98 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



to enter in and enjoy the " Kingdom pre- 

 pared from the foundations of the world." 

 His wife noticed an unusual breathing, 

 on lighting the lamp she saw the end was 

 near. She immediately called the family, 

 and before they reached the bed he had 

 answered the summons, — a noble spirit 

 had fled back to its maker, a loving 

 family circle broken, and the life work of 

 the pioneer Bee-Keeper ended. 



His kind and generous nature endeared 

 him to all Ivho knew him intimately, 

 while his broad christian character and 

 manly qualities, secured to him the re- 

 spect and honor of the whole community. 



Apiculture, as a science, is yet in its in- 

 fancy ; as one of the industries of the na- 

 tion, it is only in the first stages of devel- 

 opment. 



The great mortality among bees the past 

 four years has delayed progress. 



Persons have been induced to invest in 

 the business, without any preparation or 

 knowledge of it whatever, under the delu- 

 sion that it is a safe, sure business, with a 

 large margin, in which one, two, three, 

 and even four hundred per cent, may be 

 realized on the investment, with only a 

 moderate outlay of labor. While the ex- 

 perience of the past few years clearly 

 proves that where one succeeds, a much 

 greater number lose their investment and 

 quit the business, disgusted bee-keepers — 

 and this has not been without its effect. 



The subject has not been fairly present- 

 ed ; there has been too much of the profit 

 side of the picture served up for consider- 

 ation, with only just suflicient of the other 

 side to spice it, hence a wrong impression. 

 And on this score, I think, our bee journals 

 open to criticism. But perhaps it is not 

 so much the fault of editors as bee-keepers 

 themselves, or, rather, that class who fur- 

 nish articles and reports for them. 



I think any person with little knowl- 

 edge of the business who would read, for 

 one year, all that is published on the sub- 

 ject, and would then enter the business, 

 would do so under a delusion. 



It is, however, to the credit of some of 

 our journals that they have space open for 

 reports of " Blasted Hopes." But the fact 

 is, few such reports are received. 



As a rule, if we meet with failure, we 

 pocket the loss as though too modest to 

 tell of it. I say it is not in the nature of 

 man to advertise to the world his failures, 

 hence a wrong impression. 



One thing I have observed, that when I 

 have a good season, and large yield, the 

 journals are eager for a report, but in a 

 poor one, like the last, no report is asked 

 for, not one special application having 

 been made. 



Our large yield of eighteen hundred 

 and seventy-four has been thoroughly can- 

 vassed. 



A correspondent in the Country Oeiitle- 

 man, in an article on tlie subject, makes 



out a clear case, viz. : " There is no legiti- 

 mate business one can engage in and real- 

 ize such great profit from as in this busi- 

 ness," and cites to prove his case one of 

 the largest amounts on record, from a sin- 

 gle swarm, as the product of one season's 

 work. 



But the Gentleman does not inform the 

 public that fifty other stocks, under the 

 same skillful management, and with the 

 extractor, averaged less than one-fourth 

 that amount per colony, a fact for which 

 I can vouch. 



He also cites our large yield of eighteen 

 hundred and seventy-four, and prophesied 

 that in the season just passed, we will 

 greatly exceed that amount. While the 

 fact is, the average production per colony, 

 instead of the great excess prophecied, is 

 less than one-third the amount gathered 

 during the season mentioned, with better 

 facilities for management. Will the Gen- 

 tleman correct the wrong impression by 

 giving the facts in the case ? I trow not. 



It was the custom of my grandfather, 

 when I was a youngster, to purchase every 

 fall a generous supply of comb honey. 

 It was no sooner delivered than a drove of 

 boys made raid on the kitchen pantry 

 with spoons, as a convenience for filling 

 their capacious jackets. On one such oc- 

 casion, grandfather said, he thought some 

 of us boys could raise honej', and added, 

 that he would pay us twice as much for it 

 as he did Mr. Baxter. Upon this sugges- 

 tion, I followed the gentleman out, and 

 made inquiry about the business. I was 

 informed, there was no business in the 

 world as profitable as keeping bees, that 

 each hive was sure to swarm three times, 

 and often four or five, and the swarms 

 were worth five dollars each; further- 

 more, there was only the trifling expense 

 of a few boards to " make hives of;" that 

 bees worked for nothing and boarded 

 themselves. 



Soon after this with five dollars earned 

 for the purpose, I purchased a colony, 

 and'eutei'ed the business under a delusion. 

 Some one says, "That's nothing; people 

 often live a whole life deluded." 



Now I conceive this may be a fine 

 thing, if never waked from it, but I defy 

 any one to be long in this business with- 

 out knowing the facts of the case. What 

 I ask is that the subject be fairly pre- 

 sented. If this were done, I think more 

 would be successful in the business, and 

 the production increased in consequence. 

 I wisli to be understood that bee-keeping 

 is a science, and as such, requires study 

 and practical knowledge, as much as an}^ 

 other, to be successful in it. 



The idea that bees work for nothing 

 and board themselves, consequently all 

 you have to do is to " hold the dish and 

 catch the porridge," is all a humbug, and 

 the sooner people find it out the better. 



L. C. Root, of Mohawk, a scientific 



