THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 301 



GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 



Management of Three Thousand Colonies Bees in 



Fifty Yards 



J. J. WILDER, Cordele, Ga. 



Planning the Business. 



SUCCESS in bee-keeping- as in all other lines of business is meas- 

 ured by the man who is able to plan wisest for the future of 

 the business. This involves much, for he must know what he 

 has done in the past, and what he is doing at the present time, and 

 look away out into the future and plan wisely. So perfectly did I 

 plan my business from almost the very starting point that I have 

 had to make only a few minor changes. It was seen that the cap- 

 ital for the starting of the business could be worked out at another 

 line of business until the bees reached a certain point, then I would 

 have to lose some time from this otJier line, on account of the bees. 

 It was seen that I could make enough from the side line to defray 

 all outside expenses, and what was made at bee-keeping went back 

 into the bee business, until it reached a certain point, and here I 

 would have to drop the side line and give the bees my entire time. 



Experienced help is employed — A season or two before I decided 

 to drop the side line entirely, experienced help was employed at the 

 busiest season of the year, which would enable me to give more time 

 to the side line, thus holding to it a little longer. At this time I 

 kept from 200 to 350 colonies in four and five apiaries. 



At this time my life-zvork began — I let the help go and started 

 out solely on my life work, and for several seasons kept the business 

 going at a high pitch with only a little cheap labor along as I could 

 use it to a good advantage. 



At this point tJiere zvere /OO to Soo colonies in lo or ii apiaries — 

 Here it was planned to add on again some experienced help for at 

 least four or five months in the year, for there was at this period 

 700 to 800 colonies in 10 or 11 apiaries. This was done for two 

 seasons, when a regular helper was put on, as there now were 1,200 

 colonies of bees in 16 apiaries. 



Chunk Comb Honey zvas nozu produced — The business was planned 

 to run for two-thirds comb honey in regular shallow extracting 

 frames and the other third for extracted honey to pack the comb 



