1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



r:5l 



tlie force of your arjjunicnt ; but then, your 

 localHy mav have cjuite an elTect upon horses' 

 tails.— Ed.] 



Hi:i:-Ki:i-iM\r, as a spkciai.ty and as a side 



LINE. 



Chaiijiinji One's Mind; Why the Professional Man 

 and the Fanner Should Keep Bees; Califor- 

 nia Fruit-men the Friends of the Bees. 



BY PROF. -•v. J. COOK. 



Editor (>haiii>i_o-s: — Our good friend Dr. 

 Miller in a recent note referred to nie as hav- 

 ing changed my mind, in that now I believe 

 in bee-keeping for others than specialists. I 

 have changed ni}- mind very often, and am 

 not a whit ashamed of the fact. Emerson 

 says, not to change is to die. Surely one who 

 never changes his mind must be very incon- 

 sequential indeed. But in this matter I have 

 not changt'd my mind ; for of old I used to 

 argue stoutly with such sta.mch defenders of 

 the faith as Bingham and Heddon, they con- 

 tending that onl\' specialists should engage in 

 the pursuit, while I was as emphatic in the 

 position that the ranks should be swelled by 

 any who would go at the work earnestly, in- 

 telligently, and with the per.sistence that 

 could not fail. Later I had the same discus- 

 sion with our friends Taylor and Hatchinson. 

 I always believed I had the weight of the 

 argument on my side, and still think so, and 

 hence have not changed nn- mind at all. 



One fact alone, it seems to me, settles the 

 matter on my side, to wit : vSome of the very 

 brightest and most successful apiarists have 

 not been specialists, but, rather, amateurs ; or 

 at least the bee-keeping part of their work 

 was their avocation, and not the main part of 

 their work. Langstroth, Bingham, the Oat- 

 mans, and even the senior editor of Glkan- 

 INGS, became noted as bee-keepers before it 

 was their leading pursuit. I believe that the 

 majority of those who have had the best suc- 

 cess, and have done the most for the pursuit, 

 have been those who have made bee culture 

 onh- the pick-up work. I perhaps feel more 

 sensitive regarding this matter, as bee-keeping 

 has never been my leading pursuit ; yet it has 

 been a very great pleasure to me, and a .source 

 of no little profit as well. I know of several 

 farmers who have cared for their farms well, 

 and at the same time have made large profits 

 from bees. I hav-e a brother who has a large 

 well-tilled farm ; and although he cares for 

 the farm all himself, yet he keeps a good -sized 

 apiary, and for three successive years he made 

 more from his bees than from all the rest of 

 his farm. With such examples before us, is 

 there any wonder that some of us believe that 

 others than specialists may well keep bees ? I 

 am sure that my brother would laugh at such 

 a proposition. 



The fact that the pursuit of bee-keeping 

 does not occupy one all the time, and the 

 further fact that, in off years, there is little or 

 nothing to do, makes it all the more desirable 

 that bee-keeping alone should not occupy 



one's entire time. By a little ])lanning one 

 can combine bee-kce])ing with some other 

 pursuit, .so that neither will interfere with the 

 other. This not only has the merit of keeping 

 one well emj)loyed all the time, but akso gives 

 variety to the work, and so makes life more 

 enjoyable. A variety also is recreative, and 

 so rests one and makes his work more produc- 

 tive, and at the same time adds greatly to 

 one's health and vigor. 



In the fact- of the many noted examples, I 

 need not say that it is quite possible for one 

 to master bee culture, even though he is 

 deeply absorbed in other work. The very 

 study required not only brings keenest plea- 

 sure, but often gives a discipline that makes 

 one more capable in other lines of work. I 

 am sure that there are lawyers, doctors, etc., 

 who do better work in their practice because 

 of the restful pleasure that they get in the 

 care of their bees. I have known some re- 

 markable cases of just this kind. A perplex- 

 ing law case is not a very effective sedative. 

 Any thing that will help one to forget the 

 disquieting experiences of the daily life will 

 add to one's effectiveness as well as to his 

 length of days. 



I have often worked in my study until the 

 weariness was overpow^ering, and went forth 

 to work in the apiary, when shortly I had 

 forgotten that I was weary, and went back to 

 ni}- study able to do what would have been 

 otherwise quite impossible except for the rest- 

 ful pleasure received in the apiary. 



There is another argument, from the stand- 

 point of economy, that should have some 

 weight. The bees are needed in every garden 

 and orchard to do the work of pollination. 

 If the .'specialists are depended upon, many a 

 fruit-grower --vill suffer. Not a few California 

 fruit-growers now arrange to have bees in the 

 orchard. Tliey find that this pays well. The 

 pomologist , may well study to care for bees, 

 and then he may be independent, and keep 

 his own bees. 



The argument on the other side is, that the 

 specialist will learn and practice better meth- 

 ods, and so will do nothing that will harm 

 the pursuit. But does he do better ? I have 

 been in a great many bee-yards, and I have 

 seen as much perfection among the so-called 

 amateurs as among the specialists. 



In view of all these facts, I am, as I have 

 always been, in favor that all who feel moved 

 to do so, and will take hold of the matter 

 with vigor, shall embark in the bee business. 



NOTES. 



The fruit-men of California have ceased to 

 denounce the bees. We rarely hear other 

 than praise of the little honey-gatherers. 



The present season has been a very good 

 one in Southern California. Many bee-keepers 

 with hundreds of colonies all in one place 

 have taken over 100 lbs. of finest honey from 

 each colony. 



Claremont, Cal., vSept. 25. 



[I most sincerely admire that spirit in any 

 man who is frank enough to admit that he is 

 liable to error, and is therefore not only will- 

 ing to change his preconceived notions, but is 



