GLEANINGS IX BEE CULTURE. 



JUI.Y Jo. 



With Replies from our best Authorities on Bees. 



Question 189. T dm ii farDicr ivitlt no hmnrl- 

 eilfje of bees. Is it hctter fur iiic to Jiiiji my Iton- 

 eyortoheep one or two colonics of bees (ind 

 raise ivhat I need f 



If yon could give ihoni the propor care, keep 

 the bees by all means; if not. buv youi' honey. 



Ollio. N. W. H. K. HOAHDMAN. 



It is the easiest job in the world to buy. pro- 

 viding one has the money. But a good farmer 

 should buy nothing which he can raise. 



Ohio. S. W. G. F. MuTH. 



If it is for the sake of honey only, then buy it. 

 If to this you can add a special liking for the 

 ■care of the bees, then ke(>p thfi bees. 



California. S. R. Wilkin. 



If you have a liking for bees, and ai'e not 

 afraid to handle them, we would advise you to 

 keep some instead of buying honey. 



Illinois. N. W. Dadant & Son. 



If you will read and study the matter it will 

 pay much better to keep the bees, especially if 

 you like such work and study, or have children 

 that do. 



Michigan. C. A. J. Cook. 



If you will buy what your family need, you'd 

 better do so; but if your family like honey and 

 you won't buy it, you'd better keep bees', that 

 your family may be supplied. 



Vermont. N. W. A. E. Manum. 



If your experience is like that of three-fourths 

 of those who propose to keep only a W\\ bees 

 for their own use, undoubtedly you could buy 

 honey cheaper than to raise it— if you would. 



Illinois. N. C. J. A. Grp:en. 



Very much depends upon your location, your 

 qualifications for farming and bee-keeping, 

 how large your farm is, and other things. Usu- 

 ally you will make the most money by letting 

 bees alone. 



Michigan. S. W. James Heddon. 



As honey is usually sold for less than it costs 

 to produce it, it will be cheaper for you to buy 

 it unless you make a better bee-keeper than a 

 majority. You are probably pretty conhdent 

 that vou will be onci of the successful ones. 



New York. C. P. H. Elwood. 



Keep bees to fertilize the fruit-bloom, and 

 provide your family with the choicest sweet 

 known. Many farmers go without what they 

 ■do not produce. It is a hardship for a farmer 

 to buy any thing to eat. 



Illinois. N. W. C. Mks. L. Hakrison. 



This will depend upon yourself. If you ai'e 

 willing to invest in a good book ti'cating on the 

 subject, and study the way of caring for bees, 

 it will pay you to buy one or two colonies; but 

 if you wish to buy ttiem and let them care for 

 tliemselves, then it is better to buy your honey. 



Louisiana. E. C. P. L. Viaij.on. 



That depends. If you have a liking for bees, 

 and the spare time to attend to them properly, 

 get the bees, by all means. If. on the contrary, 

 you have no special liking for them, and you 

 are crowded for time during the summer 

 months, you had better by far buy your honey. 



New York. C. G. M. Dooi.itti,e. 



It is seldom that a farmer keeping one or two 

 colonies just to get enough honey for his own 

 us(^ cvci' has any on his table. It is better for 

 him to piircliase a libei'al supply for his family, 

 of some good and worthy bee-kee))er. 



New York. E. Rambi.eu. 



liny youi- honey. It won't pay to fuss with 

 one or two colonics of bees. If you try to su])- 

 ply your family in that way you will likely go 

 without the hcmey. The i)rice of a few l)ushels 

 of giain, or a small pig, will ]jay for your honey, 

 and no bother on your part. 



Wisconsin. S. AV. E. France. 



In most places it would pay you best to buy 

 the honey. There are localities, however, 

 where a few bees, half tended and half neglect- 

 ed, will hold their way from year to year, and 

 frequently furnish a fine lot of honey. If other 

 farmers like yourself do well with their bees 

 you may safely follow suit. 



Ohio. N. W. E. E. Hasty. 



If your liver is all right, and you like honey, 

 and kinder like the little eritteis. and are not 

 afraid of their business end, why, get some bees 

 and raise your honey; but if you don't care for 

 much, and the stings poison you badly, and you 

 are afraid that they will sting your blooded 

 horses, you had best buy what little honey you 

 want. 



Wisconsin. S. W. S. I. Freerorn. 



If you are enough interested in bees to take 

 fairly good care of them, it will be better to 

 keep enougli to furnish you honey. If you ex- 

 pect to have them •' work for nothing and 

 board themselves," you'd better buy your honey 

 and save youi' time, money, and temper. But 

 it might result, as it generally does with fa"m- 

 ers who think it is cheaper to buy their straw- 

 berries, etc. — they usuallv go without. 



Ohio. N. W. ' A. B. Mason. 



Now look here. It's not much use to tell you, 

 luitl'll tell you. anyhow. You can buy a horse- 

 shoe clieaper than you can make it. and the 

 blacksmith can buy a bushel of oats from you 

 cheaper than he can raise it. You see the 

 point. But if you're such a stingy old hunks 

 that you won't bviv any. it will be cheaper for 

 you to raise it. Get your wife the Ironey, one 

 way or the other. 



Illinois. N. C. C. Miixer. 



[The above covers the whole ground so well 

 it hardly seems to me worth while to add any 

 thing. Yet there is one thing I wish to empha- 

 size. It depends almost altogether on the man 

 and his surroundings. My attention was at 

 first turned to bees by seeing just two hives in 

 a pretty garden. The man was a physician, 

 and his garden was his recreation and delight, 

 and the bees were a part of it. The two colo- 

 nies, although in old-fashioned patent hives 

 with a glass door, were kept so neat and tidy 

 that they were a thing of beauty, besides the 

 goodly amount of honey that they gave him 

 almost every year. Now, such a man will find 

 both pleasure and profit in raising his own 

 honey. As this was a country pliysician, he 

 doubtless had quite a little time on his hands 

 while waiting for calls. This time he wisely 

 devoted to making his home pleasant, and car- 

 ing for his nice garden. Now. I know of a 

 great many other cases where somebody thinks 

 he will make some money by keeping bees 

 when he lias already more unfinished work 

 around his home than he can possibly look aft- 

 er. The pig and the chickens and the garden 

 are not care'd for. When he gets some bees it 

 just aggravates the whole matter, and it all 



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