ness, always tells the truth. It matters 

 nothing to me, however, whether the. 

 statement meets with admiration or 

 ridicule, I have found out what I have 

 long sought for, that is what can be 

 accomplished with improved manage- 

 ment of bees in a country like, this, 

 where the old fogies are always com- 

 plaining of "hard times." 



Bee keeping is a science, and requires: 

 1. Capital with which to establish a 

 proper apiary, procure suitable bee 

 hives, and to improve poor and weak 

 colonies so as to render them able to 

 exist so as not to compel the apiarist 

 through lack of means to disregard the 

 demand for subsistence at the expense 

 of his apiary. 2. Expertness in con- 

 structing and improving bee hives as 

 well as in everything pertaining to the 

 necessary manipulations. 3. The proper 

 flora and due secretions of nectar in the 

 flowers from which the bees can gather 

 the honey. 



Up to the present time it was my 

 endeavor to ascertain to what extent 

 bees can be concentrated ; as I know 

 this now, and have also learned what 

 trouble it occasions to farm, manage 

 and cut the honey from such very large 

 colonies, I have resolved not to increase 

 the size of these mammoth hives in the 

 future ; on the contrary, to diminish 

 them, and construct in such manner as 

 I can use movable combs so as to be 

 able to get at the honey without being 

 stung. Then it will not be necessary, 

 as lias been the case until now, on ac- 

 count of the dearth of nourishment, to 

 take from such a giant, per force, with 

 the help of two smokers, two persons 

 to take the honey out and two to receive 

 it, from 340 to 720 pounds of honey in- 

 side of a single forenoon, or 660 pounds 

 in the morning before breakfast. 

 ***** 



My bees do not swarm as much now 

 as in former years, but if I had an in- 

 crease like that I had in Limeburg, 

 where should I put all the swarms, as 

 my bees cannot gather any honey in the 

 fall? * * * To find room for seven 

 hundred colonies within from two and a 

 half to three months, will prove quite 

 enough without longing for more. 



What large agricultural establisments 

 can accomplish against the poor farmer, 

 or factories against a single mechanic, 

 that also is accomplished by gigantic 

 colonies against small colonies. To 

 manage a large capital with little exer- 

 tion, and yet obtain from it large prof- 

 its, is the object of my system. Take 

 into consideration the 107 square feet 

 of lumber out of which my large hive 

 is constructed ; how many small ones 

 do you suppose, one for each single col- 



ony, I should have needed? I low many 

 would I have required for the 78 swarms 

 that came on this day? How would I 

 have come out with dividing and tilling, 

 having only my three children for as- 

 sistants ? And, besides this, it is alto- 

 gether an impossibility to make such 

 large colonies, containing bees of .10 

 different varieties and many queens, 

 quiet and orderly in small hives. Hut, 

 in this case, I tilled the large hive to- 

 wards evening, and on the following 

 morning early I put the remaining bees 

 into two barrels, and the whole number 

 of swarms were cared for; they cheer- 

 fully continued their labors, and fur- 

 nished me altogether with about 1,450 

 pounds of honey. A handsome reward 

 for the labors of a single day! 



My honey-crop, which usually aver- 

 aged from 500 to 600 gallons, or from 

 7,000 to 8,000 pounds, and which rose to 

 750 gallons two years ago, has now in- 

 creased to 1,260 gallons, or about 15,700 

 pounds of honey, and about 1,200 pounds 

 of wax. Where all that honey came 

 from, and how the bees were able to 

 find such masses of honey within their 

 circuit of flight, and within the space 

 of 3 months, and how they could raise 

 young bees in over 300 hives and still 

 be prosperous, is truly wonderful. What 

 industrious insects they are I 



* * * That the North American 

 bee-keepers are very progressive I am 

 well aware, and respect them very 

 highly for that reason, but in reference 

 to bee-keeping they see obstacles be- 

 fore them which they are notable to re- 

 move, notwithstanding their intelli- 

 gence. With machines, driven by steam, 

 they can, and probably do, construct 

 accurately, and at the same time very 

 cheaply, bee hives and implements, but 

 nothing else. These handsome boxes 

 can be bought by hundreds, whoever 

 feels so inclined and has the money. 

 But they are empty. Into them belong 

 bees, and to purchase these it takes, as 

 it seems to me, a good deal of money. 

 When they have obtained them, a 

 blooming pasture is required, besides 

 a suitable climate ; to manage and keep 

 them it needs a quiet bee-keeper, one 

 who takes pleasure in his occupation 

 and possesses a large experience. But 

 no part of this can be accomplished 

 with a 6 or 20-horse power engine. It is 

 often easier to obtain capita] than it is 

 to retain it. All plants which contain 

 saccharine matter can be cultivated, and 

 such plantations may be, according to 

 circumstances, greatly extended ; here 

 steam engines can be employed on a 

 large scale to manipulate and submit 

 these plants to a process by which they 

 will furnish a profitable return to their 



