1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



799 



or with a force to back him up. In such cases the 

 circvunstanccs of each case would govern, and the 

 law would not impose very harsh measures on the 

 part of the person trespassed against. 



1 give you the above, as I see you mention my 

 name, and I wish to again assure you that law is 

 founded on common sense, and is a God-given gift 

 to man for his protection. The country that makes 

 the wisest laws, and sustains them in the wisest 

 maurer, is the one that will be the best governed, 

 and in which the people will be the happiest. Law 

 is not made simply to punisli the guilty, but to pro- 

 tect the innocent; consequently when law, or just- 

 ice, as we may call it, can be tempered with niei'cy 

 (as, for instance, in the case of a young man led 

 away to his first offense) it is far better for all that 

 such be done. J. R. Pond, ,]k. 



Foxboro, Mass., Nov, 19, KS-i. 



Thank you, friend P. I am glad to know 

 that ni\ convictions of what tlie law ought 

 to be were about right; and I think it well 

 for us all to understand this matter. A 

 drunken man once came on to my premises ; 

 and in spite of all I could do in' the way of 

 kind pleading, he became violent, and seem- 

 ed determined to damage my property, if 

 not myself. I ordered him off' my premises. 

 We were alone in the building, and he re- 

 fused to go, and I told him if he didn't leave 

 the room I should do my best tt) put him out 

 by force. After I had 'taken hold of him, 

 and he saw I meant what I said, he told me 

 if I would let him go he would go out him- 

 self, and added, " Mr. Root, you know you 

 have no right to lay a hand on me so long as 

 I am going away according to your orders." 

 And so he went out, but witlt considerable 

 deliberation. It seems, intoxicated as he 

 was, he knew more about the law^ in such 

 matters than I did. I think we should bear 

 in mind the very broad line of distinction 

 that lies between a burglar or assassin, and 

 a resident or citizen ordinarily peacable, 

 although the latter may have got into a vei-y 

 bad mood, or, perhaps, for the time being, 

 have forgotten himself. 



BEE-KEEPING IN FLORIDA. 



SO.ME QUESTIONS IN UEGAKD TO THE AUOVE, AND 

 FRIEND HART'S REPLY". 



K. HAKT:— You answered a former letter of 



IVII- mine so kindly and courteously that I ven- 



tui-e to take the liberty of writing again, 



hoping that you will excuse the intrusion 



on your time. 1 will state the case in which 



( want your advice, in as few words as possible. 



My brother-in-law is anxious to make a home in 

 Florida; and after studying all the inducements of- 

 fered, feels inclined to select bee-keeping as the 

 employment most congenial to his tastes, and the 

 one holding out the greatest hope of quick retiu'u. 

 He is ignorant of the business; but from my knowl- 

 edge of his character and abilities, I feel absolutely 

 no doubt about his fitness for the work, for he is 

 one of those quiet, persevering men, full of re- 

 sources, and skillful in doing whatever he attempts 

 —a very good workman with tools, though never 

 having- followed that as a business. Intact, a man 

 who is hound to make a success of the business, if ho 

 hjvs ^ny vhauce at all. Business here is so deipw- 



alized on account of hard times and low price of 

 wheat, that there is going to be.no show for men of 

 small capital this winter, and may be for some 

 years. The climate is a terror, and it is not worth 

 while for a young man to waste his life here for a 

 bare living-. 



He would go to Florida this wintei-, if he felt it 

 safe to do so. Van I advise him to try bees? He 

 will have somewhere between 61000 and $2000, fami- 

 ly, wife, and three small children. He can build his 

 own house, and do any kind of carpentry work, 

 furniture-making, etc., tc^-heli) make a living till he 

 gets a start. His wife is very anxious to go, as this 

 climate is too severe for her. Of coui-se he does not 

 expect to make a great thing; all we want to know 

 is, would it be safe for him to try itV Ho looks for- 

 ward to making an orange-grove as well, of coui-se. 



1 know I am asking a hard question, but I feel 

 sure you can give me some idea as to the possibility 

 of his making enough to live on, and that is all he 

 expects at first, with a prospect of doing better aft- 

 er awhile. If the business warranted it, I would 

 supply capital to e.vtend it as soon as it is prudent 

 to do so. Of course, he thinks of locating some- 

 where in your vicinity, for location is every thing. 

 AVould his family have to fear malaria, or any thing 

 of the kind? And are the mosquitoes and other in- 

 sects intolerable? 



Should you fiud time to answer me, I would take 

 it as the greatest favor. You need not fear in re- 

 gard to the man ; he is in every respect capable. 

 j He can, of course, make all of his hives, and every 

 thing of that kiiad. 



I can not, I fear, go down myself this winter, but 

 expect to make Florida my future home, for I con- 

 sider it the most delightful climate I was ever in— a 

 j perfect paradise compared to this bleak region. 

 j In regard to quality and color of honey, is it good? 



Fergus Falls, Minn., Oct. 28, ItSt. R. M. R. 



j MR. n,\KT'S REPLY. 



In reply to yours of Oct. 28, I will say: The quali- 

 ties that you give your brother-in-law credit for are 

 very desirable ones for any one coming to this State 

 to locate away from the larger towns, as transport- 

 I ation is often slow, and mechanics are not always 

 ! at hand to do odd jobs. They are also necessary 

 1 qualifications tor a bee-keeper, but yet I would not 

 [ advise him or any one else to come here to start in 

 ! the bee business with a hope of immediate returns, 

 unless he has had considerable experience. No 

 man should commence to learn the business with 

 more than two or three colonies, increasing those as 

 his knowledge increases. If he does this, the hives, 

 fixtures, etc., for the first three years will take all 

 the profits. He will be accumulating property, but 

 have no cash to pay for living expenses. If he 

 starts with a large number of colonies, the proba- 

 bilities are that he will lose both money and bees. 

 If he still wishes to try the business here, I would 

 advise his passing one season, at least, with a suc- 

 cessful bee-keeper first. 



Y'es, you can safely advise him to come to the 



State, and with the SIOOO or $2000 he will be able to 



make a good start in some kind of business that 



I will allow of his doing well, or he can work out a 



j part of the time. Any one who can handle tools at 



all well can get $2.00 per day, and carpenters get 



$3.00 and $3.50 per day. A house that will answer 



for the first few years will cost but little, as it is not 



necessary to make its walls thick and warm. There 



' lu-e but few Uays iu thy year wbep ft ftrc is ueede<] 



