420 THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 



Management of Three Thousand Colonies Bees in 



Fifty Yards 



By J. J WILDER, Cordele, Ga. 



A Financial Success. 



• ■ jl WANT to mention a few more things before I go further into the 

 "ll management of the bees, and maybe I will be better understood, 

 and perhaps it is better said here than elsewhere, for it has taken 

 more than just toil and proper planning to accomplish what I have. 



Dear reader, I am a very timid man and abhor anything that would 

 set me high in the estimation of those of my class, but I must be frank 

 and it would almost break my heart if any reader should think that I am 

 boasting too much or "blowing my own horn" in what I shall say below, 

 for I declare unto you that to write this article is the greatest task of its 

 kind I have ever undertaken. 



During the years of my bee-keeping life I have not only grown rich 

 in bees, but I have also gathered around me considerable of this "world's 

 goods" as the returns from them. Surely my financial success would not 

 l)e much if my bee business was all I have accomplished. I am truly glad 

 that my bees, under good management, have enabled me to go far into 

 their culture, but I am much more glad because they have enabled me to 

 make outside investments, which give me a greater financial standing. 



Dear reader, the point I want to make here is this : Don't invest 

 all the returns from your bees in more bees after the business has been 

 well started ofl:', for in so doirg you will not have as great financial back- 

 ing or showing. So it is best to divide the returns, from my experience, 

 and put part in "more bees" and the other in good real estate or some- 

 thing else safe and that will not require but little, if any, of your time, so 

 as r.ot to interfere with the general apiary work and plannirii.^- of same. 

 If all you possessed were bees and fixtures and you were to have a great 

 misfc rtune or if you were placed in a position to need a loan, you couUl 

 not get it on them, but you could on the other part of the investment and 

 thus save yourself, or at least keep your financial situation easy. I have 

 been fortunate enough not to have to borrow but little capital to operate 

 my business, and it is best not to do it. My inspiration is always very 

 high and the outside investments greatly help to keep it at the top notch. 



T have lived a very economical life, as well as one of constant toil. 

 Had I not done so, there were one or more critical times in the history 

 of my business when I would have gone down and out. Then, too, I 

 started bee-keeping considerably involved in debt, which I had to pay ofif 



