18 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Feb. 



habits acquired that would render 

 business irksome, and connect the 

 idea of manual labor with that of in- 

 tolerable degredation. 



Perhaps in no other branch of in- 

 dustry that engages the attention of 

 the American people has better or 

 more permanent progress been made 

 than in that of apiculture. Fifty 

 years ago when the writer kept bees, 

 the true theory of apristical science 

 was unknown. "Life in the bee- 

 hive" was a mystery. All was vague, 

 indefinite and implicit. The whole 

 system af bee-keeping was embodied 

 in that one little ominous term — 

 "luck." 



But all this has been changed. We 

 live in a decidedly productive, pro- 

 gressive age. I believe that I hazard 

 nothing in the suggestion that more 

 real substantial progress has been 

 made in the arts and sciences within 

 the past half century than in any oth- 

 er fifty, yes seventy years of the 

 world's history. The spirit of progress 

 seems not to wane, and the "signs of 

 the times " are emblazoned in charac- 

 ters of light, inspiring us to adopt for 

 our motto, in the effort to obtain still 

 greater success, " Upward and On- 

 ward." 



The goal has not yet been attained, 

 nor has an approximation of it as yet 

 been reached. Much as has already 

 been accomplished, there is yet need 

 of patient research, careful experi- 

 ment, and thorough investigation. 



Richford, N. Y. 



CALIFORNIA AND THE PACIFIC COAST 



Reached cheaply via. the popular 

 Nickel Plate Road, Special reduced 

 rates account Mid-Winter Fair. 



Hatching Bees. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Before me lies a card on which are 

 the following questions: Where will 

 bees hatch the soonest, in the cellar 

 or out of doors? And which will be 

 the best hatching, in February, March 

 or April? Knowing that the Ameri- 

 can Bee-Keeper is a paper published 

 largely for the benefit of beginners in 

 apiculture I will answer these ques- 

 tions through the columns of the same 

 with the editors permission. Before 

 answering them however, I wish to 

 say a few words to beginners in keep- 

 ing bees, who have thought, or will 

 think of asking questions on bees. 



The first thing to do in starting in 

 the bee business is to get one of the 

 many good books on apiculture, all 

 of which teach the first principles of 

 our pursuit. Thoroughly read the 

 book, for in it you will find the most 

 of the questions answered which you 

 will be likely to want to ask before 

 you have passed the rudiments of this 

 branch of apiculture. This is a duty 

 you not only owe to yourself, but one 

 vou owe to others as well. No doubt 

 the editor or others would be willing 

 to answer all questions sent in, but it 

 is not fair to the older readers of the 

 American Bee -Keeper to have those 

 questions of a primitive nature that 

 they will be of no interest to them. 

 After you have thoroughly mastered 

 such books as " Lungstroth on the 

 Honey Bee," " Cook's Manual of the 

 Apiary," or " Root's A B C of Bee 

 Culture," then your questions will be 

 such as will be of interest to all. Hop- 

 ing that the above will be taken only 

 in the kindly spirit in which it has 

 been given, I will give my views on 



