566 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



is of no advantage to them to roam in 

 barren fields. 



The windy weather prevalent in early- 

 spring tends to decimate the colony 

 when we need the warmth of great num- 

 bers to promote brood-rearing. If they 

 are safely housed until there is some- 

 thing for them to do, robbing is also re- 

 duced to the minimum. Experience 

 proves that bees will stand a long con- 

 finement under proper conditions — good 

 food, pure air, and the right tempera- 

 ture. 



Out of the darkness into the light, 

 Into the sunshine, out of the night. 

 Out of the prison-house, dark and drear, 

 Into God's freedom golden with cheer. 

 Into the perfume of Spring's promised flow- 

 ers. 

 Out of the snow-banks into the showers. 

 Out of a restless longing for work 

 Into activity where only drones shirk. 

 Into a World that's waiting our " hum " 

 To teach that work may play become. 



Forest City, Iowa, April 18. 



Farmers as Bee-Keepers, Etc. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY T. C. KELLY. 



As another winter is about over (March 

 26), I see it is in order to report success 

 in wintering our little pets. I have only 

 lost two colonies out of 33 wintered on 

 the summer stands ; 29 of these are in 

 excellent condition — better than we 

 often get them by the first of May. I 

 think prospects are good for the season.. 



I see on page 363, that J. R. S. (give 

 your name in full ; I will not challenge 

 you to fight a duel) takes me to task for 

 saying that " Farmers should not keep 

 bees." Now I will modify my state- 

 ment. If they would devote the time 

 necessary to attend to the bees, then I 

 would say, "Keep bees." But tlje man 

 that thinks he can keep bees suc- 

 cessfully without more time or attention 

 than most farmers can give them, will 

 find himself " left" in the spring, just 

 as J. R. S. admits he is, proving my pre- 

 vious assertion correct. 



If you have a bad season you must 

 take time to feed your bees. The good 

 farmer feeds his other stock, but most 

 of them never think to feed the bees ; 

 but when he finds the bees dead, he at- 

 tributes the loss to bad luck, or bad 

 seasons. "Try again." 



I make the entrance to my hives 5/16 

 high and 11 inches long, and they are 

 never troubled with mice. 



Another proof : W. A. McGee, on 

 page 365, says: 'I asked a man who 

 has a few colonies, " How are they do- 

 ing ?' The answer was, ' I don't know ; 

 I don't pay any attention to them ; don't 

 think they pay.' " But some people have 

 an idea that because bees work for noth- 

 ing and board themselves, they must be 

 profitable. But they must have care, 

 and you can't put it off till next week or 

 next month. 



Now, "Bro. Ben" (see page 372,), 

 don't hit a fellow trapper too hard. You 

 are not killing skunks now. But I see 

 you have " been there." Because I did 

 not enter into a detailed description of 

 the trapping process, "be aisy." The 

 common-sense that would deter a man 

 from counting .^100 bills in a cyclone, 

 ought to keep him from handling poison 

 in the wind, with sore hands. 



Brother Ben, you say farmers should 

 produce all they eat. No farmer has 

 ever done so, and never will. Nature 

 was not " built that way." Did you 

 ever stop to think of the dainties that 

 find their way on the table of the good 

 farmer (not the one that starves himself 

 and family to hoard the almighty dollar) 

 during the year? You can scarcely 

 count them. If you had to raise all 

 these things, there would be no time for 

 the farmer to sleep, or rest either. 



Bro. Ben, go to work and raise your 

 coffee, tea, salt, sugar, all the foreign 

 fruits, all your cereals, your honey, your 

 beverages, not excluding a small portion 

 of " Spts. Frumenti," for bee-stings. 

 Life is too short. 



Slippery Rock, Pa. 



Mettois Of Introiluciiig Queens. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 



BY ED. JOLLEY. 



Few things are more discouraging to 

 the beginner than the failure in intro- 

 ducing a queen to-day by the same 

 method he was successful with yester- 

 day. Few of us but know by experience 

 the chagrin of a beginner on beholding 

 the beautiful queen that but yesterday 

 arrived from the Sunny Southland, and 

 from which he was expecting so much, 

 lying in front of the hive dead. Not 

 that he is discouraged from the finan- 

 cial loss, but at the loss to know why he 

 failed. It is a point upon which too lit- 

 tle has been said for the benefit of the 

 beginner. 



All experienced bee-keepers know that 

 different conditions of colonies require 



