512 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



thiuk they could be made profitable. T read every 

 thing I could find in reg-ard to bee culture, and 

 coupled practice with study. The result is, that, in- 

 stead of the few hundreds of pounds of honey per 

 year that were then in-oduced in this neighborhood, 

 we produced last year over 50,000 lbs. By my efforts 

 to encourage other bee-keepers to come to the State, 

 and also to instruct those already here, I have been 

 the means of exciting- an interest that is giving? 

 grand results. I have been much helped in this by 

 being elected V^ice-President of the N. A. B. K. 

 Society for the past three years, for this State. 

 Last fall I took a trip north, and attended the Ken- 

 tucky bee-keepers' convention, and was made an 

 honorary member; I also attended the Toledo, O., 



bee culture is on a solid footing in this State, and 

 that this state of things is more directly the result 

 of mj' etforts than those of all others combined. 



I do not write the above for publication, or I 

 should have written only on one side of the paper, 

 and more modestly ; but to give you a few points, 

 if you choose to give a short sketch when you bring 

 out the engra\ing of one of my bee-shades, as you 

 proposed to do when I met you at Toronto. I will 

 also say, that my smallest averaije yield of honey 

 liijlit tlinniijh my ni)im-jj was obtsyned last year, and 

 amounted to ]30 lbs. per colony, my largest jield 

 being 300 lbs. per colony. I do not think that has 

 ever been badly beaten for the term of years 

 and number of colonies that I have had. 



HA It 



NKW SMYUNA, FLOKIDA. 



and Toronto, Can., conventions, meeting for the first 

 time with the bee-masters that 1 had known so long 

 by reputation only; and to say that I found them 

 pleasant and agreeable people does not begin to 

 give a hint of my good opinion of them. But, T will 

 refer to that at another time, in some article for 

 publication. I took along samples of my honey, 

 and was truly gratified to hear those men, whose 

 lives had been spent in honey production, pro- 

 nounce it equal to the very best, and some even 

 pronouncing it unequaled. 



Now, with the reputation of our honey estab- 

 lished, many skillful and successful bee-keepers in 

 the State, large premiums offered at our fairs, and 

 incjuiries coming in from all over this country and 

 Europe in regard to the industry here, 1 feel that 



Now, in closing I will say that I am not likely to 

 trouble you again with so long a letter; but I have 

 l)een too busj' to write for a long time, and so made 

 one job of it. With liind regards,— 



Yours, etc., W. S. Hart. 



New Smyrna, Fla., May 23, 1884. 



Friend II., I do not know how you can 

 think it troubles us to get letters like the 

 above ; and although it is quite evident you 

 did not intend your kind Avords for publica- 

 tion, I have taken the liberty of giving thern 

 entire, and I am sure the bee-friends will 

 gladly excuse me for so doing, as we are a 

 sort of family circle here, and rejoice in 

 each other's prosperity as if we were hona- 

 l fide brothers and sisters ; and, come to 

 think of it, I guess we are, after all. 



