494 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURI'. 



CONVEESATIONS WITH DOOLITTLE 



Aft BorodiimcD, New York. 



SOilE'tniNG BKTTER THAN FINANCE IN BEE- 

 KEEPING. 



" Why don't you old fellows like Dr. 

 Miller, J. E. Crane, and yourself tell us 

 something" of the financial success of your 

 forty to fifty years of beekeeping? I am 

 thinking- of going- into beekeeping; but un- 

 less there is money in the venture, I do not 

 care for the undertaking. How much have 

 you laid aside from the bees since the year 

 1869, the year you embarked in aiDiculture?" 



Well, before saying any thing regarding 

 the tlung our correspondent wants to know, 

 allow me to say that my advice to the ma)i 

 who has no ideas regarding beekeeping oth- 

 er than the " money there is in the venture." 

 is, " keep out of the bee business." In fact, 

 the person who can see nothing but the 

 money tliere is in any venture will have a 

 hard time passing through the world. I 

 remember hiring a man to w'ork for me 

 when I was on the old farm, before I com- 

 menced to keep bees, who was continually 

 looking at the sun to see how soon it would 

 be quitting time for the day; and the later 

 he worked the move he would lean on his 

 hoe, and the more tired he would become, all 

 llie time proclaiming that he did not believe 

 there was any money in a corn crop. This 

 man wanted big wages, and was not work- 

 ing for any thing but just his wages. To- 

 day he has little if any more than he had 

 fifty years ago. 



Another time I hired a man I)y the moutli, 

 and this man could see fun in every thing I 

 set him at. He was up early in the morn- 

 ing, and would whistle and sing while he 

 tui-ned off one job after another. He Avould 

 lioe one row after another of corn, telling 

 uie at noon or night how nice it grew, and 

 wliat a nice green color the leaves were 

 taking on, surprising" me by the eagerness 

 he manifested in doing a good job, and 

 keeping ahead of tlie work we had to do. 

 We had a long job of laying over an old rad 

 fence which we used as " knitting " Avork 

 when nothing else Avas pressing. At noon, 

 on the last day before his time Avas out, it 

 commenced to rain sloAvly, making eA'ery 

 (liing outside Avet and disagreeable. After 

 dinner he asked me Avhat he Avas to go at for 

 liis last half day Avitli me. I told him to sit 

 down and read a while, and Avhen he felt 

 like it to pack uj) his things, and later on I 

 would carry him home. He said, " There is 

 tliat old rail fence Ave did not finish. I'll go 

 nl that." 1 told him tliat, of all the Avorst 

 thiigs that could be done on a rainy day, 



the laying-over of an old rail fence Avas the 

 worst, and that he Avas to do only as 1 had 

 told him. After a little I missed him; and 

 on going to the door overlooking the old 

 fence, there he was with on old coat on lay^ 

 ing over the fence, Avhistling and singing 

 away in the I'ain. He came in half an hour 

 before it Avas time for me to take him home, 

 saying that I Avould not have to lay over 

 any more old fence, for it was all finished. 

 This man has to-day a fine place all paid 

 for, with money in the bank, and has held 

 many offices of public trust in the commu- 

 nity in Avhieli he located. 



Now a Avord or tAvo about the money there 

 is in beekeeping. No man can ever become 

 a Rockefeller or a Morgan through bee- 

 keeping; but he can make a comfortable 

 living for himself and his family, secuj'e 

 a good home in Avhich to live, and lay aside 

 something to caiTy him through his old age 

 so that he need not Avorry about " over the 

 hills to the poorhouse." But this is only a 

 small part of apiculture (big fortunes made 

 in any business tend to make a man sordid 

 and morose, taking all the pleasure and 

 poetry out of life. He can see only business 

 all the day, and dream of it at night). Be- 

 sides a comfortable- living, a good home, and 

 something laid aside for old age, there is in 

 apiculture something which money cannot 

 Iniy. The merry hum of tlie bees cheers the 

 heart, the green fields and leafy boughs 

 make the eyes shine Avith brightness; the 

 song of the bobolink, robin, and oriole 

 brings music to the soul, Avhile the growing 

 combs of honey sparkling in the sections, or 

 l)eing capped Avith snowy Avhitencss, Avhet 

 the apjietite Avith the keenest relish. 



Say, Mr. Correspondent, I Avould in't 

 exchange all these jileasures which liave 

 come to me through my apicultural life 

 since March 1, 1869, for the fortune of a 

 Morgan or a Rockefeller. The beekeeper 

 who has first sought the kingdom of heaven 

 and its righteousness has a right to be the 

 happiest man or Avoman on earth; and if 

 he is not thus happy it is because he does 

 not reach out his hands and take Avhat is 

 offered by h.is heavenly Father. In my 

 opinion no rural pursuit is the equal of 

 apiculture for }deasure and independence; 

 -and it compares favorably Avith the rest for 

 jirofit if it is rightly managed. In no year 

 have I ever failed to realize a good pi'ofif on 

 tlie labor and capital iuA-esfed. But to giA^e 

 just the figures seems too cold and calcu- 

 lating when I look at the pleasure side. 



