AUGUST 15, 1914 



643 



apple-trees on the side of a hill, made the 

 prettiest apiary we had seen yet. Mr. Wat- 

 kins runs for comb honey exclusively, and 

 every colony v^as a hummer. The swarming 

 season was on, and the swarm-catcher was 

 standing near. 



" No, I don't clip my queens," he said, 

 answering a question. " Yes, they keep me 

 pretty busy at this time of year," he replied 

 to the next. *' I returned several swarms 

 to-day." 



" Returned? " we echoed. " To the same 

 hive ? And will they stay ? " 



" Generally," he answered. " Occasion- 

 ally I get one that won't stay put. After 

 trying it once or twice I have to give them 

 a new hive, though I don't really want any 

 more." 



So now two of our own hives are standing 

 on Mr. Watkins' hillside; and when a big 

 hard-headed swarm declines to stay where 

 it is put it will go into one of our hives, and 

 eventually it will come to live under our 

 cherry-tree. But when it does, it will be 

 leaving a Mr. and Mrs. Beekeeper whose 

 friendly welcome and courteous hospitality 

 have taken their place in our memories as 

 an integral jjart of a beautiful day along 

 with 



The song of the birds and the sun on the trees 

 And the glad brave hum of a million bees. 



Nashville, Tenn. 



[We have read with considerable interest 

 the discussion in some of the other bee- 

 journals as well as in Gleanings regarding 

 the advisability of giving help to a beginner. 

 Even in Australia the subject is a live one 

 as evidenced by the amount of space given 



up to it in the April 15th number of The 

 xliistralasian Beekeeper. So far we have had 

 but little to say, since, as publishers of a 

 bee journal, any arg-ument that we might 

 bring forth is so likely to be considered as 

 biased. Nevertheless we cannot blame any 

 beekeeper who might feel that he had made 

 a mistake in helping or encouraging a be- 

 ginner if that beginner in turn should be so 

 shortsighted as to locate an apiary right in 

 the same range, or should attempt to crowd 

 out in any way whatsoever, the one first in 

 the field. Yet, on the other hand, there are 

 really very few beginners who are able to 

 produce enough honey to supply their own 

 demand — a demand created by their own 

 enthusiasm. Encroacliing on another's ter- 

 ritory is bad; but that practice, unfortu- 

 nately, is not confined to beginners. On the 

 contrary, we sometimes think we hear more 

 of such work among beekeepers long since 

 past the beginner's stage, who have been in 

 the business long enough, certainly, to know 

 better. 



We cannot imagine any one refusing to 

 aid in any way possible so enthusiastic a 

 beginner as our correspondent. Beginners 

 there always are and always must be; but 

 from the fact that there are fewer beekeep- 

 ers in the country to-day than ten or fifteen 

 years ago, although probably no fewer 

 colonies of bees, it is evident that there are 

 not as many beginners or those who come 

 under the same general class with beginners 

 as there were a few years ago. We cannot 

 believe that professional beekeepers have 

 any tiling to fear from intelligent beginners. 

 —Ed.] 



THE BEGINNER AS AN ASSET 



ail 



Read Before tlie Spring Meetting of the PiiiladelpMa Beekeepers' Association 



BY C. M HARRIS 



This subject v/as suggested by the March 

 Ist number of Gleanings, which was de- 

 voted to city beekeeping. The first intention 

 was to give a resume of the articles contain- 

 ed in it; but further study and thought 

 boiled the subject down to " The Beginner 

 as an Asset to Beekeeping." 



One of the greatest needs of our business 

 is publicity. The great manufacturing in- 

 dustries get together in trade associations 

 for the purpose of spreading interesting 

 facts about their business — facts which will 

 increase the consumption of their product. 

 They spend great sums of money in this 

 work, and all are agreed that it is profitable 

 as a financial proposition. There does not 



seem to have been any plan adopted to do 

 this work for the beekeepers. Our princi- 

 pal publicity is, as a rule, of the injurious 

 sort, such as a revival of the comb-honey 

 canard, or a severe case of stinging, where, 

 if the facts were known, neither the bee- 

 keeper nor the bees were to blame. 



Right here is where I believe the beginner 

 can render great service to every one who 

 is interested in the production of honey or 

 bees. Beginners are enthusiastic, and their 

 enthusiasm is the kind that will not let them 

 keep quiet about their new hobby. They 

 must talk to their friends and neighbors — 

 or, indeed, to any one, whether he wants to 

 listen or not. What is the result? The 



