58 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



POULTRY, IN CONNECTION WITH 

 BEE KEEPING. 



These two branches of rural econ- 

 omy are well adapted to each other 

 and prove to all who combine them, 

 a reliable source of pleasure and profit' 

 Bee-culture is a business that requires 

 the most attention during the spring 

 and summer months, and then only 

 from about 8 a. M. to 4 p. M., while 

 attention to our feathered friends in- 

 cludes the whole year, but principally, 

 in the morning and evening, so the 

 two industries do not conflict with each 

 other in respect to time. 



During fall and winter, when our 

 bees are at rest eujoyiug their summer 

 gathered sweets, our poultry demands 

 good quarters and kind attention, so 

 as to secure fresh eggs, which rate high 

 in the market reports at this time of 

 the year. Plenty of fresh eggs in the 

 winter means money to the producer, 

 for no other live stock pays so well 

 for the amount of money invested, as 

 poultry, if properly managed, and for 

 the amount of food consumed, the 

 profit from eggs and meat far out- 

 strips any of our other domestic ani- 

 mals, and what is often of greater im- 

 portance, much quicker returns. To 

 every one keeping bees I would 

 recommend a flock of poultry, not 

 only as a source of profit, but also of 

 pleasure, for a combination of both 

 pursuits admits a change of thought 

 as well as physical exercise. 



The work among my poultry is 



mostly done during the summer months 

 in the morning and evening, when too 

 early or too late to work among the 

 bees, and to have fowls roam nmong 

 the hives on the green sward is a beau- 

 tiful sight, and not only beautiful but 

 useful. Useful in the destruction of 

 the wax- moth and other insects annoy- 

 ing to the bees. The old maxim has 

 it that "the early bird catches the 

 worm." Domestic fowls are early, and 

 I always arrange to have several broods 

 of my games feed about the apiary 

 and thus coop them in different parts 

 of my apiary. 



• In the early morn , they can be seen 

 running about the hives picking up 

 up the worms thrown out by the bees 

 during the night or such as may be 

 seeking a place to hide and spin their 

 cocoon, and many a miller is taken " on 

 the wing" for my games are very act- 

 ive and prove a sure shot every time. 

 The wax-moth does not appear here 

 until about May, and by that time we 

 always have plenty of young games to 

 take charge of them. In this way, 

 the bees are kept comparatively free 

 from these disgusting insects and their 

 larva?. — Ex. 



COMB FOUNDATION — WHEN USE, WHERE. 

 NOT USE. 



When and where comb foundation 

 could be used at a profit, has been a 

 subject on which I have spent much 

 thought and conducted many experi- 

 ments. At times bees will apparent- 

 ly fill a hive with comb without using 

 a pound of honey. At other times, it 

 would almost seem that the old esti- 

 mate of " twenty pounds of honey for 

 one pound of comb " was none too 

 much. To illustrate : One year when 

 I was studying on this subject, 

 swarms came out when there was to 



