this late 

 market, or spring market, on which the Cuban bee-k'eeper 

 can depend for the sale of his product, and Ik- must be satis- 

 fied in realizing whatever the market will warrant. 



The Cuban bee-keeper is not bedded on roses, even if 

 he walks under palms. The high cost of the supplier in- 

 land freight-rates, ocean-rates, high labor, import duty, and 

 the late market, are against him. Why then, we ask, should 

 the American bee-keeper tear this competition? 



In conclusion, a further point to consider with regard 

 to the question of raising the tariff, is, that it must be re- 

 membered that our tariff treaty with Cuba is a reciprocal 

 line, and were we to make it prohibitive by increasing our 

 tariff in the United States, upon what little comb honey 

 there is shipped from Cuba, there is no question but that 

 the Cuban government would fail to see the justice of such 

 reciprocity. Our manufactured exports from this country 

 to Cuba amount to an item by which the honey-production 

 in this country cannot be compared, and if the tariff on comb 

 honey should be tinkered to the advantage of the United 

 States bee-keeper, there is no doubt that the tinkering would 

 be very much to the disadvantage of our other commercial 

 interests, which facts will no doubt receive the proper con- 

 sideration if such a Bill were introduced into our Congress. 



We do not desire to decorate ourselves with strange 

 feathers, and wish to say that some of these facts in regard 

 to the condition in Cuba, have been given us by parties who 

 are thoroughly acquainted with the situation. As far as we 

 ourselves are concerned, we have endeavored to state the 

 facts as they exist, without any prejudice or partiality on 

 our part. 



The ansvver to your question is, therefore, "No." 



HlLDRKTH & SEGELKEN. 



Mr. Hilton read a paper by Mr. M. A. Gill, of Colo- 

 rado, on 



SHORT CUTS IN BEE-KEEPING 



In practicing the short cuts in bee-keeping the first tiling 

 to commence upon is yourself. Don't go into the battle and 

 find that you are out of information and ammunition ; be 

 prepared, and then don't worry. It is a fact, perhaps, that no 

 class of men worry so much about the weather as bee-men. 

 Who was it that said : — 



As a rule, man's a fool ; 

 When it's hot, he want it cool ; 

 When it's cool he wants it hot; 

 Always wanting what is not ; 

 So, as a rule, man's a fool. 



Remember that the sun is everlasting, and that the 

 clouds are only temporary, and that it is best to turn them 

 wrong side out, occasionally, so that you can see the silver 

 lining ; and when you cannot count your profit count your 

 other blessings. That was the only way I could get any com- 

 fort this season, when I figured up that my sales had been 

 $400, and my expenses, $1,500. 



In giving my ideas of the "short cuts in bee-keeping,'' I 

 shall give them from my own view-point — that of working 

 for comb honey; not with 100 colonies, but with more than 

 1,000, in a climate such as is found only in the arid West. 



If you intend to keep bees upon a large scale, establish 

 a large home apiary and have ample shop and warehouse 

 room where all work is done and supplies kept for the out- 

 yards. Don't build a lot of useless honey-houses at each out- 

 yard; but get the habit of using your wagon with a good 

 sheet, which is always bee-tight if properly used. 



Much valuable time is lost by taking all supplies from 

 the wagon to a honey-house, then out to the bees; and by 

 taking honey from the bees to a honey-house, to be again 

 moved in a short time to the wagon. Better take your honey 

 right to the wagons, keeping it perfectly bee-tight (it condi- 

 tions require it) ; thus there is only one exposure to the 

 bees. By this plan your load is ready to go home when 

 you arc. 



If you intend keeping bees on a large scale, don't turn 

 inventor; and don't adopt every new-fangled hive that comes 

 along. I know there are many inventors who claim that if 



their particular fussy plans were adopted universally, bee- 

 keeping would be revolutionized. 



In my opinion tin 1 hives are of recent invention, 



and the best practical hive ever invented was that by Father 

 Langstroth, 50 years ago — and "Glory be to his name!" Yes. 

 the simple Langstroth hive, with Hoffman frames, and the 

 more modern supers, are good enough. Whatever you use, 

 have a complete uniformitj of fixtures. 



When it comes to tin management of bees in all cli- 

 mates where they may be wintered out-of-doors, have your 

 winter loss the previous autumn. This can be done by killing 

 poor queens and doubling up until every colony has a vigor- 

 ous queen, a hive full oi young lues, and full of honey. Then 

 in the spring, if conditions air normal, the bees will lead you 

 along at a merry clip to keep up with your work, instead of 

 your continually fussing with them to get them ready for 

 their work. 



In supering the bees, there are three in my crew: One 

 wheels the supers from the wagon; another puts them on 

 the hives; and the third man follows with, a spirit-level and 



M. A. GILL 



a grape-basket full of little wedges (that have been prev- 

 iously prepared), and properly levels each hive. 



In the care and management of swarming is where every 

 bee-keeper is put to his wits' end to be equal to all emer- 

 gencies. No two seasons are exactly alike, and any system 

 must be varied to meet contingencies. 



In locations wdiere the last half of July and all of Au- 

 gust have a sufficient (low to store surplus, it is safe to shake 

 a whole apiary from May 25th to June 10th (varying the 

 time as conditions vary), making, perhaps, from 75 percent 

 to 100 percent increase, and seeing to it that all increase has 

 young laving queens as soon as possible. 



You "may expect such an apiary in such a locality to 

 come up to the close of the season with as much surplus 

 honey as though there hail been no increase— and you are 

 the increase ahead; and. besides, the plan will enable you 

 to place such yards "hors-de-combat" through the swarming 

 season, and enable you to 'Ur entire attention to yards 



where the main tlow of hoin arlier. 



Where you wish to control swarming, or increase rather, 

 this can be done completely by the so-called shook-swarming 

 method. With me, shook-swarming is the most feasible 

 route I have found to the ab olute control of increase. Any 

 plan that requires any sub equent fussing with, is not prac- 

 tical with the man who , ing for hundreds of colonies 

 and running on schedule time and \isiting every colony every 

 6 davs. I think many v. tried shook- swarming, and 

 have' condemned the p mistaken superseding for 



