132 SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



my earliest recollections, putting them in log gums, box hives, and sawing- 

 holes in the columns of verandas, etc. Until the Root Co. sent out their 

 simplicity hive I had never heard of a frame hive, which I was quick to 

 adopt, seeing at once the value of the movable frame, and have kept up with 

 every improvement that has been put out. 



My first venture after adopting the movable-comb hive was to produce 

 comb honey, which I studied with all the enthusiasm that an enthusiastic bee- 

 keeper ever had; but I soon decided that my location was unsuitable for 

 comb honey, it being too dark. My next was extracted honey; but did not 

 like that. All this time I was studying the most important part of modern 

 bee-keeping, the queen. I have bred queens by every known method, and 

 some never given to the public. I have worked untiringly for the last twenty 

 years at the business, having been a queen specialist for fifteen years, furnish- 

 ing some of the largest dealers in the business. I have never advertised ex- 

 tensively, owing to the above fact; but some of my old customers are still 

 giving me their orders, which shows I am trying hard to please; but I think 

 it more from the love of the pursuit and a good location for queen-rearing 

 than anything else, which is a long-drawn-out honey-fiow. I would almost as 

 soon have no honey coming in as a heavy flow foY queen-rearing. I can bring 

 about ideal conditions by feeding better than I can counteract the conditions 

 of a heavy flow. I have had flows so heavy as completely to cover up cells 

 with comb and honey, killing all the queens I have ; also had all the unsealed 

 brood covered in honey in a few hours, making it impossible to get larvae of 

 the right age to graft from ; besides the thousands of other hard problems in 

 queen-rearing, I have tried all of the mating-hives that have been before 

 the public from the smallest baby to the ten-frame hive, and can hardly tell 

 what I like best; but I think I like the Root twin baby the best; but after 

 trying it more extensively I may 'find some serious objections to it. 



All this goes to show the reason why so many queen-breeders desert the 

 business. One must have a love for it, and be made of some tough material, 

 and not be too anxious to get rich. 



W. J. Forehand, 



BEE-KEEPING IN ALABAMA. 



Greenville, Ala. 



Bee-keeping in the South is not carried on very extensively in my sec 



tion, although we have a good country for bees, as our winteis are very 



mild as a general thing. There are not many days at a time when bees can 



not fly, so the outlook for bee-keeping is very good, as our farmer bee- 



