1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



165 



hei'e comes with a rush. All we get is taken inside 

 of four weeks, and three-fourths of that in two 

 weeks. In 1886 we worked at extracting honey 28 

 days, and got 43,480 lbs. In 188.5 we extracted 31 

 days and obtained 30,079 jjounds; in 1884 we extract- 

 ed 35 days and got 31,48:J lbs.; in 1883 we worked ex- 

 tracting 31 days, and got 23,037 lbs. All our hired 

 work with the bees this year, 1887. was all inside of 

 a week. But we had only a very little honey to ex- 

 tract. There is myself and son; and for the last 

 three years we have employed eight assistants for 

 about two or three weeks each year; the rest of the 

 time we have no help, and for about eight months 

 of the year the bees don't require any work at all. 

 For the years of 1882, 1883, and 1884, we hired from 

 two to three assistants; but then we did not have 

 as many bees as we have now, and we then worked 

 them over once in ten days; but now we go over 

 them once a week. There are three of our apiaries 

 eight miles from home. We have to travel those 

 eight miles and return, and while there work from 

 eighty colonies in the spring to 100 colonies before 

 we get through the extracting reason. When we 

 get fairly under way in extracting there are ten of 

 us, and all live with me at my house. We carry 

 our dinners with us. Our help is all boys from 13 

 to 18 years old. We have had two boys with us as 

 old as 30 years for one season. We give our twelve- 

 year-old boys from six to eight dollars a month. If 

 we employ them after the first year, we give them 

 about two dollars a month more each year as long 

 as we hire them. Very few boys stay with us more 

 than two years— some only one year. As soon as 

 they are old enough to hire out on farms or learn 

 trades they leave us, as our work is so short a, iob 

 (from 38 to 35 days). So a part of our force each 

 year consists of new recruits, and are young boj'S. 

 Very likely we are not working to as good advan- 

 tage as some others; but the way we are doing is 

 what we have drilled into, and we don't know any 

 better. Mr. Grimm doesn't say whether he would 

 work his bees for extracted or comb honey, or 

 work them to raise bees to sell. If to raise bees for 

 market, perhaps he could manage 1000 colonies with 

 two assistants. In that case it would not be nec- 

 essary to see each yard more than once in ten days, 

 and I think three men could work 100 colonies a 

 day for that purpose. l!ut I sunpose the question 

 had reference to raising honey. For my part I 

 would give a big fee to learn how to work 1000 col- 

 onies of bees in ten yards, for either comb or ex- 

 tracted honey, the entire work to be done by three 

 men. 



At the North American Bee-Keepers' Convention 

 at Chicago, Mr. D. A. Jones had an essay on estab- 

 lishing out-a]iiaries, which is published in the ^4. B. 

 J., also in Gleanings. I think Mr. Jones is one of 

 our most practical men in the bee-business. In 

 reading his essay I tind he has seven apiaries, 

 which I should conclude contained 100 colonies 

 each, spring count. Now, about how many assist- 

 ants has he? He says one man is required at each 

 out-apiary during the season, for four to live 

 months; there are seven men four or five months. 

 Then, again, he says, speaking of the work this one 

 man at the apiary has to do. He " never expects 

 him to do all the work during the honey-flow," but 

 gives him assistance in extracting. Again, he uses 

 little boys and girls to carry the combs to and from 

 the extractor; and two, a little larger and a little 

 practiced, to do the uncapping and extracting; so 



we have at least four more at each yard, making 

 five. Now, live times 7 is 35, at least a part of the 

 time. Well, what is all the gist of this article? I 

 don't want the idea to go out to the ABC class, or 

 to those contemplating going into the bee-business, 

 that one man and two assistants can manage ten 

 yards of bees with 100 colonies each, and do all the 

 work; tor if they try it, it seems to me they will be 

 sadly disappointed. E.France. 



Platteville, Wis., Dec. 30, 1887. 



Friend F., I too was a little surprised at 

 friend Grimm's answer; but we shall have 

 to take into consideration the fact that the 

 Grimms are all tremendous workers. Even 

 Katie took charjje of an apiary, and extract- 

 ed an amount of honey that would frighten 

 almost any of our big stout veterans ; and, 

 coupled with great endurance, the Grimms 

 seem to have unusual tact in shortening and 

 simplifying labor. We should be very glad 

 if our friend George would give us further 

 particulars in regard to the way he and his 

 father managed, if he can get time from his 

 arduous law duties. In tliinkiug the mat- 

 ter over, I fell to wondering if our friend 

 Katie is a bee-keeper still. May be her 

 brother will tell us, and perliaps we may 

 have the good fortune to get some sort of 

 communication from the lady herself. 



A BIT OP BEE-KEEPING ROMANCE. 



HOW A YOUNG PRACTITIONER BEGAN BEE-KEEPING, 

 AND HOW HE SECURED HIS QUEEN. 



N the winter of 1879, your advertisement, 

 ^l" " Friends, if you are interested in bees or hon- 

 ey," etc., caught my eye. I sent my name. 

 Gleanings came. I saw, and was conquered. 

 Its visits to my home have ever been pleasant 

 and profitable. The first copy opened up to me a 

 new field of thought and labor. I purchased a few 

 colonies of bees, and begnn at once scientific bee- 

 keeping, which was an entirely novel industry in 

 this section. Old Texans, accustomed to obtaining 

 small quantities of honey Irom rocks, trees, and 

 boxes, when I invited them to look upon barrels of 

 extracted honey, they shook their heads and said 

 there was somethiug wrong here. After a moment 

 of silence they would ask, "What did you feed 

 your bees with? " They were years in believing the 

 truth. With all my ups and downs, successes and 

 reverses, I can truly say that bee-keeping, though 

 not my only business (being a practitioner of med- 

 icine), has not only given me much pleasant rec- 

 reation, but we have kept our table well supplied 

 with honey, and obtained many spare dollars be- 

 sides. 



There is a bit of romance connected with my bee- 

 keeping experience. But for Gleanings I should 

 not have been a bee-keeper; and being a bee-keeper, 

 I visited the International Convention of 1883, in 

 Cincinnati, where, jierhaps, you remember me. Dr. 

 L. B. Brown, of Eminence, Ky.,Dr. Brown, of Georgia, 

 and myself were on a committee of work. Miss 

 Ada Bowen, of Covington, Ky., the auburn-haired 

 niece of Dr. L. E. Brown, was introduced to me dur- 

 ing the convention, and little did she dream, or 

 myself either, for that matter, that she would be- 

 come the queen of a bee-keei)er, in the genial clime 

 of Texas. But such was the fact. lu about a year 

 from that time we were married. It was a case of 



