1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



503 



BKES ON SHAUKS; IIOAV SHALL i UK DIVISION HE 

 EKPECTEU? 



If not asking- too luueli of jou, I should like to 

 have yon explain what you say in the ABC book 

 about bees en shares. I have taken 10 colonies of 

 bees, and we were to take what you said in the A B C 

 book to be the contract. Where we differ is in re- 

 gard to the old stock. For example, 10 colonies in 

 the spring-, in the fall 30; how should they be divid- 

 ed? Please explain in detail, as all I want is what 

 is rig-ht. I shall be satisfied with what you say. 

 My bees have wintered very well this winter. 



Lonox, la , April 30, 1886. J. T. Hautup. 



Friend II., it is a very difficult matter in- 

 deed to answer sucli questions as you pro- 

 Eound ; and about tlie only answer that can 

 e given is to sny it is just as you happen to 

 agree upon. If you receive 10 colonies of 

 your neighbor, and increase them to oO in 

 the fall, you would have 15 and he would 

 have 15. A good way to divide is to let him 

 keep one of them, then you take one, and so 

 on. The honey and wax can be weighed out 

 and each take an equal portion. In regard 

 to the hive and receptacles for honey, in the 

 absence of any agreement I would say that 

 each one should pay for one-half of these 

 necessaries. As you are to do the work, 

 the cost of an A B C book or a bee-journal 

 should be borne by yourself alone, for your 

 partner may not care to pest himself in re- 

 gard to the business at all. 



WHAT OUGHT A BEGINNER TO ACCOMPLISH WITH 

 BEES? 



I never handled bees in my life. I have watched 

 others, and I have a notion that, properly handled, 

 a man can make money by just turning his atten- 

 tion to bee culture. I sent to you some time ago 

 lor a Simplicity hive and Gleanings. I have your 

 ABC book, and like it. 1 have a notion to in- 

 crease my apiary of three colonies up to as many as 

 one hand can take care of. I wish to devote my 

 whole attention to bees and poultry. 



How much ought one man to clear off from each 

 stand of bees, clear of all expenses, each year, 

 when working for honey alone? After I get my 

 apiary up to 40 colonies, can I sell all the swarms as 

 they come off? What do you think of the poultry 

 business in connection with bees? 



A Sudsciuber. 



My friend, I do not know how we can give 

 any advice, to amount to any thing, in the 

 way you suggest, as so much depends upon 

 the man ; but I hope you will excuse me for 

 saying that, as a rule, the one who asks such 

 questions will not be very likely to succeed. 

 Suppose I should say a man ought to make 

 live dollars on every colony of bees he keeps. 

 Some of our leading and most expert bee- 

 keepers might tell me truthfully, that many 

 seasons they have not made even one dollar 

 per colony; or, worse still, that they have 

 not made one copper; so you see, it depends 

 upon the man and the season, and many oth- 

 er circumstances. When you get up to forty 

 colonies, or any other number, you can sell 

 the swarms as they come oif , if you have 

 customers, as a matter of course. Circum- 

 stances might make it quite convenient to 

 keep both bees and poultry ; but this, also, 

 depends on circumstances. Both pursuits 



require that the bee-keeper be at home, and 

 always on hand to look after them. This is 

 so much in favor of carrying on the two pur- 

 suits together. 



Every boy or girl, under 15 



years of age, who writes a 



letter for this department, containing 



SOME VALUABLE FACT, NOT GENERALLY 

 KNOWN. ON BEES OR OTHER MATTERS, 

 will receive one of David Cook's excel- 

 lent five- cent Sunday-school books. 

 Many of these booLs contain the same mat- 

 ter that you find In Sunday-school books 

 costing from 8L00 to 81.50. If you have had 

 one or more books, give us the names that we 

 may not send the same twice. We have now 

 in stock six different books, as follows; viz.: 

 Sheer Off, The Giant - Killer, The Roby 

 Family, Rescued from Egypt, and Ten Nights in 

 a Bar-Room. We have also Our Homes, Part I.,and 

 Our Homes, Part II. Besides the above books, you may have a 

 photograph of our old house apiary, taken a great many years 

 ago. In it is a picture of myself, Blue Eyes, and Caddy, and a 

 glimpse of Ernest. We have also some pretty little colored 

 pictures of birds, fruits, flowers, etc., suitable for framing. 

 You can have your choice of any one of the above pictures 

 or books for every letter that gives us some valuable piece of 

 information. 



'A chiel's amangye takln' notes; 

 An' faith, he'll prent it." 



Hl>i 



1' HAVE been very much pleased at the 

 ^ way you have been taking hold of the 

 t work I have suggested, especially in 

 ■ this matter of folding sections. "You 

 have done much better than I had any 

 idea you could. I was wondering whether 

 you might not raise queens. It will be quite 

 an undertaking for little folks ; but you 

 have done so M'ell in so many things I rather 

 believe some of the most enterprising of you 

 will succeed in this also. You are to get 

 your mamma or your papa to tell you how, 

 and then you are to do the work all yourself. 

 Perhaps the A B C book, page 195, has put it 

 so plainly that you can go to work by direc- 

 tions there given. At any rate, who will be 

 first to report a laying queen of his own 

 raising V I hardly think you could report 

 for the next juvenile number, as it takes 

 some little time to raise a queen. When you 

 have succeeded I want you to tell all ;ibout 

 how you did it. If you do well, I Avill prom- 

 ise to send you some nice little present. I 

 can not say just now what it will be. 



A good many of the little friends have 

 been sending their letters directed to me. 

 Although I like to receive your letters, it 

 rather breaks up our order of business, and 

 so will you kindly direct them to A. I. Hoot ? 



Ernest. 



A fine place for bees. 



My pa had 20 stands of bees in the fall ; he has on- 

 ly 19 now. 1 have a hive of bees too. This country 

 is a fine place for bees; it has plenty of poplar and 

 linn. Norman A. Ward, age 13. 



Onward, White Co., Tenn., May 4, 1886. 



