46 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



EIVGINRS FOR BEE-HIVE: MAKING. 



WHVT SIZE SnALL A BEE-KEEPER BUY? 



J\ GOOD many of the bee-friends make 

 1^ their own hives by foot-power buzz- 

 — '^' saws ; l)ut those who make them the 

 old-fasliioned way, with the hammer, saw, 

 and plane, are now very few. With his foot- 

 power saw a man can earn very good wages 

 indeed, making hives for his own use; but 

 as I have so often told you, it is pretty hard 

 work; and if he is prosperous he will very 

 soon want a little engine. Our 2-horse-pow- 

 er engine at S17o will be appreciated amaz- 

 ingly after having made hives for a season 

 or two by foot-power. But by and by the 

 neighbors around him get into bee-keeping, 

 and want hives also, and pretty soon people 

 cpme from a distance to get supplies from 

 him, especially if they find out that he has 

 them on hand ready to load up when wanted. 

 As the business increases, and he gets to 

 making comb fdu., and section boxes also, a 

 still larger engine may be needed — a 4-horse- 

 power, for instance. During this season 

 quite a few of those who have been several 

 years at work are wanting something larger 

 still ; and therefore we have been obliged to 

 look up a 6-horse-power engine, as I told 

 you in the issue of Dec. 1. Below we give a 

 cut of this (i-horse-power engine : 



Unlike the cheaper ones, this boiler is 

 vrought-iron tubular, and the whole is fur- 

 nished complete, with all modern improve- 

 ments. Further particulars will be given on 

 application. AVe have just traded for a 

 similar B-horse- power engine that has been 

 used only one year. We got it from our 

 friends Smith «S: Smith, Kenton, O. Their 

 business has prospered so much that they 

 have started quite a large shop, with all im- 

 provements for doing a heavy business. The 

 engine has all been painted up, and would 

 readily pass for one that had never been used 

 at all. We took it for an accommodation 



toward bee supplies and other machinery, 

 and can furnish it to any one who needs such 

 an engine, for an even S275. Full particulars 

 will be furnished by us or friends S. & S., if 

 any of you should be in need of one of this 

 size. 



^* »ai ^ 



THE OTHER SIDE OF BEE rUIiTURE. 



SOME REBUTTING TESTIMONY. 



|[||RIEND ROOT:— As I have always taken a back 

 Jp seat, and listened to or read what others 

 ' had to say through Gleaning^, and, having 

 never intruded on your valuable time, I would like 

 now a little space to tell what I know about 



FARMING and BEE CULTURE. 



My reason for so doing is W. Z. Hutchinson's two 

 last articles on the "other side" of bee culture. I 

 think he is hitting just such as I when he hints that 

 bee-keeping should be a specialty, in order to be a 

 success, and that farmers can buy their honey 

 cheaper than they can produce it. 



Now, I have all due respect for friend H.. and 

 think very highly of him and his writings; and since 

 my acquaintance with him some four years ago, I 

 have road the "Notes from the Banner Apiary" 

 aloud to my partner, first, on the receipt of Glean- 

 ings. I like his articles, because they are so free, 

 generally, from theories, which is, I think, a great 

 fault with the writings, to a great extent, in many 

 of our^leading agricultural and bee journals. Now, 

 to be a successful farmer or apiarist, we must read 

 in order to be posted and keep up with the times; 

 and then we must have an average amount of judg- 

 ment and common sense, in order to discern 

 whether it is theory or practice we have been read- 

 ing; also to discern what will answer in our locality; 

 for what will be a success with Jones, Dadant, Doo- 

 little, or Hutchinson, might be a total failure with 

 me. Knowing this, then, let us be careful about 

 crying humbug, or theory. 



Now. I want it understood that bee-keeping has 

 been a secondary business with me, doing my bee- 

 work in the form of an odd job, as 1 could get the 

 time, working regularly with my man at farm work, 

 and I have the name of raising crops second to none 

 in our locality. Now for the results of bee-keeping 

 in a condensed form, for the last three years: 

 Whole number of swarms owned in the three years, 

 105; whole number worked for honey, 4tJ, spring 

 count; sold 7 full swarms; lost by wintering, 53; 

 cash receipts for the three years, $'J:{T. Now, I am 

 not making this report to incite any one to false 

 hopes, nor to brag, but to show what can be done by 

 one who is not a specialist. 



In another article, if you like, I should like to give 

 my views as to the coming bee; how I do my bee 

 work, and something in reference to buying bees by 

 the pound. Friend H. speaks of " hawking honey " 

 on the streets. Now, if he is willing to sell at whole- 

 sale, to a retail dealer, so. he can make a profit, he 

 will not be troubled with " hawking;" butlf he wants 

 the retailer's profit, he must expect to do the retail- 

 ing. For me, I rather like that way of celling honey. 

 I can take my team in the winter, when they or I 

 have not much to do, and sell at retail, in almost any 

 of our villages, from $10.00 to $15.00 worth of honey 

 in two or three hours. 



Now, friend Root, I think you will bear me out in 

 saying, that if we take the standpoint of capital in- 

 vested, the failures in bee culture are but smaU in 

 comparison with most other branches of business. 



Mlllington, Mich., Jan. 11, 1831. " M. D. York. 



