APRIL 15, 1914 



289 



KEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST 



Loinis Ho Scholl, New Brauinifelg, Texas. 



Texas and California, both with a I'epu- 

 tation as leaders from an apieultural stand- 

 l)oint, seem to have an even start this yeai' 

 as concerns the prospects for a good honey 

 season. With an unusual amount of rain- 

 fall through the winter months, and rains 

 last fall and this spring, indications are for 

 a large crop of honey in each of these two 

 States. Strange it is, though, that, while 

 both of these States are leading honey-pro- 

 ducers, Texas does not affect the northern 

 and eastern honey market, while California 

 does. Instead, Texas consumes almost all 

 of her own honey, assisted by Oklahoma, 

 where a g'reat deal of Texas honey finds a 

 good market. 



The more 1 study the matter of unpainted 

 hives vs. painted ones, the more convinced 

 I am that painting them is the only sensible 

 thing to do. These observations, of covirse. 

 are for this part of the country where the 

 sum.mer sun is perhaps somewhat more se- 

 vere. The more unjoainted hives T see in 

 ray travels around, the more I detest them 

 on account of their unsightly weathered 

 appearance and the gaping corners and 

 split sides or ends. Some of the wise ones 

 claim that the latter trouble is all due to the 

 way the hives are nailed ; but I am here to 

 tell you that there is not so much in this 

 argument. Of course, there is a difference 

 between good and poor nailing of hives: 

 but I want to say that there is also a great 

 difference between well-nailed painted hives 

 and the best-nailed unpainted ones. The 

 paint should be put on just the same. 



Locality does not have so much effect on 

 some things as has been claimed, it seems. 

 For instance, I remember a good many 

 times when our bees were just as cross 

 toward the end of a good honey-flow, and 

 mth honey still coming in " at a good clip,'' 

 as Dr. Miller quotes Dr. Ludden, p. 163. 

 It seems that, when the hives have been 

 stored full of the golden stores, the bees are 

 the more determined to protect them against 

 any possible intruder that may come along 

 and deprive them of these after the long 

 hard toil of storing. It has often seemed 

 to me that a colony of bees that has its hive 

 exceedingly well filled with honey is more 

 difficult to handle at that particular stage 

 than under ordinaiy conditions. This has 

 come to my notice several times with colo- 



nies that ordinarily behaved very nicely and 

 did not seem to repel our manipulations as 

 wlien we approached the hives to take away 

 the surplus honey toward the end of the 

 honey-flow. 



Keeping bees within the city limits has 

 been defended by the writer in a number 

 of instances, and our own number of colo- 

 nies has ranged from a few to forty and 

 more colonies right in the heart of this city 

 of some four thousand inhabitants. While 

 we have had no trouble on account of their 

 presence from neighbors and others, we 

 have decided to move them all away to a 

 safe distance to prevent them coming back 

 and loitering about the honey-house as they 

 now do. In this respect they have annoyed 

 us a great deal — so much so that we moved 

 all of them away once before. But the fact 

 that various colonies and nuclei can be 

 picked up here and there at different times. 

 and can be more conveniently cared for at 

 liome, this number has again increased to a 

 dozen or so. The annoyance about the 

 honey-house and the honey-wagons, and 

 every thing else, is so great that we prefer 

 not to have them about. It is true that 

 " the other fellow's " bees may come just the 

 same; but with ours out of the way the 

 number will be decreased appreciably. 



Continued from preceding page. 



evening weight showed a gain of 8 pounds 

 and 2 ounces in excess of that in the morn- 

 ing, so I had guessed within ten ounces of 

 what had really come in that day. 



But I think I liear our questioner asking 

 " What has this guessing-bee to do with 

 practical apiculture?" Well, it had a lot 

 to do with me, for it brought to me the joy 

 and fun that was to be found with the 

 " trade " called " apiculture." Very few 

 indeed have made a practical success in life 

 wliere they entered any trade or calling 

 with nothing in view but the money there 

 was in it. When toiling for the dollar, 

 every thing is drudgery. But when a person 

 love^ his calling so that he is eager for the 

 next day's fun, every night as he lies down 

 to sleep, he not only gets the joy and fun. 

 but money as well. 



