THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 99 



seven colonies in the cellar. Next spring the twelve colonies that 

 T bought were all dead and the other twenty-five were in good con- 

 dition. I could not account for the loss, nor had I any idea what 

 was the cause of it. But I was no coward, and was determined to 

 make bee-keeping a success. I went to Jefferson, Wis., and bought 

 twenty-five colonies more the same spring, and started the season 

 with fifty colonies. 



FOUL BROOI> APPEARS. 



The next fall I had 114 colonies rotten with foul brood, as rot- 

 ten as they could be ; some only had a handful of bees left. I 

 noticed all during the summer that there was something wrong 

 with my bees, but did not know what, until in the fall, when I 

 subscribed for the American Bcc Journal, and reading" an item on 

 foul brood I knew what was the matter with my bees. The next 

 spring I got two books on foul brood, and in the latter part of May 

 began to cure them. In the fall of that year I had fifty-six colonies 

 in good condition, but three of them still had a few foul cells, but 

 I left them until next year. 



It took me just five years until I had the disease completely 

 rooted out. It was not due to my carelessness in curing them,, 

 but when those twelve colonies died, in the spring of that year, 

 I gave my bees a chance to clean up the combs from those colonies, 

 and all the neighbors' bees had a hand in it, and you certainly 

 know what that meant, and what effect that had on my yard in 

 the future. But still I did not get discouraged; I was determined 

 to make a success in the business and so I did. 



I have wintered about three hundred colonies each year for 

 the last ten or twelve years. In the spring I reduce them by 

 uniting 175 or 200, so as to have room for swarms and get them 

 in good condition by the beginning of the honey flow. I am well 

 satisfied with the business. Every business has its drawbacks, and 

 so has the bee business, but I am certain that no other business 

 pays as well as the bee business according to the investment. But 

 I must close with these words, "Keep More Bees." 



Forest Junction, Wis. 



[It was my privilege to meet ]\Ir. Otto at the National Con- 

 vention at Minneapolis, for the first time. We had a nice little 

 visit and I was impressed with the fact that here was a man who 

 was "making good." From others who knew him I found that my 

 impression was correct. This gives added weight to the article 

 above. What Mr. Otto says only demonstrates that anyone can 

 make good at the bee business provided he has the necessary 



