704 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



and board themselves, and all the bee-man has 

 to do Is to exchange the honey for money. 

 Either lie doesn't get enough honey, or he ex- 

 changes it foi' too little money. 

 New York. C. P. H. Ei>\vooi). 



That kind Master, who is ever willing to 

 guide the plans and lives of those who wish to 

 be guided by him. made it very plain to me that 

 I ought to take up bee-keeping. Such being 

 the case. I feel sure that, in some respect, it has 

 been to my proHt to do so, although the amount 

 of money I have realized from it has not been 

 large. 



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



The terms richer and poorer come to differ- 

 ent persons with widely different meanings. 

 I've never made much money with the bees, 

 and yet I feel ivell paid for all the hard work 

 and care bestowed upon them. It would be 

 indeed a sad state of affairs if money were the 

 oialy compensation we get for our labors. 



Ohio. N. W. H. R. Boardman. 



Well, 1 declare I don't know. I have done 

 better out of the bee-business than '.i9 out of 

 100: but as I begin to pay attention to other 

 lines of business, I begin to think perhaps I 

 should have been bett<'r oft' if I had never seen 

 a bee. I find that the same amount of well- 

 directed thought and energy in other lines of 

 business will turn out as much or more money 

 than can be realized from the production of 

 honey and bees. 



Michigan. S. W. James Heddon. 



Thoughts about such a matter amount to but 

 very little. The destiny of all is shaped by an 

 all-wise Providence, and happy is the man who 

 is content with his lot after striving with all 

 his powers to make his chosen pursuit a success. 

 I might have been richer, I might have b(^en 

 poorer. I am thankful to my heavenly Father 

 for what I have, and still more thankful for the 

 good health and the high aspii'ations (aspira- 

 tions that lead out toward God) which have 

 come to me while being permitted towoi'k with 

 this wonderful part of his creation. 



New York. C. G. M. Doolitti,e. 



None of your business. Oh I you "didn't 

 mean to be impertinent"? Well, if you mean 

 the amount of money, I'd have been a good 

 deal richer if I'd never seen a bee — that is, if 

 I'd been alive now. But I don't crave any 

 sympathy. I'm no pauper. I have one of the 

 happiest homes, one of the best of wives, and I 

 don't know any other business that would let 

 me have so much time with either of them. I 

 have clothes enough to keep me warm, and 

 more food than I can eat. I've had lots of fun 

 with the bees, and am healthier and younger 

 than I was 25 years ago. I'm expecting a good 

 time while I live, and a better one afterward. 

 What's money to a man who can't stay home 

 to enjoy his best earthly treasures'? How rich 

 does a millionaire feel, with a bad liver and a 

 sour stomach? Yes, I'm richer for the bees. 



Illinois. N. C. C. Mii-ler. 



What a question ! Who is sufficient for these 

 things? What might have been is a sad refrain, 

 and has had an echo in the hearts of most of 

 the human race. A good deal of destiny seems 

 at times to hang on a very small pivot. A few 

 words sefm to have decided the fate of Napo- 

 leon; the swarm of bees, that A. I. Root hired 

 the ijian to catch for him, carried lots of fate 

 on their wings as they went over his head. In 

 my case I certainly became no poorer by get- 

 ting bees 30 years ago. When I started house- 



keeping I regretted that I had not sufficient 

 means to buy a good farm, that I might be a 

 farmer; but, not having the money to buy 

 largely, I bought a small place and kept bees. 

 Time has saiistied me that bee-keeping in my 

 cas(! was preferable to fai'ming. 

 Wisconsin. S. \V. S. I. Pkeebokn. 



[1 would call particular attention to the 

 answers given by friends Muth, El wood, and 

 Miller. It is true, as Mr. Muth says, you can 

 stir up blasted hopes in almost any industry by 

 touching the right chord, and bee-keeping is 

 no exception. It is also true, that, as Mr. El- 

 wood remarks, almost every one thinks he 

 would have made more money if he had gone 

 into something else. Dr. Miller says, very truly, 

 ■■ What is money to a man who can't stay at 

 home and enjoy his b(^st earthly treasures?" 

 VVhen we take up the question as to whether 

 bees pay, we need to consider something besides 

 the mere matter of dollars and cents. Dr. sill- 

 ier thinks he would have been richer— that is, 

 */ he had been alive. It is worth something to 

 be alive, to have health, enjoyment, and fun; 

 and where in this wide world can we find any 

 industry that will att'oi'd any more diversion, 

 more field for study, and more opportunity for 

 real fun and hcaWi, than bee-keeping.] 



E. R. 



Heads of Grain 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



IS THERE ANY WAY' TO PREVENT OR CONTROL 

 SWARMING WHEN RUNNING FOR COMR 

 HONEY? 



Is there any way to prevent swarming or to 

 control it to some extent in working for comb 

 honey? My bees are disposed to swarm, and do 

 notliing but swarm two and three times a week. 

 I have ten colonies in Simplicity and Dove- 

 tailed hives. We returned swarms immediate- 

 ly, and removed two frames of brood from the 

 center, and replaced with frames of foundation, 

 cutting out all queen and drone cells, and they 

 would swarm again in two days. Our hives are 

 all made eight-frame by the use of dummies. 

 We enlarg(>d the Simplicity to ten frames, cut- 

 ting all cells, and still they would swarm in two 

 days. We have left them out 48 hours, accord- 

 ing to Dadant, and yet they would swarm. Our 

 queens are all clipped; and when the swarm 

 issues, if someone is not there they will unite 

 with another colony instead of coming back to 

 their queen. Lester Childers. 



Morrow, Kan., Aug. 13. 



[Yes, you can do something toward prevent- 

 ing or controlling swarming by running for 

 comb honey; but when bees get excited by the 

 swarming-note, the whole apiary is more or 

 less demoralized. When they are in this con- 

 dition it is poor policy to return swarms to their 

 old stands. In fact, it is poor policy under any 

 circumstances. It is natural for them to swarm, 

 and you must gratify them with a new loca- 

 tion and a new hive, or at least a new condition 

 of things. If you do not desire increase, we 

 would recommend Heddon's plan of preventing 

 after-swarras. For a description of his method, 

 see his book, or Mr. Hutchinson's "Advanced 

 Bee Culture.'' We have sdinctimcs. where we 

 desired to keep down increase, put a swarm in 

 a hive on top of the old one; then after the sea- 

 son is over, put them all into one hive, taking 

 out the surplus combs. Cutting out all cells 

 helps; but it is. as the Dadant say, not reliable. 



